Emerson on Hurumzi

This was my favourite meal out, the ambiance, the vibe the staff. Authenticity Arabic meal and food tasted amazing, 3 course meal and each course was delicious, along with ginger tea which was fresh and tasty. Loved the rooftop experience, great city view. You leave your shoes by the front and they are safe.

The location is fantastic, and the historic building is stunning, offering an authentic Zanzibar aesthetic. I stayed in the Rose room, which was incredibly spacious, with a queen and full-size bed. (This review is for the hotel, not the restaurant.) However, creature comforts are lacking. There’s no proper shower—just a tub and a handheld showerhead with a too-short hose. Windows don’t close properly, leading to lots of street noise. Internet is spotty, and cell phone reception is unreliable. Hot water isn’t consistent, making basic comfort a challenge. On the plus side, the free breakfast in the panoramic terrace restaurant or in-room is a highlight. While the hotel is visually charming, it falls short in delivering modern convenience. Your pictures will look great but you won't be comfortable.

This a tourist ‘attraction’ and we never have high expectations of such an occasion. ||Disappointedly, this proved to be the case – we always live in hope, of course, that our expectations will be exceeded. ||The one exception here are the staff who were amazing – friendly, polite, always smiling and courteous. ||Unfortunately, their excellent qualities were not backed up by the kitchen and the entertainment (band and singer). ||The singer got off to a bad start by suggesting that she would welcome tips – this was just tacky. ||So to ‘the dinner celebrating the pleasure of Zanzibar cuisine fused with oriental Persian and Omani influences’. The starter of 4 tiny spinach fishcakes was dry. Arabian flat bread was OK. The remaining dishes were presented in a ‘thali-style’ - all on one large tray - were also disappointing. A small bowl of aubergine, 2 small pieces of fish which were also dry. The pumpkin tagine was also presented in a small bowl but was OK. The goat curry was a stew and was also presented in a small bowl. It lacked any semblance of spices. The rice was a hilite as was the ginger tea which was delicious. ||We felt so sorry for the staff serving up this ensemble.||Good view of the town.

Ok, 2 star hotel but 5 star ambiance/staff/rooftop and so on. Stayed the last night on Zanzibar in this dreamy place. Dinnerexperiance was super, with amazing music! The staff were doing everything to meet up our expectations. Would really stay again!

What we loved: the location is great, the building is very historic, the rooftop bar and restaurant and dinner were REALLY lovely. What we didn’t like: the rooms are really run down, towels in the room smell dirty, it is very noisy at night - street noise and cleaners scrubbing the floors outside the room at 2am. Verdict: would definitely recommend a dinner here but sleep elsewhere!

We had dinner on the rooftop and it was so good that we stopped in for lunch a few days later. The concierge at our hotel called them to schedule our reservation and to communicate my seafood allergy to them and they were very accommodating. The rooftop has a beautiful view of Stone town. My favorite part of the meal were the falafel. The service was great and the staff was friendly.

Perfect hotel to experience Stone Town. Staff was super helpful and friendly. We booked the rooftop dinner and had a wonderful time. Fabulous location and a real authentic atmosphere. Would highly recommend this hotel for your stay in Stone Town.

Fantastic spot to have lunch on the rooftop area. One of the tallest buildings with great view. Beer cold. Food great