Lodges & partnersZanzibar East Coast
Thirteen thatched bungalows and one beach villa on the quiet sand at Matemwe, each with its own plunge pool and a clear view out to Mnemba.
About
SeVi stands at Kigomani, on the stretch of Matemwe sand that faces Mnemba atoll across a wide reef. The buildings sit partly on a low coral outcrop at the corner of the beach, which is what gives the restaurant deck and the sea facing pool their height and their view. This is a working piece of coast rather than a raked resort frontage. Village boat builders still shape dhows and ngalawas on the sand in front of the hotel, and the tide runs a long way out twice a day, uncovering a reef flat you can walk on for half an hour before the water comes back.
Mnemba lies about twenty minutes offshore by dhow and is the reason most guests come. The reef there holds several hundred fish species, green and hawksbill turtles are common, and dolphins work the channel most mornings. Humpback whales pass between August and September. On land the interest is closer and smaller: the Jozani forest and its red colobus are a morning away to the south, and the reef flat in front of the hotel fills with urchins, starfish and octopus at low water. The clearest months are June to October and again from late December into February. The long rains fall in April and May, when the hotel is at its quietest.
There are thirteen bungalows and one villa. Every bungalow runs to about seventy square metres under a makuti roof, with coral stone walls, a four poster bed beneath a net, shuttered windows left open to the breeze, an outdoor shower and its own plunge pool. The Tropical Garden bungalows sit deepest in the garden, the Ocean Breeze bungalows about fifty metres back from the sand, and the single Seafront Bungalow opens straight onto the beach with no steps in between. The Seafront Villa runs over two floors with two master bedrooms, a long covered veranda along the sand and a larger pool of its own. Behind a coral stone wall at the back of the garden there is a spa using island made products, and the restaurant on the rock buys its fish from the dhows at dawn and grows some of its own vegetables.
It suits couples, and anyone who wants a small place where the same faces look after them all week. Guests write about the staff more than about anything else. It is not a polished five star resort and does not try to be. The style is handmade and a little rustic, the gardens are lush rather than manicured, the windows are shuttered rather than glazed so the occasional gecko finds its way in, and the beach is natural, which means seaweed on some tides. Nobody under twelve stays here, so it is quiet. If you want a large resort with a programme of activities and several restaurants, this is the wrong place.
The drive from Zanzibar airport takes about an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half, the last two kilometres on an island track. Stone Town is about an hour away, which makes a night at either end of a beach stay easy to arrange.
Signature experiences
A half day sailing out on a hand built dhow from the hotel beach to snorkel the atoll about twenty minutes offshore. Turtles are common and the reef holds several hundred fish species.
A full day south to the island only red colobus, with the mangrove boardwalk and the butterfly farm on the same run. Mornings are best, before the heat.
Three or four hours through the old city, taking in the Old Fort, the Slave Trade Museum, the Anglican Cathedral and Darajani market. About an hour each way by road.
When the tide is fully out the reef flat in front of the hotel is walkable for the better part of an hour, and fills with urchins, starfish and octopus. Reef shoes matter.
A short menu of massages and facials in a pavilion behind a coral stone wall at the back of the garden, using products made on the island.
Gallery
Room types
Eight bungalows set deepest in the garden among frangipani and coconut palms, about a minute on foot from the sand. Seventy square metres under a makuti roof, with a four poster bed beneath a net, a private plunge pool, an outdoor shower and a shaded veranda.
Four bungalows about fifty metres back from the beach, with a shaded veranda and daybed that catch the breeze they are named for. Seventy square metres, with a four poster bed beneath a net, a private plunge pool and an outdoor shower.
The one bungalow that opens straight onto the sand, with no steps between its veranda and the beach. Seventy square metres, with a four poster bed beneath a net, a private plunge pool and an outdoor shower.
