First of all, the south east coast is definitely the better place to be in Zanzibar - it is not as crowded as the north (ie. Nungwi and Kendwa). Paje is the next busiest place, but Ndame is perfectly located - near enough to walk to the action, but you can also just hang out there and you have no hassle. The lodge has meters and meters of beachfront, the rooms all dotted along the front and the restaurant has some delicious food! Most importantly, the staff are super-friendly and you think like they really enjoy working there - you don't find that in many places.
Ndame is not super luxury, but it is exactly why it is so nice - you just feel relaxed and at home there.

www.ndamezanzibar.com
Ndame Beach Lodge, Zanzibar, Tanzania
+255 777 88 66 11
Google map: bit.ly/Yxwihp

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Mambo Poa Tours is a new tour agency located on the South East Coast of Zanzibar. We heard a lot of discussion about Zanzibar becoming over touristy and over-charged, but we did not find this the case to be on the south east coast. Jambiani is a perfect base to stay, and the boys from Mambo Poa had some really interesting tours, beside the usual tours. We did a snorkelling trip, a day out in Stone Town (ask them about a combo of Spice tour, City Tour and Prison Island - it was a day full of fun!) and to a place in the south of the island with an abandoned hotel site (definitely something different.) You can tell that the boys know their island and they were nice and honest guys to hang out with.

www.mambopoatours-zanzibar.com

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

For its excellent atmosphere! Very private and undisturbed room. It is spotless, very spacious, and very tastefully decorated. Food was great: simple, fresh and cooked in an open kitchen.

www.kilimakidogo.co.za/
+255 777 201 088
Google map: bit.ly/UU83wE

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Surrounded by the Indian Ocean, there are worst places to find yourself stranded than on the coral-ringed Chumbe Island, located off the coast of Zanzibar. Chumbe combines sustainable ecological living with luxury; an affordable, private haven with a conscience. As a guest on this island paradise (and there are never more than 14 people at any one time), you have your very own beach, steps away from the front door of your beautiful palm thatched eco-bungalow. The beaches surround a marine protected coral park with world-class snorkelling, as well as being home to a historic lighthouse and the protected (and nocturnal) coconut crabs. The beaches are perfect for relaxation, nature spotting and romance, far removed from those of a typical holiday resort. On our first night, we were the only guests on the island. On our final night, the staff (always attentive without being intrusive) arranged a private, secluded candlelit dinner for two on the beach as a surprise. Bliss.

www.chumbeisland.com/
+255 (0) 242 231 040
Google map: bit.ly/yGhRM5

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

At Jambiani you will find miles of unspoiled beach and complete peace broken only by the sounds of the sea and the wind in the trees. You can stay right on the beach in guest houses built in the local thatched style. We stayed off-season in Jambiani guesthouse and had the whole house to ourselves. Lounging in the shady garden we watched the beach landscape change throughout the day. We swam early when the tide was up and then watched the sea recede until it was almost out of sight, observing the colours change from the grey of early morning to the shimmering turquoise of midday. The beach was largely inhabited by locals fishing from dhows and later as the beach grew in size women farming seaweed which patterned the sand. At lunchtime we ate freshly caught fish and drank local beers in small friendly beach cafes.

Jambiani village, South-east, Zanzibar
www.zanzibar-guesthouse.com
Google map: bit.ly/t13f93

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

I recommend the beach on the Indian Ocean side of the coral-ringed Chumbe Island, located off the coast of Zanzibar. Chumbe combines sustainable ecological living with luxury; an affordable, private haven with a conscience. As a guest on this island paradise (and there are never more than 14 people at any one time), you have your very own beach, steps away from the front door of your beautiful palm thatched eco-bungalow. The beaches surround a marine protected coral park with world-class snorkelling, as well as being home to a historic lighthouse and the protected (and nocturnal) coconut crabs. The beaches are perfect for relaxation, nature spotting and romance, far removed from those of a typical holiday resort. On our first night, we were the only guests on the island. On our final night, the staff (always attentive without being intrusive) arranged a private, secluded candlelit dinner for two on the beach as a surprise. Bliss.

www.chumbeisland.com
+255 (0) 242 231 040
Chumbe Island Coral Park is a short boat ride away from Stone Town, Zanzibar
Google map: bit.ly/tEMflQ

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

An idyllic stretch of white sand beach spilling into the crystal clear blue waters of the Indian Ocean accessible either along the beach from Nungwi at low tide or a long haul clamber down from the main access road that drives through the island. By day you stretch out on the deserted sands and watch the fishermen casually push off in their dhows. You can cool off and swim in the beautiful blue shallows before relaxing with a cold beer as the amazing sun sets over the Indian Ocean - creating silhouettes of the fleets of fishing dhows on the horizon - you can even clamber onto an old one laid to rest on the beach. By night you can eat fresh king fish with coconut rice on the cooled swathes of sands before swinging in a hammock, looking up and almost touching the stars as they spread across and light the remote blackness around you. Idyllic, isolated and immense.

