Boutique-Hotel Matlai

In one word: fantastic! Our stay at Boutique Hotel Matlai was unforgettable. From the moment we arrived, the owner greeted us with genuine warmth and hospitality, making us feel instantly at home. The rooms are very spacious and offer breathtaking views. The food is of exceptional quality – every meal was a culinary delight. The butler service is a true luxury. Our butler, Hashim, went above and beyond to make our stay perfect; his dedication was truly impressive. If you’re looking for peace and quiet in an idyllic corner of Zanzibar, this is the place to be. Enjoyment with a capital E!

Only 6 rooms in 2 separate houses in this unique resort so book early!Gorgeous room with huge bathroom including freestanding soaking tub, with a menu of bath salts to select. Beautiful ocean  views and large pool. What sets it apart are the  bespoke experiences they offer and the professional and personalized service provided by the staff, including your private butler (thank you Tito!) that was always available with a call from the cell phone provided when you check in. ||Where else can you have a candlelight dinner and watch a movie in your own private outdoor amphitheater while lounging under a blanket with popcorn! A must-do!! We also highly recommend the private romantic dinner on the beach. A magical experience with candles and lanterns and crystal glasses! One of our favorite amenities provided was the choice to eat where you wanted,  and when you wanted.  You could wake up and have breakfast on your terrace in your bathrobe! The food was fresh, beautifully presented, and every course was amazing! We tried many items on the menu and even created a few of our own in consultation with the chef. A big thank you to Tim the manager and creator of this very special place!!

Our stay at this hotel was truly unforgettable! The beach was stunning — peaceful, clean, and so relaxing. The food was absolutely incredible, honestly better than any restaurant we tried in Zanzibar. Every dish was fresh, full of flavor, and beautifully served. What truly made the experience special was the warm and welcoming staff. From the owner to Hashem and Gloria, everyone went out of their way to make us feel at home. They constantly checked in to ask about our day, helped us with activities, and offered support whenever we needed it. The spa was another highlight — Mariam was amazing and gave us one of the best treatments we’ve ever had. And just when we thought it couldn’t get better, they surprised us with a lovely gift of fresh fruit and cookies for the road when we were leaving. Such thoughtful gestures truly touched us. We left with full hearts and wonderful memories. Highly recommended!

We are 2 Canadian couples in our 40s and we stayed at Matlai for 4 nights in January after a 10 day safari in Tanzania. If I could use 1 word to describe our stay here it would be "perfection". We stayed at the Asili House and had the 2 ground level rooms (Water and Earth). The rooms are gorgeous. Spacious, huge bathroom, beautiful porch with a view of what might as well be a private beach as the area is quite secluded, as well as a private pool for the guests staying in Asili House. The service here is top notch. Inge (one of the owners) and her team are always available for any questions or requests we may have. The food is to die for (and so are the drinks). There are 2 menus that you can choose from and you can even mix and match from the different menus. You have a menu of local dishes and another with Vietnamese dishes. You can choose to eat your meals at the restaurant, at various private tables spread throughout the lush grounds, or on your porch. We ate most of our meals on our porch and we absolutely loved it. Some stand outs were the grilled octopus, crab soup, asian platter (a nice selection of asian finger foods), and Machimvi sea snails. One of our favourite things to do every day was to stroll out into the ocean at low tide and laze about on the sandbar that is literally right in front of our rooms. The beach is also great for leisurely strolls. Super quiet beach about 15 minutes walk to the famous "The Rock" restaurant. Cool to look at but didn't feel the need to eat there as we couldn't imagine it being better than what we could eat at Matlai. Five days at this slice of heaven was just what we needed after 10 days bumping around on Safari trucks. We left here with heavy hearts hoping to one day have the oppurtunity to return. A particular thank you to our incredible wait staff and butlers... Allen, Enoch, Zube, and Frank. You made our stay one that we will never forget. Asante Sana!!

A truly stunning boutique hotel that blends luxury, elegance, comfort and happiness all in one package. The villas have a beautiful view over the ocean, but are also surrounded by greenery which given you the best of both worlds and a lot of privacy. The rooms and bathrooms are spacious, thoughtfully designed and decorated, with a lot of attention to detail from the scents of the room spray to the bath salts, as well as the placement of chill out spots where you have the option of direct sunlight or shade, still with the amazing views of the ocean. Titus ; the butler was so gracious, helpful and seemed to be there when you needed something without being intrusive. The meals and drinks are all so delicious and fresh, full of flavour absolutely sumptuous. And then, nestled in a little tropical paradise sits the spa - definitely one of the best spa experiences Africa has to offer. Peaceful, serene, blissful and magical are the only way to describe the experience. Boutique Hotel Matlai is truly a little paradise in every sense of the word and there is no doubt that I will back again and again.

We had a wonderful stay at this boutique hotel. All the food was delicious and truly satisfying. The atmosphere felt romantic and private, which made our stay even more special. We really enjoyed our time here and would love to come back.

Stayed for 5nts in the kidosho villa, we booked the 2 rooms for our group (2 couples). The decor is beautiful, villa incredibly spacious, bathroom luxurious and infinity pool absolutely stunning. The villa has everything you could need for a luxury stay including multiple private sun lounging areas. Our butler Tito was so attentive and made our stay extra special. The beach was beautiful and sea turquoise. Finally the food was sublime and we especially enjoyed the Vietnamese menu.

If there was a higher rating than 5 Star, this place deserves it! Location is stunning, rooms are beautifully appointed with amazing views, food is fresh local and delightful BUT the staff and service received is what makes Hotel Matlai!!!! I've been to some world class hotels before, but this stay surpasses my every expectation and I'm leaving with some magical memories. Thank you Boutique Hotel Matlai 💖