Up to 2 guests
Standard Room
The garden rooms in the main house, for one or two guests, sold to 30 October 2026.
Lodges & partnersZanzibar East Coast
Zoi Retreat Hotel Zanzibar
Twelve rooms in one whitewashed Swahili house at the quiet southern end of Matemwe, with a makuti roof, a garden of palms and the reef flat starting at the end of the lawn.
From $64 per person per night
01 / 06
- Tier
- Comfort
- small beachfront boutique hotel
- Location
- Zanzibar East Coast
About
About Zoi Retreat Hotel Zanzibar.
Zoi Retreat sits at the southern end of Matemwe, the long stretch of north east coast that faces Mnemba across the lagoon. The hotel is one building rather than a compound of blocks: a Swahili house of whitewashed walls, dark wood columns and a makuti roof, holding twelve rooms, with a garden of palms and frangipani running down to the sand and a pool set among the planting. Two standalone units stand beside it, a two bedroom beach house on the sand and a larger villa about ninety metres away, which is what the property offers families and groups who want their own front door.
The beach here is a reef beach, and the tide runs it. At high water you walk off the lawn and swim. At low water the sea pulls back a long way across the flat and the village comes out to work: seaweed lines staked in rows, women bent over them in the shallows, fishing boats leaning where they were left. Guests who want to swim to a timetable use the pool and take the reef walk as the show it is. Water shoes are worth packing for the urchins. Out beyond the flat, the reef around Mnemba is the best snorkelling on the island, about twenty minutes by boat from the pier at Muyuni, and the hotel books it through a local dive centre rather than running one itself.
The rooms are quiet by design. There are no televisions anywhere in the property and no general room service, which the owners say plainly on their own website: what you get instead is the palms and the water. Each room has a carved wooden bed under a mosquito net, air conditioning and a ceiling fan, a safe, an en suite shower room and a veranda or sitting area. The pool front and ocean view rooms add a fridge, and the ocean view rooms add a kettle with tea and coffee. Breakfast is cooked to order and eaten on the terrace facing the water, and Theros restaurant runs through the day on fresh seafood, Swahili dishes and international plates, with vegetarian and vegan cooking taken seriously. Massages and treatments are given on site rather than in a spa building.
It suits couples, honeymooners and anyone treating the coast as the second half of a safari, and it suits divers and snorkellers using Mnemba. It is not a resort and does not pretend to be one: the pool is quiet, service moves at its own pace, and the property reads as a house where people happen to be staying. Families are welcome, with two family categories and the beach house, but parents who need a children club will be happier elsewhere.
Getting here is one flight and one drive. Zanzibar international airport is about fifty kilometres away, roughly an hour by road, and Stone Town is about the same. The hotel arranges private transfers on request.
Signature experiences
Why guests choose it.
Mnemba atoll by boat
The reef ringing Mnemba is the best snorkelling and diving in Zanzibar, about twenty minutes out from the pier at Muyuni just down the beach. Dolphins are often met on the way, and the trip runs in the morning while the water is flat.
The reef flat at low tide
When the lagoon draws back you can walk out a long way over sand and coral among starfish, urchins and the staked seaweed lines. Ask at breakfast for the tide times and take water shoes.
Breakfast on the terrace
Cooked to order rather than laid out, eaten at a table facing the water with the boats going out. It is the part of the day guests describe most often.
A seaweed farm on foot
The women of Matemwe farm seaweed in the shallows in front of the hotel and will show you how the lines are planted and cut. It is a twenty minute walk at low water and one of the few honest ways to meet the village.
A massage in the garden
Treatments are given on the property rather than in a spa building, usually taken in the flat heat of the afternoon. Booked at reception and charged separately.
Gallery
A closer look.
Room types
Where you will sleep.
Up to 2 guests
Double Room Garden View
Rooms facing the tropical planting between the house and the pool, for one or two guests, sold to 30 October 2026.
Up to 3 guests
Double Room Pool Front
Rooms opening onto the pool terrace with a fridge, for up to three guests, sold to 30 October 2026.
