Everything about this place was fantastic! The hotel itself was so nicely done. The employees, service, flexibility of late checkout and everything on the menu was delicious! The room was awesome we got no. 2 facing the beach, Matemwe has the longest beach stretch in Zanzibar, great walks and exercise. It's only 1hr from stone town and airport. It's good to know that there's not much around the hotel so no places to go in the evening, however we just wanted to chill. We could still get to all our places we wanted to visit within the hour. Internet was very good as well. If you want to go mnemba island for snorkeling, dolphins, all the fruit you can eat, just walk on beach from the hotel at the back and ask for Abul Fakih. best guy, he really looked after us! See you soon Marafiki Team!

The kindness of Paola and the villa

it was unique.

nothing

The very friendly staff, the beautifull sea, the food, oceanview room..

It's a very quiet location, we would like to have more action, and the we didnt like the tides.

The hotel is right by the beach. The staff was friendly and welcoming. The hotel was small, serene and quiet. Traditional local inspiration on the decor.

Unfortunately we and several other guests got food poisoning from the food at the hotel. We were sick for 2,5 days in the hotel room and did not feel like eating anything from the hotel for the rest of our stay because of it. Things like this can happen anywhere of course, but it affected our overall experience during our stay. We were sad to spend 1/3 of our holiday being sick, and we missed out on snorkeling in the area which we had really looked forward to. The room and facilities were okay, but not amazing. Because of the food poisoning we only had a few meals at the hotel - minus the food poisoning the food was decent, not good or great. We walked 30 minutes to the nearest small local "store" where we could buy crisps and we lived on that after the food poisoning. We found the food standard in the hotel and on Zanzibar generally to be low compared to the food standard in Scandinavia/Europe where we live. We know how much the hotel(s) rely on good ratings and reviews from guests, but we also want to be honest and give a true representation of the hotel and our experience as hotel guests. It is not a 9.6 hotel experience... We had high expectations and were looking forward to our stay (because of the high rating) and unfortunately we were disappointed.

We had high expectations about this hotel, and they were most definitely all met! The place is simply beautiful, with attention to all details. We stayed in one of the cheaper rooms, but still had beautiful view over the pool all the way to the beach - couldn't really have asked for anything better. The staff is exceptional and made us feel most welcome. The restaurant is superb for both breakfast and dinner; we still dream about some of the dishes we had there! Would definitely stay here again!

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Everything was just perfect! This nice Hotel charms you with it's welcoming atmosphere. Everywhere you go, you find spots to sit down, relax and enjoy the sun. Meanwhile the amazing staff take care of all your sorrows and treats you with great food!

During low tide, the shallow water is full of seaurchins, which makes swimming in the sea impossible, but I guess that's nature, right, there is a pool to avoid a heatstroke. Quite a few locals try to stell excursions to you at the beach and tend to be quite persistent about it, but once you firmly tell them off, they back off - and the stick to the beach and don't disturb you at the hotel. Keep in mind, that even though they might offer cheaper excursions, they are no proffesionals. If you, for example, book a snorceling tour with them, you might get disappointed how disuptive they behave around the reef and it's nature. Better ask for professionals at the reception!

Beautiful hotel, calm, relaxing. Great food and cocktails. Fantastic spa offers and very friendly and welcoming staff

The bed could have been a bit firmer, but that is personal taste.

We had a wonderful and relaxing stay at the fabulous Marafiki Beach Hotel in Matemwe. From the moment we arrived, our expectations were exceeded. The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming, and they made us feel right at home. The views from the hotel were breathtaking. We were able to relax and take in the beauty of the beach, ocean, and nearby islands. The restaurant served delicious food with a variety of options to choose from. Every night was peaceful and serene due to its location on an idyllic white sand beach. We felt so lucky to be able to walk along it admiring the sunset every evening. It was truly magical! We had such an amazing time at Marafiki Beach Hotel that we really hope to be able to come back again one day soon!

it’s a small paradise just in front of your room, in one word: fantastic. the staff is so friendly and helpfull. the food is delicious. I will be back for sure!

incredible beachfront location; lovely massage room; nice staff

Absolutely amazing little boutique hotel just on Matemwe Beach! After a lot of googling on where to stay in Zanzibar I found this gem. The hotel is supercozy with the perfect resort-ambience that you're looking for. Staff was superfriendly and really wants to get to know you. The food was AMAZING, we especially appreciated the à la carte menu for breakfast (so much better than a buffé). Previous comments have mentioned that the lunch and dinner prices are above average, but I would say that it is up to par with the quality that you get. Rooms were cozy and it was amazing to wake up, seeing the beach and hearing the waves. The rooms were cleaned twice a day which was really nice. Lastly, I had a 50min Swedish massage at their spa (highly recommend!). We will definitely come back!

