Reviews of Swahili House
Wildlife sightings and reviews
11 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Swahili House and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
Mr & Mrs ST
Cambridge
"Swahili House review"
2 nights Arrived 14 Jan 2023
"A stylish and characterful hotel in the heart of Stonetown.
Easy to get lost without a town map which was not available from reception - we picked one up from another hotel!
The spice farm visit and Stonetown guided walk arranged by the hotel were great.
The bar/restaurant at rooftop level was spectacular but slightly let down by only average food quality." See all these reviews: 6n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania
Easy to get lost without a town map which was not available from reception - we picked one up from another hotel!
The spice farm visit and Stonetown guided walk arranged by the hotel were great.
The bar/restaurant at rooftop level was spectacular but slightly let down by only average food quality." See all these reviews: 6n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Good
Service:
Average
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Average
Ms H & Ms D
UK
"Swahili House review"
2 nights Arrived 11 Nov 2011
"Good location, nicely refurbished building with great rooftop restaurant and bar.
However, our spposedly superior room didn't have any furniture apart from a bed and bedside tables. It would have been useful to have had a wardrobe in the room or a chest of drawers for clothes and a couple of chairs.
The electricity shortcircuited twice and the first time it took them a whole day to sort it out, despite various reminders and assurances that it was going to / had been done. We saw a rat in the restaurant and although the hotel was supposed to have credit card facilities we were sent out to get cash.
Overall, the service was disappointing." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar
However, our spposedly superior room didn't have any furniture apart from a bed and bedside tables. It would have been useful to have had a wardrobe in the room or a chest of drawers for clothes and a couple of chairs.
The electricity shortcircuited twice and the first time it took them a whole day to sort it out, despite various reminders and assurances that it was going to / had been done. We saw a rat in the restaurant and although the hotel was supposed to have credit card facilities we were sent out to get cash.
Overall, the service was disappointing." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location:
Good
Service:
Poor
Facilities:
Average
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Average
Ms L & Mr DB
Oxshott
"Swahili House review"
2 nights Arrived 18 Sep 2011
"Generally disappointed with this hotel. The room they gave us had no chairs in it as only the Sultan suites have chairs, tables, terrace and a view! Also the toilet did not work properly.
In a coffee producing country, nescafe was served at breakfast.
If I had been made aware I would have booked Emerson Spice, a lovely new hotel." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 6n in Rwanda; 5n in Tanzania
In a coffee producing country, nescafe was served at breakfast.
If I had been made aware I would have booked Emerson Spice, a lovely new hotel." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 6n in Rwanda; 5n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Average
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Poor
Mr & Mrs M
Bristol
"Swahili house provides excellent views"
1 night Arrived 17 Sep 2011
"Swahili house was a good place to stay since we were not in Stone town long enough to have a tour. It provided a memorable evening on its terrace overlooking the whole town and surrounds, with the evening muezzin and sunset views.
The food was good as was the service.
Our room was small compared to ones we had been staying in, but it was adequately equipped with mosquito net and a fan inside the netting should the night be too oppressive.
Fisherman's tours arranged a good prompt pick-up in the morning" See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 7n in Zanzibar
The food was good as was the service.
Our room was small compared to ones we had been staying in, but it was adequately equipped with mosquito net and a fan inside the netting should the night be too oppressive.
Fisherman's tours arranged a good prompt pick-up in the morning" See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 7n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Feedback Response
As part of their feedback, these travellers noted that:
"The ratings choice on [our feedback] form did create difficulty in that there was nothing between Good and Excellent."
"The ratings choice on [our feedback] form did create difficulty in that there was nothing between Good and Excellent."
"Innovation Manager"
Ms M
North London
"Not there yet"
2 nights Arrived 14 Sep 2011
"On the plus side, Swahili House is beautiful and very sympathathetically renovated and the staff are friendly and helpful. The food in the cafe and restaurant was very good, although we were disappointed that the menu didn't change daily in the restaurant - if it had we would have eaten there again. The views from the restaurant must be among the best in Stonetown.