Up to 2 guests
Double Retreat Room
The retreat rooms in the body of the house from November 2026, for one or two guests. Seven of the twelve.
Classic Retreat Room
The larger classic rooms from November 2026, sold on a three guest basis, with a fridge and a terrace.
Up to 2 guests
Double Room Ocean View
The two rooms facing the water, with a kettle, tea and coffee and a fridge. For one or two guests.
Up to 4 guests
Family 2 Bedroom Room
Two bedrooms taken as one unit for up to four guests.
Up to 4 guests
Family Superior Room Garden View
The larger family room looking into the garden, for up to four guests.
Up to 6 guests
Zoi 2 Bedroom Beach House
A standalone two bedroom house on the sand with a living room, dining area, two bathrooms and a private patio. Up to six guests.
At a glance
The essentials, in brief.
Amenities
- Outdoor Pool With Sun Loungers
- Theros restaurant on an ocean facing terrace
- Poolside Service
- Direct Beach Access
- Massage and beauty treatments on site
- Free WiFi Throughout
- Air Conditioning In Every Room
- Ceiling Fans And Mosquito Nets
- Safe In Room
- En suite bathroom with hot water
- Veranda or sitting area with most rooms
- Fridge in the pool front and ocean view rooms
- Kettle with tea and coffee in the ocean view rooms
- Laundry And Ironing Service
- Baggage Storage
- Daily Housekeeping
- Tour desk for excursions and diving
- Airport Transfers On Request
- Free Parking
- Refillable Water Stations
Best for
- Honeymoon
- Couples
- Snorkelling And Diving
- Beach Extension After Safari
- Quiet Stays
- Families In The Beach House
Wildlife and nature
- Reef fish, turtles and rays on the Mnemba reef through the year
- Dolphins often seen on the boat run out to Mnemba
- Starfish, urchins and octopus on the reef flat at low tide
- Red colobus monkeys at Jozani forest, about an hour and a quarter south
Best time to visit
When to go.
- January: best
- February: best
- March: not a best month
- April: closed
- May: closed
- June: best
- July: best
- August: best
- September: best
- October: best
- November: not a best month
- December: best
Best monthsClosed
Best months: June to October and December to February. Closed in April to May.
Location & access
Getting there.
Location
Zanzibar East Coast
Arriving by air
Fly Kilimanjaro International to Zanzibar in about an hour and twenty minutes, then transfer by road about one hour to Matemwe. There is no airstrip at Matemwe, so Zanzibar is the arrival airport for the whole island.
By road
Zanzibar is reached by air. From Kilimanjaro International it is about an hour and twenty minutes in the air to Zanzibar, then a road transfer of roughly one hour north east to Matemwe, about fifty kilometres, with the last stretch on a rougher village road.
On the map
Where it sits.
5.878° S, 39.353° E
What's included
What the rate covers.
Included
- Accommodation in the room category booked, for the number of guests the published price covers
- Breakfast daily at Theros restaurant, cooked to order and served on the ocean facing terrace
- Use of the pool, the sun loungers, the gardens and the direct beach access
- Beach umbrellas, beach chairs and pool and beach towels
- Wifi throughout the property, including in the rooms
- Air conditioning, ceiling fan, mosquito net, safe and en suite bathroom in every room
- Baby cot on request and subject to availability, at no charge
- Value Added Tax
Not included
- Lunch and dinner. Half board is offered at 38 USD per adult per night and 28 USD per child up to 11 years, added to your booking
- Drinks of any kind, which are charged at the property
- Infrastructure tax of 4 USD per guest per night, collected by the hotel at check out
- The New Year Eve gala dinner, which is mandatory for anyone staying over 31 December and is added to your quote
- Airport and Stone Town transfers, charged by the property at 55 USD per car each way for up to four guests
- Excursions, boat trips, diving and snorkelling arranged through the property
- Massages And Beauty Treatments
- Tips And Gratuities
- Items Of A Personal Nature
- Zanzibar inbound travel insurance, 44 USD per person for the whole stay, compulsory and bought online at visitzanzibar.go.tz before arrival
Frequently asked
Questions, answered.
