Last checked: October 2026

Beachfront hotels in Zanzibar: prices and who they suit

Long white sand beach with a thatched jetty restaurant, Zanzibar

10 places of this kind in one table

Hotels and resorts compared

Zanzibar beach hotels side by side

The table compares the hotels and resorts in this guide, ordered by how often people search for them, never by price or rating. Prices are booking-site quotes for set dates, so check your own dates before you book.

Places to stay of this kind compared
Place to stay	Kind	Price from	What's included	Good for	Website
Meliá Zanzibar Kiwengwa, north-east coast	Resort	€344or US$410 a night (booking-site quotes, dates vary)	All-inclusive package: breakfast, lunch and dinner at selected restaurants Local and international drinks included; some premium items cost extra Airport shuttle extra: USD 78 per person one way	Families: family rooms and kids' club Honeymooners Private pool villas (The Level)	Own site
Sea Cliff Resort & Spa Kama Village, Mangapwani (north-west coast)	Resort	–	Breakfast included (per Preferred Hotels) Airport shuttle extra: US$150 per vehicle, return, up to 4 people	Garden rooms for families or couples Zanzibar's only golf course	Own site
Zuri Zanzibar Kendwa Beach	Resort	US$929(HalalBooking); US$395–705 per person sharing (Go2Africa)	Half board (breakfast and dinner) included All-inclusive supplement on request Private transfers can be arranged	Couples and families Scuba diving and PADI courses on site	Own site
Kendwa Rocks Beach Hotel Kendwa Beach	Hotel	US$187per night for 2 (Nov 2026, agents differ)	Breakfast included Airport shuttle on request, extra fee	Beach Houses for families and groups 2 family-sized bungalows Full Moon Parties	Own site
Hotel Riu Jambo Nungwi Beach	Hotel	–	24-hour all-inclusive: meals, drinks, snacks, activities Transfer service offered on request	Families: RIULand kids' club for ages 4–12 Five pools, including one for children Couples (according to a booking agent)	Own site
Maru Maru Hotel Stone Town (Gizenga Street, Shangani)	Hotel	–	Bed & breakfast (per Expert Africa); drinks not included Airport transfer costs extra	One family room; babysitter on request Conference halls for business groups Rooftop pool and bar in Stone Town	Own site
TUI BLUE Bahari Zanzibar Kiwengwa / Pwani Mchangani, east coast	Hotel	£141per room per night (TUI BLUE website, sample stay Apr 2027)	All-inclusive: buffet meals plus soft drinks, house wine and local beer Private airport transfer about US$80 each way, extra	Families and couples Children of all ages welcome	Own site
Stone Town House Stone Town	Hotel	–	Free Wi-Fi; airport transfer offered (price not given)	–	–
ZAN Ocean Soul Jambiani Beach Jambiani (Kibigija)	Hotel	Rate on request	Breakfast included Taxes and tourism levies included in the agent's rate	Couples (no children allowed)	Own site
Atlas Hotel Paje Paje	Hotel	–	–	–	–

Each place is here because a checked source backs it: its own site, its booking page or its map listing gives its kind, price or who it suits. Not ranked: most searched first. A dash means our sources don't say. Each value comes from the sources listed at the end of this page.

For the wider picture of beach and town bases, start with the Zanzibar where to stay guide.

On the sand or in town

What counts as a beach hotel here

A beach hotel on this page is a stay whose own site, booking page or Google Maps listing calls it a hotel or resort. Most sit right on the sand.

Hotel Riu Jambo is directly on the beachfront of Nungwi Beach⁶.
Zuri Zanzibar is on a white-sand beach on the north-west shore of Unguja⁷, the main island.
Kendwa Rocks Beach Hotel is on Kendwa Beach⁸.

Star claims vary. Zuri Zanzibar calls itself a 5-star hotel and beach resort⁷ and TUI BLUE calls Bahari a 5-star hotel⁵, while Priceline lists Kendwa Rocks as a 3 Star Hotel¹.

The Stone Town entries are town hotels, kept for comparison. Maru Maru calls itself a boutique hotel among Stone Town’s winding alleys⁹, and Google Maps lists Stone Town House as a hotel¹⁰. Stone Town is the UNESCO-listed historic centre¹¹ of Zanzibar City: choose these for the old town, not for sand on the doorstep.

White sand and turquoise water at Nungwi, with a dhow at anchor

Booking-site quotes

Nightly prices compared

The ladder lines up the US dollar quotes side by side. Each comes from a different booking site and search date, so read it as a guide rather than a quote.

