The first of a new breed of hotel on the island, The Residence is forging the way in the up market hotel category. Situated right in the very south of the island, this vast plot of land hosts 66 luxury villas, all complete with their own pool and sun deck, set in amongst stunning gardens.
The sister property to both the Breezes and Baraza, The Palms was the first truly high end property on Zanzibar and, while it has had new competition over the years, it still offers something a little different.
As with quite a few of the newer properties to Zanzibar, the Sunshine Hotel has aimed squarely at the lower end of the price range, while offering such amenties as aircon as standard. The Sunshine hotel is probably one of the better new properties in the Matemwe area and gives a great beach, good pool, simple rooms and a good overall experience.
Right in the heart of the city, the (newly named) Serena Hotel has long been the place to stay for its range of facilities, location and overall grand design.
With out doubt the best accommodation in Dar es Salaam, the Oyster Bay Hotel was opened in late 2007 and has ruled the roost ever since, in our view.
Tarangire Treetops is a cool and quirky property and is our pick of where to stay at the top end around Tarangire. It is true that it is not right inside the park and so doesn't feature as good game...but it does offer exceptional service and the chance to sleep in a baobab tree house which, in itself, is enough reason to stay!
The Arusha Coffee Lodge has long been held as the place to stay in and around Arusha and, until the arrival of Onsea House, it really was. Today it is still very much up there with great rooms, looking out onto the coffee plantations, superb food and an overall aura of luxury.
In the debate of whether to stay on the rim or in the Ngorongoro Highlands, the Ngorongoro Sopa is probably the place that we would opt for for those that don't have the budget to stay in the Crater Lodge. Located on the eastern side of the rim, the Sopa, while not overly luxurious really benefits from having its own access road.
Opened in 2007 Singita Sasakwa Lodge and its sister camps, Faru Faru and Sabora, really shook the higherarchy of the Serengeti up in a big way. Set in the crook of the Serengeti, just above the Grumeti and Central Serengeti regions of the park, they are actually set in the private Grumeti Reserves.
One of the original small, boutique hotels on the island, the Shooting Star Lodge has still managed to maintain a great ambience and laid back approach to beach life! Set up on a cliff, many who come here tend to opt more for pool than beach, but this is not to say that they don’t have a great beach to use if you prefer.
