Zanzibar: where to stay, what's truly worth it and what I'd skip

I've already told you about my week in Zanzibar: five tours, four hotels, a mid-week flight to a safari, and the strange feeling of having been there without ever really being there. But there's an upside to racing through a whole island: you come home knowing exactly what's worth it. That's what this article is, the filter I brought back. So your trip can start where mine should have.

Zanzibar in a minute

• When to go: June to October, or late December to February. I went in October and the weather was flawless; it's the warm dry season.
• Visa: sorted on arrival at the airport or online through the e-visa system.
• Currency: the Tanzanian shilling (TZS), though US dollars are accepted everywhere.
• Insurance: Zanzibar's local insurance (Zanzibar Insurance Corporation, ZIC) is mandatory: 44 USD per adult, 22 USD for ages 3 to 17. Buy it online before you fly; the QR code is checked at immigration.
• Respect: around 99% of the population is Muslim. Respect local beliefs and keep the dress code in mind away from the beach.

And one honest note before you start dreaming over the map: Zanzibar is a wonderful island, the food is incredible, the people and culture are rich beyond measure. But outside the resort, don't expect paved roads or much infrastructure. Plan your route well: there aren't many roads or alternative ways around, and what looks close on the map can easily be an hour or more by car.

Renting a car? I wouldn't, unless you have serious experience driving in countries where rules are loose. The roads can be chaotic: no traffic signs, cars against the flow, animals on the road. That's not judgement, it's a portrait. And with a good local driver, even the drive becomes part of the trip.

One last note, about the beaches: you'll often be approached by locals selling crafts. They're not always insistent, but sometimes they can be. Usually a "no, thank you" with a smile does it; in the more touristy areas, like Nungwi or Kendwa, you may have to repeat it. It's part of the island: people making a living, not a problem to be solved.

First, the tides (the truth the photos don't tell)

Before you choose where to stay, here's what no photo will tell you: in Zanzibar, the east coast (Paje, Jambiani, Bwejuu, Matemwe) lives by the tides. At low tide the sea pulls back hundreds of metres, leaving an endless sandbank, natural pools and the seaweed in plain sight. It's stunning, but it's not a swim-whenever-you-like sea. I speak from experience: some days you walk a good while before you find water up to your waist. And that's coming from someone who is 1.55 m tall.

In the north (Nungwi, Kendwa), you barely feel the tide: the blue is always at your doorstep.

Neither coast is better. They're different islands within the same island, and the right choice depends on the trip you want.

How to build the trip: one, two or three bases

Seven nights is my minimum for Zanzibar. Anything less, between the long flight and the island's slow roads, means rushing: exactly the trip I'm trying to save you from. The sweet spot is 8 to 12 nights, depending on the route.

One base, sea always ready: Nungwi or Kendwa · 7 to 9 nights

If you want a single base with reliably good beach and sea, deep blue water and decent infrastructure (by Zanzibar standards), the north is your answer. Nungwi has energy: restaurants, life, famous sunsets. Kendwa is the quieter sister, powder sand and less bustle. With one base, seven nights are plenty: the island comes to you on day trips, and you keep whole days for doing absolutely nothing.

Who it's for: first-timers, and anyone who wants to land and stop thinking.

One base, away from the buzz: Matemwe or Michamvi · 7 to 9 nights

If your idea of a good beach is one far from the big hotels and the crowds, my advice is Matemwe or Michamvi. Matemwe is a real fishing village with small, beautiful places to stay, and it's the gateway to Mnemba, the island's best snorkelling. Michamvi is the nearly untouched peninsula past Pingwe, with a rare trump card on the east coast: the Michamvi Kae side faces west, so you get sunsets over the sea.

Who it's for: second visits, low-key honeymoons, people who travel to read, swim and nothing else.

Two bases, the complete trip: east + north · 7 to 10 nights

If you don't mind moving once, this is my favourite formula: half the days in Jambiani or Paje, half in Nungwi or Kendwa. On the east you get local life and the authentic Zanzibar; in the north, postcard sea at any hour. At minimum, 4 nights east and 3 north; ideally 8 to 10, with a single mid-trip suitcase move.

Jambiani or Paje? They're neighbours and they're worlds apart. Paje is the kitesurf capital, with a café scene and travellers from everywhere: busier, more social. Jambiani is the authentic, serene fishing village, where days repeat themselves in the best way. I'm firmly team Jambiani, but it's a matter of vibe, not quality.

Who it's for: 7 to 10 days, couples and friends who want the best of both worlds.

Three areas, the whole island: Stone Town + east + north · 10 to 12 nights

One or two nights in Stone Town on arrival, 4 to 5 on the east coast, 4 to 5 in the north. You start with the culture (Stone Town deserves a night's sleep, not a rushed visit), move on to the soul, and end at the sea. With fewer than 10 nights, don't force it: cut one area and enjoy the other two. Three bases in one week was the mistake I made, and you already know how that ended.

Where to stay: my shortlist

I stayed at four hotels and kept many more on my radar. This is the curated list; the full one, with the right room for each trip and the right season for each area, is work I do made to measure.

Jambiani

Passion Boutique is my favourite on the island, and I stayed there so I could say it. Just 8 rooms, all immaculate: housekeeping, decor, amenities, everything. Ours was one of the "smallest", and it was anything but small; it was the gem of the house for its location, ground floor with a front-row view of the pool and the sea. The vibe is pure calm, the team is a delight, and the restaurant's food is a 12 out of 10: you can and should go try it even if you're not staying. And one detail that says it all: decaf is not an easy thing to find in Zanzibar, but the manager insisted on hunting some down, and every evening they'd ask if I was ready for my decaf. That's the level of care.

Who it's for: people who want to truly unwind, who value personal touches and highly curated, beautiful places. Couples, solo travellers or friends: I guarantee good photos without leaving the hotel. The only catch isn't the hotel's, it's the area's: the tides rule here, and that transparent sea at the door isn't always there (scroll back to the tides chapter).

Also on my shortlist in Jambiani: Alma Boutique (the village's polished side, made for honeymoons) and Sea View Lodge (beachfront bungalows, a good balance for friends or a first visit).

Paje

Amani Boutique, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is the top of the area: for Paje with quiet luxury. Villa Huruma is the simple, well-done entry point: pool, beach, no fuss.

Matemwe

Kasha Boutique is the hideaway: suites with private pools, made for honeymoons and second trips. Villa Kiva is the human-scale romantic, with a spa.

Nungwi

Nungwi is known for the famous all-inclusive Riu Jambo and Riu Palace, side by side (the Palace is adults-only). I stayed at the Palace, and I'll say it plainly: I identify less and less with big-chain hotels. The mealtime commotion, the fifteen-minute walk inside your own hotel to get from A to B. But it would be unfair not to give the other side: for those who want every comfort in one place, with nothing to think about, they work. It's just not my idea of feeling Zanzibar.

On my boutique shortlist for the north: Nungwi Dreams by Mantis (design and luxury), The Zanzibari (the calm tip of Nungwi, away from the bustle) and Siri Beach Lodge (the laid-back adults-only alternative).

What's truly worth it

Mnemba Island. The best snorkelling on the island, and one of the things I'd repeat without thinking twice. A well-spent half day, ideally from Matemwe or the north.

Stone Town, overnight. It's not a visit, it's a city: the alleys, the carved doors, the Forodhani night market at sunset. If I could do it again, I'd stay two nights. Getting lost in Stone Town was one of the best things I did.

A sunset dhow cruise. Two hours, a traditional boat, the sky on fire over Nungwi or Kendwa. Simple and spot on.

Dolphins, but with rules. Swimming with dolphins can be magical or it can be sad, and the difference is the operator. Dolphins first: no chasing, no surrounding, you swim only if they come to you. Look for operators who put this in writing; they exist, including a local collective of ethical boatmen in Kizimkazi. I skip anything that involves chasing, without hesitation.

Nakupenda, with time. The most beautiful sandbank I've ever seen, and where I learned this trip's lesson: I got forty minutes on the clock in a place whose name means "I love you" in Swahili. Go, but run from the rushed combos: look for a private trip, or one with real time on the sandbank.

The pottery with the Swahili Mamas, the local shops in Paje, the tortoises. About those last ones: I did the Baraka Natural Aquarium, in Nungwi. It's fun, but it's the most touristy version of the experience. I never made it to Salaam Cave, further south, but that's the one I'd choose today: the same magic, far fewer people. One more for next time's list.

What I'd skip

Safari Blue. I'll be honest: it was the tour that did the least for me. It's the island's most famous and has everything on paper (dhow, snorkelling, sandbank, seafood), but it's also the most mass-produced, with dozens of operators selling the same day on repeat. If you want to do it, pick the original operator and go with the right expectations. I'd rather spend that day at Mnemba, or at Nakupenda without the rush.

Anything that chases dolphins. You already know why.

The rush. The real tour to avoid. Five tours in one week was my mistake; pick two or three and give each one a whole day.

The mid-week safari: worth it?

Halfway through the beach week, we caught a plane to Arusha (an hour and a half in the air) and did two days of safari: Tarangire and the Ngorongoro crater. Zebras by the dozen, giraffes, elephants, real-life Pumbaas.

The reason we squeezed it in like that was simple and honest: money. We wanted a real safari, and flying from Zanzibar to Arusha costs far less than an international flight to Kilimanjaro with all the logistics that follow. It worked, and I wouldn't trade those two days for anything. But if I went back, I'd flip it: invest more, start with mainland Tanzania and a safari done with time, and only then land in Zanzibar. That's the right order: dust first, then the sea, so you can rest from the safari itself.

And there's a third way, for anyone who doesn't want to invest as much and is after a first taste: the light-aircraft day trip from Zanzibar to Mikumi National Park, 40 to 50 minutes of flying each way. It's a long, full day, but I've had clients do it and they came back delighted, with sightings of many species in a single day.

If I went back

I'd go straight back to Jambiani, to Passion Boutique. I'd repeat Stone Town, two nights this time, and Mnemba Island. And I'd finally do what was left undone: Jozani Forest (the red colobus monkeys exist nowhere else, and everyone who's been confirmed what I suspected), a spice farm (on an island that built its history on spices, it's close to mandatory), Salaam Cave, and Nakupenda with the whole morning ahead of me.

And that's the upside of not doing everything: you're left with reasons to come back.

Where to eat: the pocket note

A few different styles, so you don't leave the island without tasting it: the Passion Boutique restaurant in Jambiani (my 12 out of 10, open to non-guests), the Forodhani night market in Stone Town (street food at sunset: try the famous Zanzibar pizza), Mr. Kahawa in Paje (a beach café with fish brought in by dhow) and The Rock in Pingwe (the iconic restaurant perched on a rock in the sea). The rest of the list lives in my travel plans.

Personalised travel plans, with the full structure and the insider tips of someone who went, lived, tasted and felt it. If Zanzibar is on your mind, this is what I do. All you have to do is pack.