Zanzibar Retreat Hotel

We had an amazing stay at this hotel, clean neat and cozy room with complimentary water, delicious breakfast you will be spoiled for choice, good location as it is on the beach with sun beds for your relaxation after swimming in the ocean. Assorted wines and drinks for your refreshment, excellent customer service Neema went over and beyoud to show us around the hotel. If you are looking for a quite and intimate holiday destination for you to rewind, recharge and bond with your loved one this is a place for you.

What a delightful stay we had at the Zanzibar Retreat Hotel . It was above and beyond our expectations! Newton greeted us and showed us around. We were delighted to see not only the pool and outdoor restaurant, but the proximity to the white sand beach! Then when we opened the door to our second floor room with a balcony, we were thrilled to see how spacious and beautifully decorated it was. The food was 5-star as well. We had a free full breakfast, and ate lunch and dinner there as well. The menu choices were varied, and everything was fresh and well seasoned. We even had massages and facials at the hotel with Elizabeth and Esther. I highly recommend The Zanzibar Retreat Hitel!

Amazing stay for a quite and relaxing week. The food is outstanding, they have a daily selection and we found it delicious every day : so fresh and full of taste. The hotel is so quite, different relaxing areas, very well equipated. The view is beautiful and you can enjoy either the pool side or beach side. The staff is incredibly nice, always smiling and full of attention. But just enough to let you relax. We spent a perfect week there enjoying the hotel and all the things you can do around. Special mention for the massages with Elisabeth staff and the excursions with Hadji, Madiba tours.

I've stayed at Zanzibar Retreat multiple times, and it remains my top choice in Matemwe! The owners are incredibly friendly and helpful, making you feel truly welcome. The food is outstanding—always fresh, and you can tell it's made with love. They offer a daily special, which is always a treat. My room was spacious, with everything in perfect working order, from the air conditioning to the hot shower. It was beautifully decorated, adding to the cozy ambiance. This year, they've done an amazing job with the garden, creating a lovely pathway that adds so much charm to the property. If you're looking for a place to relax and be well taken care of, I highly recommend Zanzibar Retreat.

This is a lovely small hotel for those who seek to be outside the tourist masses. Maria and her staff are the kindest people, ensuring everyone has the best stay. We can only praise our time here, with a special focus on the food made by Hadija - some of the best we had on our entire holiday. We do recommend to take a cooking class if you enjoy cooking and getting to know the traditional way of food preparation. The hotel is located right on Matemwe beach, not even 2 steps away. Obviously the tides prevent you from being able to swim in the sea 24/7, but as we did our research we knew that about Zanzibar before. During low tide you can take a walk to the sand bank, seeing beautiful corals, fish, starfish etc (don't forget your water shoes and beware of the sea urchins). The hotel also helped us organise some trips, which was lovely. All in all I would 100% recommend staying here. A bonus was that our room (garden view) now has a balcony, which was not advertised and therefore a pleasant surprise. Do also to try out some of the local restaurants just outside the hotel, the food and the people there are also great. We felt safe inside and outside the hotel 100% of the time, even in the dark - so don't worry about safety in this area.

At the tail end of a long trip to East Africa, the Zanzibar Retreat hotel was a GIFT: exceptional hospitality from the owners, Jan and Salome, as well as from the excellent and thoughtful team—Naima, Lusekelo, Newton, Aisha and Bwite to name just a few—Great food and many thoughtful gestures. Beautiful design, charming setting and convenient to diving snorkeling and dining options along a magnificent beach. This resort is just exactly the right size. Big enough to have professional touches and great food. Small enough to feel intimate and like a "discovery."