Kendwa, near Nungwhi - north west coast of Zanzibar.
Google map: bit.ly/rQcysW

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

A superb small beach lodge on the northern tip of the island.
Great service, superb food and diving and the best beach we saw on the island. We arranged our trip with Africa Odyssey who had videos of all the locations which really helped

www.rasnungwi.com/
PO Box 1784, Zanzibar, Tanzania
+ 255 24 2233767
Google map: bit.ly/kXbwnY

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

My favourite beach I discovered while backpacking around Africa last year was Kendwa, on the north-western tip of Zanzibar’s principal island Unguja. Zanzibar is steeped in history, its capital Stone Town being a UNESCO world heritage site, with vivid reminders of the island’s past as the centre of the slave trade. You can (and I did) spend days wandering around the labyrinth of narrow streets and market stalls, senses inundated by exotic smells, colourful sights and deafening sounds. But if you can drag yourself away from the hustle and bustle and head north, you will come to Kendwa - a true paradise of white sand, clear skies and turquoise sea. But there’s much more to it than that: I stayed at Kendwa Rocks, a very chilled out backpacker place with accommodation of varying degrees of luxury – from basic dorms to luxury beach bandas. There is a bar/restaurant right on the beach (which is run by a very cool rasta who was always very friendly) which hosts a full moon party every month. I was lucky enough to be there for one of these legendary shindigs and the slight apprehension I felt as a lone traveller soon disappeared as I found myself drinking konyagi (a spirit which can be likened to a cross between gin and vodka) with other revelers and dancing until the sun came up. A truly once in a lifetime experience! I met such an interesting mix of people at Kendwa, from fellow European backpackers to Zanzibar locals and Maasai from northern Tanzania. An excellent place to relax, if you like your beach hangouts a little rough around the edges and with a real local flavour. It's also possible to take a boat trip to the neighbouring private Mafia island to snorkel or dive - highly recommended, and best booked by talking to the local guys who run the trips (as well as providing snorkelling gear and a modest lunch of barbequed fish and rice). The Maasai sell traditional art, jewellery and carvings in shacks along the beach and it's also possible to get a really good massage for around $5.

www.kendwarocks.com
Best reached by dalla dalla or taxi from Stone Town, approx. 1hr. Booking not usually necessry but can be done through the website.
Google map: tinyurl.com/2vvmof9

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

An old beautifully restored house in Stone Town, Zanzibar, recommended for its delicious coffee and cakes but also for the friendly local staff. Upstairs there are a small selection of rooms and suites all named after a type of coffee,eg, cappuccino. By night the hotel is a quiet romantic retreat, after the coffee house closes in the early evening it is only open to guests. Rooms have traditional canopied Zanzibar beds draped with extravagant mosquito nets. The hotel is decorated throughout with antique furniture, and scented with local spices and of course coffee. The locality is bustling with life being close to the large local market and bus station but inside all is tranquil. In the evening you return to find the vast beds covered with flower petals, in the morning you can take a leisurely breakfast on the exotic roof terrace, that looks like it has come from "The Arabian Nights" and admire the amazing views of the town.
From US $75-125 per room/suite per night

Stone Town, Zanzibar,close to bus station,follow the signs or ask a taxi driver to direct you they will be happy to do so though access is via narrow alley ways,on foot only.
details on www.riftvalley-zanzibar.com

The Utengule Country Hotel Ltd
PO Box 139, Mbeya, Tanzania

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

It is a pristine beach near the north end of the island. I went a while back, and I've heard it is more developed than before, but it was beautiful. We hired Vespas and took the dirt roads far north.

This guy also seems to have hired Vespas to do it, and hit some other sites throughout Africa. Jealous of: www.ruba.com/guide/Santiago_Ripley/Best_Places_to_See_in_Eastern_Africa

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends