Reviews of trips to Stone Town
354 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Stone Town.
Mr & Mrs ME
W London
"Ewen and Amy feedback"
I visited Zanzibar and 1 other country between 14 Sep 2009 and 27 Sep 2009
"We loved this holiday. Everything worked very well and our trsnfers were all stressfree (eco and cultural tours were great).
I would recommend Tanzania as a honeymoon destination.
Suggestions for improvement:
I though the service provided by the Expert Africa team was excellent" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday
I would recommend Tanzania as a honeymoon destination.
Suggestions for improvement:
I though the service provided by the Expert Africa team was excellent" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs W
Berks
"Excellent trip overall"
I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 14 Sep 2009 and 29 Sep 2009
"Excellent trip. Everything except our last hotel was just as we had expected/hoped.
Suggestions for improvements:
Extremely difficult to pick fault with any aspect of the service from Expert Africa." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 3 on a Tanzania safari
Suggestions for improvements:
Extremely difficult to pick fault with any aspect of the service from Expert Africa." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 3 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs H
Hawksworth
""
I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 10 Sep 2009 and 24 Sep 2009
"Although well travelled, old and cynical we had many "heart stopping moments" during animal encounters. I will never be able to persuade my wife into a simple tent again - she will insist on mahogany furnishings."
Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Dr M & Dr Y
Richmond
"Ruaha and Selous perfect combination"
I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 5 Sep 2009 and 20 Sep 2009
"We had a fantastic trip.
If we were organising again I think we would do 3-4 days in Zanzibar first to wind down and get into holiday mode and then go to the Ruaha and Selous to get maximum benefit from the safari. We loved both parks and they provide an excellent combination with contrasting scenery, fantastic game viewing and game animals and different activities. The camps were quite exceptional and we would love to visit them and perhaps go all the way to Katavi.
The organisation and those all involved in it here and locally went entirely smoothly.
Suggestions for improvement:
I know this is probably not that helpful but this is the third trip you have organised for us and on each occasion your service has been exceptional, we would not dream of going to Africa with anyone else - many thanks." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari
If we were organising again I think we would do 3-4 days in Zanzibar first to wind down and get into holiday mode and then go to the Ruaha and Selous to get maximum benefit from the safari. We loved both parks and they provide an excellent combination with contrasting scenery, fantastic game viewing and game animals and different activities. The camps were quite exceptional and we would love to visit them and perhaps go all the way to Katavi.
The organisation and those all involved in it here and locally went entirely smoothly.
Suggestions for improvement:
I know this is probably not that helpful but this is the third trip you have organised for us and on each occasion your service has been exceptional, we would not dream of going to Africa with anyone else - many thanks." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Ms S & Mr M
London
"Zanzibar review"
I visited Zanzibar between 5 Sep 2009 and 11 Sep 2009
"We had a wonderful time, one the best holidays that we had in a long time.
The service we received from Expert Africa was excellent and the trip ran very smoothly and to the itinerary that was provided beforehand." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 1 on a Zanzibar holiday
The service we received from Expert Africa was excellent and the trip ran very smoothly and to the itinerary that was provided beforehand." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 1 on a Zanzibar holiday
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr G & Ms P
Hampshire
""
I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 2 Sep 2009 and 13 Sep 2009
"Really enjoyed our honeymoon."
Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs R
Cardiff
"100 hours in Zanzibar"
I visited Zanzibar between 30 Aug 2009 and 4 Sep 2009
"The balance between resting and activities, the Indian Ocean coast and Stone Town produced a great 4 days in Zanzibar and we managed to fit in all we had wanted and more.
Fisherman Tours the Expert Africa representatives were really helpful and helped to arrange a Spice Tour (good idea to do on the trip between the east coast and Stone Town) and also a walking tour of Stone Town. It might have been a good idea to have had a list of possible activities that they coudl arrange before leaving home as quite a lot of information was given to you on the trip from the airport to hotel.
Good idea to get a Zantel SIM and 10,000Zsh credit before leaving Stone Town area - we made loads of calls to mobiles and UK and still didn't run out of credit by end of week.
Safari Blue (www.safariblue.net) was a brilliant decision to take up - we read about it at Shooting Star and as total novices had been a bit nervous about doing a day trip with dhow sailing and snorkelling but this was a really well organised but friendly and informal activity and excellent value for money at $55 per preson for an all inclusive whole day of dolphin watching, dhow sailing, coral snorkelling, great food, chilled drinks, a trip in a traditional fishing katamaran, flooded mangrove swimming all in a friendly and helpful atmosphere. Good also to see the company using some of the profits to reinvest in local communities - definitely to be recommended.
Taking a walking tour on first afternoon in Stone Town was a good idea as it meant we enjoyed the subsequent time more as we felt confident about where things were and more happy to venture off the main routes and see more than we would have done if not." Read full review: 5 nights in Africa; 4 on a Zanzibar holiday
Fisherman Tours the Expert Africa representatives were really helpful and helped to arrange a Spice Tour (good idea to do on the trip between the east coast and Stone Town) and also a walking tour of Stone Town. It might have been a good idea to have had a list of possible activities that they coudl arrange before leaving home as quite a lot of information was given to you on the trip from the airport to hotel.
Good idea to get a Zantel SIM and 10,000Zsh credit before leaving Stone Town area - we made loads of calls to mobiles and UK and still didn't run out of credit by end of week.
Safari Blue (www.safariblue.net) was a brilliant decision to take up - we read about it at Shooting Star and as total novices had been a bit nervous about doing a day trip with dhow sailing and snorkelling but this was a really well organised but friendly and informal activity and excellent value for money at $55 per preson for an all inclusive whole day of dolphin watching, dhow sailing, coral snorkelling, great food, chilled drinks, a trip in a traditional fishing katamaran, flooded mangrove swimming all in a friendly and helpful atmosphere. Good also to see the company using some of the profits to reinvest in local communities - definitely to be recommended.
Taking a walking tour on first afternoon in Stone Town was a good idea as it meant we enjoyed the subsequent time more as we felt confident about where things were and more happy to venture off the main routes and see more than we would have done if not." Read full review: 5 nights in Africa; 4 on a Zanzibar holiday
Overall trip
Excellent
Dr E & Ms W
UK
"Amazing Homeymoon"
I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 24 Aug 2009 and 8 Sep 2009
"This trip couldn't have gone any better, from start to finish. Both the camps were really amazing (guides, location everything), we loved every moment and really want to go back in the near future.
Zanzibar was a wonderful end to the honeymoon staying at a few different places was nice, the trips organised through the hotels were very expensive so I would in future organise them through fishermans tours before we go (in the end we organised a tour through fishermans whilst we were at the ponge)
The logistics of being picked up and dropped off at where we were suposed to be was near perfect, the only slight worry we had was on the last day when we were being taken to the airport when we didnt know when we were supposed to be picked up but after asking a few people how long it would take to get to the airport for the early morning flight we had a rough idea.
Overall Would recommend expert Africa to anyone, they gave us a perfect homeymoon
Suggestions for improvements:
Nothing. It was perfect thankyou" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari
Zanzibar was a wonderful end to the honeymoon staying at a few different places was nice, the trips organised through the hotels were very expensive so I would in future organise them through fishermans tours before we go (in the end we organised a tour through fishermans whilst we were at the ponge)
The logistics of being picked up and dropped off at where we were suposed to be was near perfect, the only slight worry we had was on the last day when we were being taken to the airport when we didnt know when we were supposed to be picked up but after asking a few people how long it would take to get to the airport for the early morning flight we had a rough idea.
Overall Would recommend expert Africa to anyone, they gave us a perfect homeymoon
Suggestions for improvements:
Nothing. It was perfect thankyou" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs R
Manchester
"Great Honeymoon in Selous and Zanzibar"
I visited Zanzibar and 1 other country between 10 Aug 2009 and 25 Aug 2009
"Amazing. Selous Impala was defo the highlight, just wish we could have stayed longer.
Suggestions for improvements:
No, just to say thanks for sorting everything out the trip was ace. I know it probably doesn't sound like it but the points raised were just the not so good bits we thought you'd like to know so the issues can be adressed.
Keep doing what your doing and we'll defo use you again just need to start saving." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zanzibar holiday
Suggestions for improvements:
No, just to say thanks for sorting everything out the trip was ace. I know it probably doesn't sound like it but the points raised were just the not so good bits we thought you'd like to know so the issues can be adressed.
