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Lodges & partnersZanzibar East Coast

Marea Boutique Hotel

Fourteen rooms on the sand at Jambiani, where the tide walks out at dawn and the village walks out with it.

01 / 06
Tier
Comfort
Location
Zanzibar East Coast
Reviews
4.6 ★ on TripAdvisor
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About

About Marea Boutique Hotel.

Marea sits on the beach at Jambiani, about an hour by road from Zanzibar airport, on the long quiet strip of the south east coast that runs from Paje down towards Makunduchi. It is a small place, fourteen rooms in two low white buildings set back behind a garden of palms and bougainvillea, with a pool between them and the sand a few steps beyond. The village works around it. At first light the fishermen pole their boats out over the shallows and the women go out to the seaweed lines they tend by hand, and by the middle of the morning the water has come back in and turned the lagoon the colour of glass.

The tide is the thing to understand about this coast. Twice a day the reef flat empties and the ocean pulls back a long way, leaving sand, pools and the seaweed plots, which is the best time to walk and the worst time to swim. A few hours later it fills again and you can swim off the beach. Guests who know this plan their days around it and love it. Guests who expect a permanent swimming beach are sometimes surprised, so we would rather say it plainly. The pool covers the low tide hours, and the reef a few hundred metres out keeps the lagoon flat and safe.

Rooms come in four kinds. The two Standard categories are sixteen square metres on the ground floor, one facing the garden and the pool, the other built almost on the sand with the ocean in front of it. The two Deluxe categories are twenty five square metres, one with a balcony over the garden, the other on the second floor with a view down the beach. All four sleep two in one double bed, and all have air conditioning, a ceiling fan, a fridge, a kettle, a safe and a shower room. The upper floors are reached by stairs, so ask for a ground floor room if steps are difficult.

The kitchen is Italian and the dining room looks straight out at the water. Breakfast is included on every rate, and you can add dinner, or lunch and dinner, when you book rather than paying at the table. There is a lounge, a small spa for massages and treatments, and bicycles and cars for hire. Once a week there is live music under the palms.

It suits couples, friends travelling together and anyone who wants the beach end of a safari to be quiet rather than busy. Paje, fifteen minutes up the coast, has the kite schools and the livelier beach if you want them. Jozani Forest and its red colobus monkeys are about forty five minutes inland, Stone Town about an hour, and Kuza Cave is in the village itself.

Signature experiences

Why guests choose it.

  1. Low tide on the flats

    Twice a day the ocean pulls back past the seaweed plots and the whole village goes out onto the sand. Walk it early, in reef shoes, and you will see clams being dug, dhows propped on their keels and the pools the reef leaves behind.

  2. The pool under the palms

    A long pool set between the two buildings, with loungers, shade and the garden around it. It is where the afternoon goes when the tide is out.

  3. Italian cooking on the beach

    The kitchen is Italian and the fish comes off the boats in front of the hotel. Dining is à la carte, with the sea a few metres away, and you can take breakfast only or add dinner and lunch to your rate.

  4. The walk to Paje

    At low tide the beach runs unbroken for about six kilometres. Paje, with its kite schools and its busier beach, is a long walk or a short drive north, and the walk back at sunset is the better half of it.

Room types

Where you will sleep.

Up to 2 guests

Standard Garden View

Sixteen square metres on the ground floor with one double bed, a patio at the door and the garden and pool in front. Sleeps two.

Up to 2 guests

Standard Sea View

Sixteen square metres on the ground floor, a few steps from the sand with the ocean in front. Sleeps two.

Up to 2 guests

Deluxe Garden View

Twenty five square metres on the ground or first floor, with a balcony over the garden and the pool. Sleeps two.

Up to 2 guests

Deluxe Sea View

Twenty five square metres on the second floor, reached by stairs, with a balcony looking down the beach. Sleeps two.

At a glance

The essentials, in brief.

Amenities

  • Swimming Pool
  • Direct Beach Access
  • Restaurant
  • Lounge
  • Wireless Internet
  • Air Conditioning
  • Massages And Treatments
  • Bicycle Hire
  • Car Hire
  • Parking
  • Daily Housekeeping

Best for

  • Couples
  • Honeymoon
  • Quiet Beach Stay
  • The beach end of a safari
  • Kitesurfing Nearby

Wildlife and nature

  • Zanzibar red colobus monkeys in Jozani Forest, about forty five minutes inland
  • Reef fish, starfish and urchins in the pools the tide leaves behind
  • Dhow fishing and hand tended seaweed plots along the village shore
  • Snorkelling over coral and seagrass at the Blue Lagoon up the coast

Best time to visit

When to go.

  • January: best
  • February: best
  • March: not a best month
  • April: not a best month
  • May: not a best month
  • June: best
  • July: best
  • August: best
  • September: best
  • October: best
  • November: not a best month
  • December: not a best month
Best months

Best months: January to February and June to October.

Location & access

Getting there.

