We decided to spent 1 day of our Zanzibar trip in Stone Town, which is the old part of Zanzibar. And I can't tell you how gad I am we did. The streets of Stone Town give a feeling of the islands history which is very interesting and worth getting to know. You see the influences very clearly in Stone Town, which by the way is a Unesco World Heritage, and some buildings are more than hundreds of years old. So was also the building in which we stayed at. Back in history house of a sultan and today home to Stone Town's best hotel, Emerson Spice. This is a true boutique hotel and once you enter the building you feel like you traveled back in time. The decor is very traditional and sooo beautiful. Each of the 11 rooms is named differently and has a unique design. We stayed at Violetta and this rooms made me feel like Princess Jasmin :) It has a huge balcony and an open bathroom. Belle was another room I found very pretty.
Breakfast is served at the rooftop overlooking Stone Town, so are the sunset drinks. You can also enjoy a dinner up there but make sure to reserve. We decided to have our dinner at Secret Garden, which is a restaurant in the backyard of the hotel. I have to say this was my favorite dinner in Zanzibar. The setting was so romantic and the food was delicious. Prices were also very reasonable.
Make also sure to visit the hotels sister property Emerson Hurumzi which is just a 2 minute walk away. We visited this place to have lunch at the teahouse roof. They serve a selection of light lunch options and again you have the view over Stone Town. Unfortunately our lunch was disrupted by a massive rain storm :(
Stone Town is very compact but the Emerson Spice is perfect in terms of location. The surroundings are lively and safe.
All in all I loved this hotel and I truly recommend you to spend at least 1 night in Stone Town when visiting Zanzibar.
Bookings for the hotel are only possible directly with the hotel, they are not present on booking.com. Check out rates here.