One small dislike was that the cleaning crew often forgot to lock the door after they had been cleaning in our room, but it did not have any material affect on our stay and experience

Everything was perfect. The receptionists, housekeepers, managers, restaurant employees, spa etc were all very kind and helpful. Feels like a small family. Loved the stay here and even came back for more days. Can highly recommend it. The food is exceptional good - even the breakfast that’s included. Rooms are amazing in traditional style with a perfect view to the ocean.

The location of the place is truly great. Our room was dreamy! Also the staff is incredibly nice and kind. We can really recommend the place for all those reasons!

As so many hotels in Zanzibar, this is a hotel owned and led by foreigners. In this environment of mostly white owners and guests, the evening programme has to be very sensitive to the colonial history of the country. For that reason, I would recommend the managers to revisit certain parts of the programme. Another comment would be that the food is very westernised and pretty expensive - we ended up going to the amazing places nearby where you can eat very great local cuisine, but maybe the hotel could benefit from collaborations with such cooks and restaurants.

the staffs are very friendly and helpful. The food is really good.

Too many insects especially the big cockroaches are quite traumatic for people with bit insect-phobia :( The pictures definitely set the expectation higher in reality.

Absolutely everything.

Marafiki Beach Hotel is an absolutely great place. What made the overall stay unforgettable was the amazing personal, which is perfectly led by Michal. Whatever wish we had was taken up in a great and super friendly manner. All employees were very supportive and amazingly kind. The location directly at the ocean with endless white sand beaches is great for several activities like kiting or others. Also diving is super easy as the PADI dive center is just 10min foot walk away, which offers several tours, besides diving obviously also snorkelling. Furthermore, it turned out that the restaurant offers most probably the best food on the whole island.

our stay was very pleasant. the hotel and its facilities are spacious, clean & well maintained. guests were mainly couples & mature people; it was super quiet, which i really appreciated because of the relaxing atmosphere. the rooms are big, bright, airy & clean. the decor is simple, harmonious & the beds were very very comfortable. all in all i was beyond happy with the rooms! all the staff was lovely & courteous :))) the breakfast was yummy too the owners/management were around most of the time with great predisposition to assist their guests. i interacted mostly with the ladies; thank you for your kindness & welcoming attitude

The food was absolutely delicious (fish/meat and vegetarian options). The breakfast menu had plenty options to choose from and the a la carte lunch/dinner menu in addition to the dishes of the day were always excellent. The room was spacious and clean. The mini fridge in the room and the AC were added bonuses, in addition to high quality amenities provided in the room (shampoo/showergel/body lotion etc.) from Inaya Zanzibar- a women led eco friendly brand based in stonetown. The pool and sunbeds and little pergolas around the pool were super comfy to hang out in. The staff, whether at the bar/restaurant, the Spa reception or cleaning/maintenance were all super friendly, hearty and attentive. The restaurant/bar area also had a bookshelf where one could borrow books and yoga mats were available too to borrow. Shoes were provided for walking out at beach when the tide was out to avoid getting sea urchins into your feet and you could also borrow kajaks. The spa was great generally, with many options to choose from and great locally made products used. The aftersun treatment with fresh aloe vera and icecubes was amazing after getting too much sun. The property in general was extremely clean and well maintained.

Staff were amazing and made me feel at home even though I was traveling alone. They went above and beyond to ensure I was comfortable and had everything I needed. The property is located right on the beach, the room was clean, beds comfortable and you have everything you need in the room including complimentary water. The food in the restaurant is delicious, had all my meals there during my stay.

Nothing, every was perfect.

Marafiki is pure bliss! Ideal location, so tastefully decorated, well maintained daily, very clean. The staff are lovely and the restaurant on site also great. Will be back! *Suited particularly to honeymooners (though we weren't and still very much enjoyed).

This is what we imagine paradise would look like. Really nice!!

Please be aware this place is quite isolated so there is not a village where you could parade the evenings. We new this, so no problem at all for us.

The staff was very friendly The host ensured that we had everything what we needed. The food was excellent The spa was excellent The view was breath taking The entire trip was worth it

No complaints