Location

Zanzibar East Coast

Arriving by air

Zanzibar airport is the only airport on the island and there is no airstrip on the south east coast, so every fly in arrival ends with the road transfer to Jambiani, about 1 hour. Flights run daily from Kilimanjaro, Arusha and the safari airstrips.

By road

Most guests reach Jambiani from Zanzibar airport (ZNZ), about 55 kilometres and roughly 1 hour by road across the island through Tunguu and past Jozani Forest. From Kilimanjaro (JRO) it is a flight to Zanzibar of about 1 hour 15 minutes, then that same road transfer.

On the map

Where it sits.

6.298° S, 39.541° E

What's included

What the rate covers.

Included

  • Accommodation on the board basis you choose, bed and breakfast, half board or full board
  • Breakfast Daily
  • Dinner daily on half board and full board
  • Lunch Daily On Full Board
  • Value Added Tax
  • Daily Housekeeping
  • Air conditioning and a ceiling fan
  • Wireless Internet
  • Use of the swimming pool and the hotel beach

Not included

  • Zanzibar infrastructure tax, 4 US dollars per person per night, collected by the hotel
  • Tanzania inbound travel insurance, 44 US dollars per adult, compulsory and bought before arrival
  • Lunch and dinner on the bed and breakfast plan, and lunch on half board
  • All Beverages
  • Airport Transfers
  • Excursions And Tours
  • Massages And Treatments
  • Bicycle And Car Hire
  • Tips And Gratuities
  • International And Domestic Flights
  • Visas And Departure Taxes

Frequently asked

Questions, answered.

How many rooms does Marea Boutique Hotel have?

Fourteen, in four categories. Four Standard Garden View and four Standard Sea View at sixteen square metres, four Deluxe Garden View and two Deluxe Sea View at twenty five square metres. Every room sleeps two in one double bed.

How do guests reach the hotel?

By road from Zanzibar airport, about 55 kilometres and roughly an hour across the island through Tunguu and past Jozani Forest. Zanzibar airport is the only airport on the island, so flights from Kilimanjaro, Arusha and the safari airstrips all land there and the transfer is by car. Airport transfers are not included in the room rate.

When is the hotel open?

All year. The contract prices every day from late September through to the end of March and the hotel does not close for the long rains, unlike many places on this coast.

What is the best time to visit?

June to October is the long dry season and the most reliable, with clear skies and warm water. January and February are the second good window, hot and usually dry. The long rains fall between March and May, with April the wettest month, and there are lighter short rains in November and December.

Can you swim off the beach?

At high tide, yes, and the reef a few hundred metres out keeps the water flat. At low tide the lagoon empties and you walk instead, which is the time the seaweed farmers and the fishermen are out. The pool covers the hours in between. Reef shoes are worth packing.

What is included in the rate?

The room for two guests with breakfast daily, value added tax, housekeeping, wireless internet and the use of the pool and the hotel beach. Half board adds dinner and full board adds lunch and dinner. The Zanzibar infrastructure tax of 4 US dollars per person per night is collected by the hotel at check out.

Are families with children welcome?

Yes, but every room takes a maximum of two guests, so a family of three or four needs two rooms. The contract prices each room as a whole for two guests of any age, so a parent and a child pay the room price, not a supplement.

Is there a minimum stay?

Five nights from 19 December to 9 January. There is no minimum at any other time of year.

What is there to do nearby?

Kuza Cave is in the village and you can swim in it. Paje and its kite schools are about fifteen minutes up the coast. Jozani Forest, the only home of the Zanzibar red colobus, is about forty five minutes inland, and Stone Town is about an hour away.

What is the dining like?

Italian, à la carte, in a dining room that opens onto the beach, with fish landed in front of the hotel. Breakfast is included on every rate and there is live music or a performance once a week.

Is there a lift?

No. The first and second floors are reached by stairs, so ask for a ground floor room if steps are difficult. The two Standard categories and part of the Deluxe Garden View are on the ground floor.

What do guests say about it?

It holds 4.6 out of 5 on TripAdvisor from 53 reviews, ranked sixteenth of 44 hotels in Jambiani. Guests consistently mention the staff, the food and how quiet the beach is.

What's nearby

Worth the short trip.

  • Kuza Cave

    In Jambiani, a few minutes

    A limestone cave at the Kibigija end of the village with clear mineral water you can swim in, long held sacred by Jambiani families.

  • Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park

    About 45 minutes by road

    The last stronghold of the Zanzibar red colobus, which lives nowhere else, plus a boardwalk out over the mangroves of Chwaka Bay. Open daily, last entry in the late afternoon.

  • Paje

    About 15 minutes by road

    The kitesurfing centre of the island, with schools, shops and a busier beach. The lagoon there is flat and shallow at low water.

  • Stone Town

    About 1 hour by road

    The old town on the west coast, a UNESCO world heritage site of carved doors, narrow lanes and the old spice trading houses.

  • Blue Lagoon

    Boat trip up the coast

    A sheltered snorkelling spot off the Michamvi peninsula, with coral heads, seagrass, clownfish and giant clams. Entry is from the boat.

Nearby

Other places to stay nearby.

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