Where to stay in Zanzibar: a guide to the coasts and villages

The north (Nungwi, Kendwa) offers beaches you can swim from at any hour and a lively nightlife. The east coast (Paje, Jambiani) draws kitesurfers, with strong tides. Stone Town, the listed old city, is worth a night or two of history and winding lanes.

The north-east coast, around Kiwengwa and Matemwe, offers a rare balance: a turquoise lagoon among the island's finest, the presence of the great beach hotels, and villages still peaceful a few minutes from the sand.

Kiwengwa is well connected to Stone Town and the airport, while staying close to the tips of Nungwi and Matemwe. It is the area chosen by the east coast's great resorts, for the beauty of its lagoon and white sand.

Staying here means enjoying the beach without the bustle of large complexes, with shops, dive clubs and excursions within reach. A village where you soon feel at home.

All-inclusive resorts reassure with their formula, but impose their schedules and shared spaces. A private villa offers the opposite: a whole house for your guests alone, its pool, its garden and its own rhythm.

In Kiwengwa, Villa Kiwengwa embodies this option: 120 m² private, a 5 × 12 m pool, three air-conditioned bedrooms and a concierge who arranges the stay. The freedom of a home, a seven-minute walk from the beach.