Where to stay in Zanzibar
Here's our tip: choose the coast first. The hotel is the easier half of the decision, and it follows on from the coast.
Zanzibar has everything from simple beach bungalows to hotels that wouldn't look out of place in the Maldives, and they're spread unevenly. The north has the most choice and the nightlife, the east has the space, and Stone Town has a handful of restored merchant houses that are worth a night all on their own.
What we'll tell you
Which coast suits how you want to spend your days, what the tide does where you're going, and how far the hotel really is from the airport. Then you'll get a shortlist, with our reasons attached.
What we won't do
Publish first-hand reviews of hotels we have no relationship with. Anywhere we put you is somewhere we can tell you something specific about. And if we can't, we'll say so, instead of dressing up a listing as a recommendation.