The Swahili House

We had a lovely stay here for 2 nights. The staff were all very friendly and highly attentive. The rooms are old colonial style and charming. Yes, it’s an old house and sometimes warm water wasn’t too hot. The dinner on the roof top terrace was very delicious and among the best we had on the island. We had half-board and ate there 2 times. Room for improvement would be at breakfast: It was okay, but the level is so much lower compared to our dinner experience.

We came here for lunch as part of our walking tour with a guide. The roof top shows views of Stonetown but aside from that, there is nothing good to say about this restaurant.||I asked for a bacon, lettuce and tomato cheese burger. The waitress informed me that they had no bacon which was not an issue. When the food arrived, I was surprised to find no beef but rather a very poor sandwich with a tiny amount of bacon. ||When we came to pay for the meal, we were told at reception that they would accept card as we didn’t have enough cash on us. When we asked to pay by card, the waitress laughed and said they only accept cash as the machine was broken. They asked for our card details in which they would use to transfer money later. We refused to provide our details as we didn’t trust what they would do with our details. We were told that we had to go to an ATM which was a 10 minute walk away. Eventually we paid and the waitress continued to laugh the whole time.||The whole restaurant seems like a huge scam with terrible food. This is a huge tourist trap and if your guide says to go here, don’t.

We came for desert and coffee at the rooftop. Sunset view isn’t that good. Food was very very bad. We ordered the mango panna cotta, which turned out to be a quarter cup of frozen milk topped with mango juice, And the cheesecake, which was in no possible way a cheese cake. The coffee, however, was good.

I love this beautiful hotel. The staff and extremely friendly and helpful. My room is gorgeous and very clean. The food is delicious. I feel grateful that I was able to stay at The Swahili House. Highly recommend!

Lovely hotel, room was very clean and bed was comfortable. Staff were very friendly. My safari was cancelled and the staff provided other tour options, many thanks for that! There is no phone in the room, I'd like to suggest even having a pager in the room would be helpful. Also no wifi in the room I think that should be an option. The food was great and I enjoyed my stay, would definitely recommend!

No wifi in rooms. Supposed to work on rooftop and ground floor but doesnt. Backup generator not working for hour when light went out. Food was over priced and horrible. Super slow service. Weird separation of restroom with bedrooms with half door - you will hear and smell all the action !

Staff at the entrance were very unfriendly. USD2 demanded ‘visitors permit’ at entrance only payable in cash. But refunded against drinks/food. Explained we had no cash to lots of muttering. ||Rooftop sitting area dirty and service poor. ||Not recommended. There are many more good rooftop establishments in Zanzibar to enjoy.

The roof top is very nice, with a view of all the city. And the food is good. It felt good to take a break here and rest from the heat and have a good lunch.|The seafood is very good.|Service too. And she spoke good English. Would recommend when in Stone Twon.