Aurora Nungwi

The hotel was great! Super clean with friendly staff! Beautiful view for breakfast!

The property was a bit farther away from the main area.

Friendly and hard working staff, rooftop restaurant food and views. Very willing to help and make your stay more comfortable.

Area outside entrance is a bit rough, but owner/manager are working to improve this, which is great.

Aurora Nungwi was honestly one of the nicest surprises of my trip to Zanzibar. It manages to feel intimate and personal while still offering everything I wanted from a beach stay: an excellent location, beautiful sea views, great food, comfortable rooms and, above all, genuinely exceptional hospitality. The location is fantastic. You are only a few steps from Nungwi Beach, so going for a swim, walking along the beach or watching the sunset is incredibly easy. At the same time, the hotel feels connected to the real Nungwi rather than being isolated inside a resort. I had actually read a few older reviews mentioning the nearby fish market and suggesting that the beach access was inconvenient. That was not my experience at all. The beach is extremely close and I never found the market to be a problem. In fact, its proximity is actually an advantage because the Aurora restaurant gets fresh fish and seafood from the market every day, and you can really taste that freshness in the food. I also personally liked being right in the middle of local life rather than separated from it behind resort walls. The hotel itself was extremely clean and well maintained. My room was spacious and comfortable, the bathroom felt modern, the air conditioning worked well, and everything was cleaned carefully. I had also seen some older comments about room comfort and Wi-Fi before arriving, but again, my experience was completely different and I had no reason for concern during my stay. One of my favourite parts of Aurora is the rooftop restaurant. Having breakfast overlooking the sea is such a beautiful way to start the day, and it is equally nice later in the afternoon or around sunset. The food was genuinely very good as well - not simply “good for a hotel”. With fresh fish and seafood coming in daily from the nearby market, I would absolutely recommend eating here rather than automatically going somewhere else every evening. But what really distinguishes Aurora is the people.

Honestly, nothing significant. I had read a few older reviews mentioning the fish market, Wi-Fi and room comfort, but none of these were an issue during my stay.

Aurora Hotel is quite basic, but the incredible hospitality makes it special. The owners were always in touch, genuinely asking how we were doing. A special mention to the manager, Olga, who was exceptionally warm and caring. When we had a small issue with our room, she not only fixed it immediately but even invited us for dinner. The rooftop restaurant is fantastic — amazing views, a beautiful sunset, and the best red snapper we had in Zanzibar, even better than at the Fish Market restaurants!

The nearby fish market guarantees incredibly fresh seafood, although you may occasionally notice a slight smell in the bathroom. A minor downside that is easy to overlook considering everything else.