How many rooms does Zoi Retreat have?
Twelve rooms in the main Swahili house, plus two standalone units beside it: the two bedroom beach house that sleeps up to six, and a larger villa. The rate sheets sell six room categories in the hotel building, so the property stays small and quiet even when it is full.
Where exactly is the hotel?
At the southern end of the Matemwe strip on the north east coast of Unguja, directly on the beach. Muyuni beach is about eight minutes on foot and Kiwengwa is about twenty minutes by road to the south.
How do guests get there?
Fly into Zanzibar international airport, then drive about fifty kilometres north east, which takes around an hour. The property arranges private transfers on request and charges them separately. From Stone Town it is about an hour by road.
What is included in the rate?
Bed and breakfast for the number of guests the room price covers, use of the pool, gardens, beach access, towels and umbrellas, wifi and value added tax. Half board is offered as an upgrade. Drinks are charged at the property.
Is there anything collected at the property?
Yes. An infrastructure tax of 4 USD per guest per night is collected by the hotel at check out, and transfers, excursions and treatments are settled directly. Anyone staying over 31 December also pays a mandatory gala dinner, which we add to your quote so there is no surprise.
Are families with children welcome?
Yes, and there are two family categories plus the beach house, though the pool is a quiet one and the hotel leans adult. Infants under two stay free and a cot is available on request. Every room needs at least one adult in it, so children cannot take a room of their own.
When is the best time to visit?
June to October and December to mid March are the dry months on this coast, with sea temperatures around 25 to 27 degrees all year. April and May are the heart of the wet season, and the property closes from 12 April to 13 May 2027.
What is the beach like?
It is a reef beach with a big tidal range. At high tide you swim straight off the sand. At low tide the water pulls back a long way across the flat, which is when you can walk out among the starfish and the seaweed lines. Guests who want to swim on a schedule tend to use the pool.
Is there diving and snorkelling?
Yes. Mnemba atoll is about twenty minutes by boat from the pier at Muyuni, and the hotel books trips with a local dive centre rather than running one itself. Morning trips are usually the calmest.
Is there a minimum stay?
Only over the festive period. From 20 December to 10 January the property asks for five nights and half board is mandatory.
Are there televisions and room service?
No televisions anywhere, by choice, and no general room service. The hotel is built around the sound of the palms and the water rather than a screen. Wifi reaches the rooms, the pool and the restaurant.
What is the food like?
Theros restaurant runs from seven in the morning to ten at night, cooking fresh seafood, Swahili dishes and international plates to order, with vegetarian and vegan options. Guests mention the food more often than anything else in reviews.
Do I need travel insurance to visit?
Yes. Visitors to Zanzibar must hold the Zanzibar inbound travel insurance, 44 USD per person for the whole stay, bought online at visitzanzibar.go.tz before arrival. Tanzania residents are exempt. If you enter mainland Tanzania first for a safari, the mainland policy covers you instead. It is paid by you directly and is not part of our quote.
What's nearby
Worth the short trip.
Mnemba Atoll
A protected marine reserve about twenty minutes by boat from Muyuni pier. Snorkelling and diving on the reef that rings the island, usually taken as a morning.
Muyuni Beach
The next bay south, about eight minutes on foot, where the Mnemba boats leave from.
Nungwi
The village at the northern tip, about forty minutes by road. Deep water that swims at any tide, a turtle sanctuary and a busy evening beach.
Kiwengwa
The stretch of coast about twenty minutes south, with a longer beach and more places to eat.
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park
About an hour and a quarter south. The last stand of the island forest and the place to see the red colobus, taken as a half day with a guide.
Stone Town
The old quarter of Zanzibar City, about an hour by road. Carved doors, the spice market and the waterfront, usually a half day on the way to or from the airport.
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