Keep doing what your doing and we'll defo use you again just need to start saving." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zanzibar holiday
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs W
Oxford
"Overall impression of our trip"
I visited Zanzibar and 1 other country between 10 Aug 2009 and 23 Aug 2009
"We really loved our trip. I think we were both surprised particularly as to how much we thoroughly enjoyed the safari part of the trip, even though we thought we'd be really tired after our wedding.
The advice we received before we booked was so helpful as we really had no idea what we wanted to do and speaking to someone who had visited all the places and could answer even the smallest queries was really helpful and helped us to make a really good choice of trip. And it also meant that when we arrived, everything was as we expected and there were no nasty surprises!! The website was really helpful - we found all the reviews from people who had recently travelled to the places was really helpful as well to help us make our decision, and the descriptions about each place were very thorough.
It was the first time we had used a travel agent to book an entire trip and it was so good - everything worked so well. All the details we received before we travelled was very helpful and thorough and made it easy for us to check that everything was booked as we had discussed. During our trip all our transfers were there to pick us up on time and all the hotels expected us when we arrived - it was all very efficient.
Suggestions for improvements:
I don't think I can think of anything you could do better!
Thank you for helping us organise a wonderful honeymoon!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday
The advice we received before we booked was so helpful as we really had no idea what we wanted to do and speaking to someone who had visited all the places and could answer even the smallest queries was really helpful and helped us to make a really good choice of trip. And it also meant that when we arrived, everything was as we expected and there were no nasty surprises!! The website was really helpful - we found all the reviews from people who had recently travelled to the places was really helpful as well to help us make our decision, and the descriptions about each place were very thorough.
It was the first time we had used a travel agent to book an entire trip and it was so good - everything worked so well. All the details we received before we travelled was very helpful and thorough and made it easy for us to check that everything was booked as we had discussed. During our trip all our transfers were there to pick us up on time and all the hotels expected us when we arrived - it was all very efficient.
Suggestions for improvements:
I don't think I can think of anything you could do better!
Thank you for helping us organise a wonderful honeymoon!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday
Overall trip
Excellent
354
reviews of Stone Town by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
Filter by month
Where to stay in Stone Town
Our suggestions for places to stay in Stone Town
Zanzibar Coffee House
The Zanzibar Coffee House is a small quiet hotel tucked away in the back streets of Stone Town, with lovely, simple rooms.
Serena Inn
Now trumped by the nearby Park Hyatt, the Serena Inn, in its historic building, was formerly Stone Town's only international-style hotel.
Zanzibar Palace Hotel
The Zanzibar Palace Hotel is a highly regarded boutique hotel with very personal service and just nine rooms, all of them Zanzibari in style.
Beyt al Salaam
The Beyt al Salaam is a pleasant, boutique hotel with only six rooms and atmospheric and stylish Zanzibari décor.
Dhow Palace Hotel
The Dhow Palace is a very good-value, mid-range hotel, full of Swahili character, and the pool makes it appealing to families.
Emerson Spice
Emerson Spice is a beautiful small hotel in the heart of Stone Town with individually designed rooms adorned with gorgeous fabrics.
Kholle House
Kholle House offers an atmospheric Stone Town stay in a historic building, and is very good value for money.
Jafferji House
Jafferji House is a converted old house that blends modern facilities with traditional style. The ten, unique rooms are show great attention to detail.
Swahili House
Swahili House is a traditionally styled boutique hotel furnished to a high standard with a convenient location in the centre of Stone Town.
Tembo Hotel
The Tembo Hotel is a good-value, family-friendly hotel right on the seafront in Stone Town, with 36 rooms and a good-sized swimming pool.
Emerson on Hurumzi
Emerson on Hurumzi was Stone Town's first boutique hotel, featuring antique furniture, unique, stylish rooms and a superb rooftop restaurant.
Mbweni Ruins Hotel
Mbweni Ruins Hotel is very convenient if you want to stay on the beach, but very close to Stone Town, or visit Chumbe Island.
Maru Maru Hotel
In the heart of Stone Town, Maru Maru combines contemporary style and creature comforts with a Zanzibari twist.
Park Hyatt
The Park Hyatt Zanzibar is a high-quality example of this group, with excellent facilities and service.
Kisiwa House
Kisiwa's central location in the heart of Stone Town's Shangani area makes it a great base to explore this fascinating town.
Seyyida Hotel
The Seyyida is a characterful old hotel near the seafront in Stone Town, with the rare bonus of a swimming pool.
