Sunrise Hotel and Restaurant opened its doors in 1994 and is owned and run by a Belgian chef – Sunrise Hotel and Restaurant opened its doors in 1994 and is owned and run by a Belgian chef – Georges Noel. He is a very charming, friendly man who makes no pretensions about this low key lodge. It has never been a smart or luxurious place, but has usually turned out to be comfortable and welcoming with a chilled-out atmosphere.
There is a large thatched central area, where you will find the bar/lounge and dining for Sunrise. The decor here is rather strange - with garish colours that lack any co-ordination (interior designers – consider yourself warned!). But it is clean and comfortable and the restaurant used to serve some of the best food on Zanzibar.
There is also a large swimming pool with plenty of loungers and shade. From the pool, the long stretch of white beach is only a few steps – there is plenty of natural shade from the trees, however Sunrise has not put out any shade or loungers here.
There are two different types of room at Sunrise Hotel and Restaurant. The Standard Rooms are quite small and dark (we do not recommend these to our travellers), though they are still well furnished with Zanzibari furniture and air-conditioning. Then the Sea View Rooms, which are situated in bungalows, are slightly larger and brighter with much better views.
Sunrise does not try to be flashy, so it has retained a lovely down-to-earth and relaxing atmosphere. It can be good value, as long as you aren't expecting luxury, and many will be drawn here for its food.
Sunrise hotel – 2008 update
We re-visited the Sunrise most recently in Feb 2008 – not the busiest time for most hotels in Zanzibar. We had had a few negative reports of the Sunrise, and visited it to try to asses if standards had changed here.
We found a very quiet hotel, and had lunch there. The food was very good, but not up to the 'best-on-the-island' standards that we had experienced a few years earlier. The owner, Georges, was around and, after lunch, we had a chat with him. He explained that he was expecting the hotel to be full the next day – and that we'd just caught it on an unusually empty day.
This didn't dispel our concerns about the hotel. After receiving those reports, we remain concerned that Georges might not be managing the Sunrise with the same care and attention to detail that had been so evident on our earlier visits.
We felt that we were visiting a hotel where the standard of service and, especially, accommodation may have slipped a little – although we are mindful that a definitive judgment was impossible, as many hotels on Zanzibar look a little unkempt and when they're empty during this period.
Because of this doubt over the Sunrise, we would urge caution to any of our travellers who are thinking of visiting. We hope to have a detailed report on the hotel's operations at a busier time from travellers staying here in August 2008 – and will bring you this news when we have it.
The Sunrise Hotel remains one of the least costly hotels that we feature on Zanzibar – and it may remain a very good value place to stay, even if it's food isn't quite as exceptional as it once was. We simply don't have any other beach hotels at this price level which are anything like this. However, if you have a little more budget, then you should also consider Echo Beach, Mchanga Beach Lodge and Kikadini Villas, which are all more costly, although in the same broad price bracket.
Ideal length of stay: 3 nights or more if you like relaxing on the beach.
Central facilities: The central areas at Sunrise Hotel are spacious and well kept, though those with an eye for interior design might find things a little garish. To reach the bar and dining area you have to cross a little foot bridge over a stream, and then both are situated next to each other under a large thatch roof.
The bar area is a semi-circular room, which is open sided and has intimate booths with little Zanzibari tables around the edge. The cream tiled floors, red and cream soft furnishings, and bright yellow bar and tarpaulin wind breaks don't match, however the bar is well stocked, the staff are friendly and it is very comfortable.
The dining area sits under the same thatch roof just adjacent to bar, and is furnished with tables and chairs. The tie-dyed table cloths are gaudy, but you'll soon forget this when the excellent food arrives.
Sunrise has a large pool which is lovely and clean with plenty of loungers under the shade of large umbrellas. It is perfect for swimming when the tide is out.
Directions: It takes around 35 minutes to fly to Zanzibar from Dar es Salaam, and then it's a further one hour by car to Sunrise Hotel and Restaurant.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer
Key personnel
Owner: Independent / Owner Run
Food & drink
Usual board basis: Half Board
Food quality: The meal times at Sunrise are generally very flexible – as Georges told us himself, 'when people are on holiday, they don't want to be told when to eat!' Having said that the norm is, breakfast from around 7.30 onwards. Lunch is then 12.30 – 14.30 and dinner is usually served from 19.30 until 21.30.
Georges prides himself on having one of the finest restaurants on Zanzibar, and in the past, it certainly was excellent. The food on our previous visits before Feb 2008 wasn't overly flashy or stylishly presented – but it tasted fantastic.
Dining style: Inidividual Tables
Dining locations: Indoor Dining
Room service: There is no room service at Sunrise.
Drinks included: Drinks are not included. When we were last there the drinks were about $3 for a glass of South African wine, and $2 for a beer.
Special interests
Family holidays: Sunrise is an inexpensive and very relaxed beach lodge which welcomes children. It is quite fun and informal, and doesn't have that 'quiet honeymoon'; feel that can make families with energetic children feel a little uncomfortable. There is also a large pool to keep kids entertained.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for family holidays in Zanzibar
Beach holidays: Sunrise Hotel and Restaurant sits in a quiet stretch of beach on Zanzibar's Michamvi Peninsula. The beach has powdery white sand which stretches off into the distance on either side, and beautiful water which is usually crystal clear. However Sunrise does lack in loungers and shade on the beach.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for beach holidays in Zanzibar
Children
Attitude towards children: Children are welcome at Sunrise Hotel and Restaurant.
Age restrictions: There are no age restrictions here.
Activities: Sunrise will happily organize child-minding.
Equipment: Cots are available on request.
Generally recommended for children: Yes
Notes: There are no specific facilities here for children, though there is a relaxed atmosphere, a pool and a vast stretch of beach.
Central communications
Power supply: Mains Electricity
Communications: Guests can use the office computer to email when it is available, and there's WiFi freely available if you have your own PC. There usually good reception for mobile phones here.
TV & radio: There is no TV or radio here.
Health & safety
Malarial area: Yes
Medical care: There is a doctor at a nearby resort that can be contacted in the case of a medical situation.
Dangerous animals: Low Risk
Security measures: There are guards around the lodge at night, and a central safe in the office for valuables.
Fire safety: There are fire extinguishers in the main areas.
Extras
Disabled access: On Request
Laundry facilities: There is an extra charge for laundry – it usually takes 24 hours depending on the weather and when we were last there it was around $1-3 depending on the item.
Money: If Sunrise does have any cash available, they are happy to offer an exchange service for US dollars, and travellers' cheques. However, this isn't something that you can rely on.
Accepted payment: Sunrise prefer payment for any extras in US Dollars cash, though they do also except Visa and Mastercard (for a 10% charge) as well as travellers' cheques (for a 5% charge).
great location at the Sunrise Hotel
During our first few days it wasn't very busy, so it lacked a bit of atmosphere but did pick up later in the week. The food was very good (esp breakfast), but some of the more complicated dishes ...
Useful links...
We want you to understand more about Sunrise Hotel. We're also confident that a trip there with us cost you the same or less than booking it any other way, even directly. So follow the links below.
Sunrise Hotel homepage Pretty simple little site; read the menu and take our word for it; the food is at least as good as the menu!