A villa of about two hundred and fifty square metres on the beach over two floors, with two master bedrooms, a long covered veranda facing the water and a larger pool of its own. Sleeps up to four. The ground floor is air conditioned and the upper floor is cooled by ceiling fans and the sea breeze.
At a glance
Best time to visit
Best months: June to October and December to February.
Location & access
Zanzibar East Coast
Scheduled flights run daily from Kilimanjaro International and from Arusha to Zanzibar airport, which is the only airport on the island with scheduled service and the arrival point for the safari airstrips too. The road transfer to Matemwe follows, about one hour and a quarter to one hour and a half.
Zanzibar is reached by air. About one hour twenty minutes in the air from Kilimanjaro International to Zanzibar airport, then about one hour and a quarter to one hour and a half by road north east across the island to Matemwe, the last two kilometres on an island track.
On the map
5.851° S, 39.356° E
What's included
Frequently asked
Fourteen in all: thirteen bungalows across three categories and one beach villa. Each bungalow is about seventy square metres with its own plunge pool, and the villa runs to about two hundred and fifty square metres over two floors.
All year. The hotel prices three seasons: Low from 16 March to 30 June and from 1 November to 22 December, High from 11 January to 15 March and from 1 July to 31 October, and a Festive season from 23 December to 10 January.
By air to Zanzibar airport, then about an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half by road north east to Matemwe, the last two kilometres on an island track. Flights from Kilimanjaro take about an hour and twenty minutes and run daily, and the safari airstrips connect to the same airport.
No. The hotel takes guests aged twelve and over only, which is why it stays as quiet as it does. A guest of twelve or above is priced as an adult.
The room and breakfast, served a la carte, with the plunge pool, outdoor shower and air conditioning that come with the bungalow. Lunch and dinner are not included; the hotel sells half board and full board as supplements, and there is a compulsory dinner supplement on 24 and 31 December. An infrastructure tax of four dollars per person per night is collected by the hotel at check out.
June to October and late December into February are the driest and clearest, and the best months for Mnemba. April and May are the long rains, when the hotel is quietest and cheapest. July to October is also the busiest.
Long, flat and largely undeveloped, with a wide reef offshore. It is strongly tidal: the sea withdraws several hundred metres twice a day and comes back in over the reef flat. Swimming off the beach works best from about mid tide to high tide, and the plunge pools and the two shared pools cover the hours in between.
Yes. Mnemba atoll is about twenty minutes offshore by dhow and is the main reason guests choose Matemwe. The hotel runs a half day sail and snorkel on its own dhow, and there is a dive school on the beach.
Yes in every bungalow, and on the ground floor of the Seafront Villa. The villa upper floor is cooled by ceiling fans and the sea breeze. Windows throughout are shuttered rather than glazed, so the rooms are naturally ventilated as well.
Mnemba for snorkelling and diving, the Jozani forest and its red colobus about an hour and a half south, Stone Town about an hour away, and Kigomani village four hundred metres up the beach, where dhows are still built by hand on the sand.
It suits couples well. The bungalows are private, each with its own plunge pool and outdoor shower, there are no guests under twelve, and the restaurant sits on a coral outcrop over the beach. The hotel does run a honeymoon package, but only for guests who book directly with it, so it is not part of what you build here.
The hotel prices an extra bed in the bungalow categories, but we only sell the occupancies the contract prices outright, so bungalows here are sold for one or two guests. The Seafront Villa is priced for up to four. For three or more, take the villa or add a second bungalow.
What's nearby
About 20 minutes offshore by dhow. Known for its snorkelling and diving.
About 400 metres up the beach. Guided walks go through the village and the boat yards on the sand.
About 1 hour 30 minutes south. The only forest on the island with red colobus.
About 1 hour south west. The old city, the markets and the museums, and the ferry port.
About 45 minutes round the northern tip, for the aquarium and the deeper water at low tide.
Nearby
The Zanzibar East Coast guide: where to stay, when to go and how to get there.
View : Every lodge we work with in Zanzibar East Coast
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