Now the bad points. Our room was called a suite, but it was an ordinary double room. We had asked for twin beds but were given a king sized bed with a put-up bed next to it. The main bed was uncomfortable with big dips in the mattress. The mosquito nets had huge holes in them. The bathroom was a section of the room with only a half wall screening it off - so no privacy, and actually quite unpleasant.
We had no hot water for the whole of our stay and there was something wrong with the water in our room for most of it, so no cold water for long periods also. This was all such a shame, as we really wanted to like Swahili House." See all these reviews: 4n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar
Now the bad points. Our room was called a suite, but it was an ordinary double room. We had asked for twin beds but were given a king sized bed with a put-up bed next to it. The main bed was uncomfortable with big dips in the mattress. The mosquito nets had huge holes in them. The bathroom was a section of the room with only a half wall screening it off - so no privacy, and actually quite unpleasant.
We had no hot water for the whole of our stay and there was something wrong with the water in our room for most of it, so no cold water for long periods also. This was all such a shame, as we really wanted to like Swahili House." See all these reviews: 4n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Poor
Rooms:
Poor
Food:
Good
Mr M & Mrs L
Cheshire
"Beautiful building in real Zanzibar"
1 night Arrived 3 Mar 2011
"Great situation, very pleasant staff, great roof bar and restaurant.........beautiful room"
See all these reviews: 3n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Ms H & Mr F
London
"Swahili House review"
1 night Arrived 27 Nov 2010
"The hotel is centrally located and set in an old Sultan house. There are quite a lot of stairs but the inside of the hotel has been refurbished to a high standard incorporating traditional decoration into a more modern setting.
We only stayed there one night but the staff were very friendly and helpful and we had dinner on the roof top terrace which which gave a fantastic view over the town.
There are many 5 star establishments around but it was enjoyable and more cost effective to stay in a slightly more simplistic/boutique place than the much more expensive colonial style hotels." See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania
We only stayed there one night but the staff were very friendly and helpful and we had dinner on the roof top terrace which which gave a fantastic view over the town.
There are many 5 star establishments around but it was enjoyable and more cost effective to stay in a slightly more simplistic/boutique place than the much more expensive colonial style hotels." See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Mr L & Ms H
Surrey
"Exploring Stone Town from Swahili House"
2 nights Arrived 21 Nov 2010
"What a hotel! An amazing conversion of an old trading house with lots of original details.
For us long evenings spent on the roof terrace watching and listening to all the activity of the Town around us was amazing (accompanied with tasty cocktails and delicious food).
Great location to explore Stone Town from." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar
For us long evenings spent on the roof terrace watching and listening to all the activity of the Town around us was amazing (accompanied with tasty cocktails and delicious food).
Great location to explore Stone Town from." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Mr & Mrs H
Worthing
"Elegant Special Swahili House"
1 night Arrived 26 Oct 2010
"Only here for a night but upgraded to suite as few people here. Stunning room with balcony and large bathroom. Huge very comfy bed
Staff. Receptionist was excellent and arranged for our very early start efficiently ordering friut and cakes for breakfast.
Manager was from Fumba standing in for a week had nothing to tell us about the hotel and sent us off in completely the wrong directionfor our wander thr' Stonetown. pity. The assistant manager at dinner appeared to be on his phone all night by the bar. The dinner staff were so laidback you feared they would forget what was happening. However the setting up on the roof was stunning, the drinks delicious and dinner superb. We were very happy with our choice just very aware how spoilt we had been on safari and I suppose it began to ease us back into real world. We were so relaxed by then that we found it all quite funny, maybe if we had been there longer they would have lightened up and been more friendly.Wake up was on time and very helpful and friendly." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar
Staff. Receptionist was excellent and arranged for our very early start efficiently ordering friut and cakes for breakfast.
Manager was from Fumba standing in for a week had nothing to tell us about the hotel and sent us off in completely the wrong directionfor our wander thr' Stonetown. pity. The assistant manager at dinner appeared to be on his phone all night by the bar. The dinner staff were so laidback you feared they would forget what was happening. However the setting up on the roof was stunning, the drinks delicious and dinner superb. We were very happy with our choice just very aware how spoilt we had been on safari and I suppose it began to ease us back into real world. We were so relaxed by then that we found it all quite funny, maybe if we had been there longer they would have lightened up and been more friendly.Wake up was on time and very helpful and friendly." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Poor
Facilities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
The H family
Surrey
"Swahili House - good for a one night stay"
1 night Arrived 10 Aug 2010
"We spent our last night at Swahili house. The location is good, however the cars cannot get to close, so there is a short walk through busy streets. The front desk and welcome briefing was excellent and the roof top terrace fantastic. We went out into the town and got lost (of course) but a helpful local aided our return. Rooms were tall and airy, but be warned that there are a lot of stairs!
We ate at the hotel and our pre-dinner drinks service was very poor. The hotel blenders had broken and the cocktails took about 25 mins to arrive, one of these was undrinkable. The quality of the food was excellent although there were a number of items on the menu which were not available (they also had an odd mixture of old and new menus, which was confusing. We discovered that dinner was pretty expensive when we settled the bill and the promised alarm call and breakfast didn't materialise at 5:15. Luckily the call to prayer at 5am woke us. The lack of staff meant that I had to carry all the bags down two steep flights of stairs to the front of the hotel. However we made our flight in time thanks to the excellent transfer service that Expert Africa had arranged." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 7n in Zanzibar
We ate at the hotel and our pre-dinner drinks service was very poor. The hotel blenders had broken and the cocktails took about 25 mins to arrive, one of these was undrinkable. The quality of the food was excellent although there were a number of items on the menu which were not available (they also had an odd mixture of old and new menus, which was confusing. We discovered that dinner was pretty expensive when we settled the bill and the promised alarm call and breakfast didn't materialise at 5:15. Luckily the call to prayer at 5am woke us. The lack of staff meant that I had to carry all the bags down two steep flights of stairs to the front of the hotel. However we made our flight in time thanks to the excellent transfer service that Expert Africa had arranged." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 7n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Good
Service:
Average
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
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Other lodges in Stone Town
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Serena Inn
Now trumped by the nearby Park Hyatt, the Serena Inn, in its historic building, was formerly Stone Town's only international-style hotel.
Zanzibar Coffee House
The Zanzibar Coffee House is a small quiet hotel tucked away in the back streets of Stone Town, with lovely, simple rooms.
Zanzibar Palace Hotel
The Zanzibar Palace Hotel is a highly regarded boutique hotel with very personal service and just nine rooms, all of them Zanzibari in style.
Beyt al Salaam
The Beyt al Salaam is a pleasant, boutique hotel with only six rooms and atmospheric and stylish Zanzibari décor.
Dhow Palace Hotel
The Dhow Palace is a very good-value, mid-range hotel, full of Swahili character, and the pool makes it appealing to families.
Emerson Spice
Emerson Spice is a beautiful small hotel in the heart of Stone Town with individually designed rooms adorned with gorgeous fabrics.
Kholle House
Kholle House offers an atmospheric Stone Town stay in a historic building, and is very good value for money.
Jafferji House
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Tembo Hotel
The Tembo Hotel is a good-value, family-friendly hotel right on the seafront in Stone Town, with 36 rooms and a good-sized swimming pool.
Emerson on Hurumzi
Emerson on Hurumzi was Stone Town's first boutique hotel, featuring antique furniture, unique, stylish rooms and a superb rooftop restaurant.
Mbweni Ruins Hotel
Mbweni Ruins Hotel is very convenient if you want to stay on the beach, but very close to Stone Town, or visit Chumbe Island.
Maru Maru Hotel
In the heart of Stone Town, Maru Maru combines contemporary style and creature comforts with a Zanzibari twist.
Park Hyatt
The Park Hyatt Zanzibar is a high-quality example of this group, with excellent facilities and service.
Kisiwa House
Kisiwa's central location in the heart of Stone Town's Shangani area makes it a great base to explore this fascinating town.
Seyyida Hotel
The Seyyida is a characterful old hotel near the seafront in Stone Town, with the rare bonus of a swimming pool.