Kendwa Rocks: US$187 a night¹

Kendwa Rocks Beach Hotel · Kendwa Beach US$187 – US$252
Sea Cliff Resort & Spa · North-west coast US$270 – US$356
TUI BLUE Bahari Zanzibar · Kiwengwa / Pwani Mchangani from US$278
Zuri Zanzibar · Kendwa Beach from US$929
US$02505007501,000

Booking-site quotes in US dollars per night; search dates and guest numbers differ, so treat them as a guide.

Room type moves the price more than you might expect. On TUI BLUE’s own site the Junior Suite is £162 a night, a small step up from the entry room, while a beach villa with a private pool jumps to £630⁵.

North, east or west

Which Zanzibar coast should you base yourself on?

Pick Kendwa to swim at any time of day³, Nungwi for a resort town on the northern tip¹², the east coast for village beaches, or the north-west near Stone Town.

Sea Cliff: 25 minutes from Stone Town³⁷

Beach hotel areas compared
Coast	Stays in the table	What to expect
Kendwa	Zuri Zanzibar, Kendwa Rocks Beach Hotel	Swim at any time of day; fine white sand
Nungwi	Hotel Riu Jambo	Resort town on the northern tip
North-west coast	Sea Cliff Resort & Spa	25 minutes from Stone Town
Kiwengwa	Meliá Zanzibar, TUI BLUE Bahari Zanzibar	North-east coast, 45 km from Zanzibar Town
Paje	Atlas Hotel Paje	Kiteboarding village with a laid-back beach
Jambiani	ZAN Ocean Soul Jambiani Beach	Fishing village stretching along the beach
Stone Town	Maru Maru Hotel, Stone Town House	UNESCO World Heritage old town; hotels among the alleys

Wikivoyage; Wikipedia; Kendwa Rocks (resort); Zuri Zanzibar (resort); RIU (resort); Sea Cliff Zanzibar (resort); HRS (booking agent); TUI BLUE (resort); Google Maps; marumaruzanzibar.com (resort)

North: read up on the northern tip at Nungwi and Kendwa’s swimming beach. Boat trips such as Mnemba snorkelling from Kendwa start from here.
East: the Jambiani guide covers the village around ZAN Ocean Soul. Further north, Matemwe is one of the quieter coastal destinations¹³.
West: Stone Town hotels put you in the old town, with no beach drive to the sights.

Wooden direction signpost on Paje beach with a thatched sunshade and the sea behind

Families, couples, budgets

Who beach hotels suit, and who they don’t

Zanzibar’s beach hotels mostly court couples and families. Tight budgets and solo travellers have a harder time.

Who they suit:

Families after easy swimming: Zuri Zanzibar says Kendwa beach has safe swimming all year¹⁴, and Hotel Riu Jambo pitches itself for family holidays⁶.
Families wanting grounds to roam: Preferred Hotels calls Sea Cliff a family-friendly escape¹⁵, and i-escape says Breezes Beach Club suits kids of all ages¹⁶.
Couples: Kuoni says Breezes is particularly popular with couples¹⁷, and The Mora says its suites suit couples looking for privacy¹⁸.

Who they don’t suit:

Tight budgets: Wikivoyage says Zanzibar has not much cheap accommodation, and beach rooms start from TSh 50,000¹².
Solo travellers: Safari.com warns that guests at Breezes travelling alone may pay a single supplement¹⁹.
Families at The Z Hotel, high on the north-west coast: it takes no children under 16²⁰.

Island lodge and beach clubs

Beach lodges and resorts beyond the table

A few more beach stays have checked rates but sit outside the comparison: a beach club by Bwejuu Beach¹⁷, a Matemwe resort and a private island lodge.

Mnemba from US$2,150 per person²²

More beach stays with checked rates
Stay	Where	Quoted rate	Source
Breezes Beach Club & Spa	By Bwejuu Beach, south-east coast	From £124 a night	i-escape (booking agent)
The Mora Zanzibar	Muyuni Beach, Matemwe	From €431	halalbooking.com (booking agent)
&Beyond Mnemba Island	Off the north-eastern coast	US$2,150–3,000 per person a night (2026)	Chalo Africa (booking agent)

i-escape (booking agent); halalbooking.com (booking agent); Chalo Africa (booking agent); Kuoni (booking agent); The Mora (resort)

Breezes Beach Club & Spa runs a Kids For Free offer: up to 2 children under 12 stay free, Garden View and Deluxe rooms only¹⁹.
Chalo Africa pitches &Beyond Mnemba Island at romance and relaxation²². A honeymoon offer listed by africaa-z.travel has the other partner pay 50%²³ of the accommodation rate.
Chalo Africa lists Mnemba at US$2,215–3,090 per person per night for 2027²².

If you’re weighing these against other high-end stays, compare luxury resorts on Zanzibar.

Deposits and check-in

Booking rules that differ between hotels

Check-in times barely differ, but deposits, minimum stays and offer blackouts do. Read the terms before you pay.

Inbound insurance: US$44 per person³⁰

Hotel	Rule
Zuri Zanzibar	Check-in 14:00, check-out 11:00; late check-out costs extra²⁴
Blue Bay Hotels Zanzibar	Check-in from 2pm; check-out at 11am²⁵
The Z Hotel	25% deposit at booking; balance due 28 days before arrival; no refund if cancelled less than 28 days out²⁰
Kendwa Rocks Beach Hotel	20% off stays of 5 nights or more, non-refundable²⁶; Theme Rooms priced for 2 guests, max 3²⁷
Zuri Zanzibar offers	Honeymoon special: minimum 3 nights, within 1 year of the wedding, wedding certificate on arrival; 7-night discount excludes 23 December 2026 to 9 January 2027²⁸
Breezes Beach Club & Spa	Honeymoon offer stay 7 nights, pay 5¹⁹; agent offers not valid in July, August or 20 Dec–8 Jan²⁹
White Sand Zanzibar	Agent offer needs a 4-night minimum²⁹

Airport transfers cost extra at several hotels in the table, so compare the hotel shuttle with airport transfers and car hire on Zanzibar.

Rains and rates

When beach hotels close and prices peak

Time your booking around the long rains and the festive peak. The months that matter:

April: most beach lodges closed³³

Month	What happens
February	Low season for hotel rates³²
March	Long rains begin; many beach lodges close³³
April	Wettest month; most beach lodges closed³³
December	Hotel prices at their highest³²

Peak dates also vary by hotel. Safari.com’s published Breezes rate covers a peak season of 1 September to 31 October 2026¹⁹.

Rain clouds over the sea and a moored dhow off Nungwi beach

Questions people ask

What is the best beachfront hotel in Zanzibar?

This guide doesn't rank hotels. Start with the coast: at Kendwa you can swim at any time of day. Then compare board basis and price in the table.

How far are the beach hotels from the airport?

The airport is about 5 km south of Zanzibar City, so Stone Town and north-west hotels are closest. Meliá Zanzibar, on the north-east coast, is 45 km from Zanzibar Town.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons and Pexels. Authors and licences: image credits

Checked against 54 sources · last checked October 2026

Priceline (booking agent) · checked October 2026
halalbooking.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
TUI BLUE (resort) · checked October 2026
RIU (resort) · checked October 2026
Zuri Zanzibar (resort) · checked October 2026
Kendwa Rocks (resort) · checked October 2026
marumaruzanzibar.com (resort) · checked October 2026
Google Maps · checked October 2026
Wikipedia · checked October 2026
Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
Zuri Zanzibar (resort) · checked October 2026
meetings.preferredhotels.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
i-escape (booking agent) · checked October 2026
Kuoni (booking agent) · checked October 2026
The Mora (resort) · checked October 2026
Safari.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
The Z Hotel (resort) · checked October 2026
GOV.UK (official) · checked October 2026
Chalo Africa (booking agent) · checked October 2026
africaa-z.travel (booking agent) · checked October 2026
Zuri Zanzibar (resort) · checked October 2026
Blue Bay Hotels Zanzibar (resort) · checked October 2026
Kendwa Rocks (resort) · checked October 2026
Kendwa Rocks (resort) · checked October 2026
Zuri Zanzibar (resort) · checked October 2026
zanzibar-retreats.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
jp.tzembassy.go.tz (official) · checked October 2026
halalbooking.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
The Africa Specialists (booking agent) · checked October 2026
Expert Africa (tour company) · checked October 2026
halalbooking.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
HalalBooking (booking agent) · checked October 2026
halalbooking.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
Sea Cliff Zanzibar (resort) · checked October 2026
HRS (booking agent) · checked October 2026
marumaruzanzibar.com (resort) · checked October 2026
The Mora (resort) · checked October 2026
halalbooking.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
Blue Bay Travel (booking agent) · checked October 2026
Priceline (booking agent) · checked October 2026
Sea Cliff Zanzibar (resort) · checked October 2026
go2africa.com (tour company) · checked October 2026
Zuri Zanzibar (resort) · checked October 2026
RIU (resort) · checked October 2026
Vacation Express (booking agent) · checked October 2026
expertafrica.com (tour company) · checked October 2026
marumaruzanzibar.com (resort) · checked October 2026
marumaruzanzibar.com (resort) · checked October 2026
Safari.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
hotele.pl (booking agent) · checked October 2026
zanzibarone.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026

Page history · last changed 21 October 2026

21 October 2026 First written