Salome's Garden Lodge Zanzibar

There are strong reasons to stay at Salome's Garden Zanzibar.

The house is a restored Sultan's country house, replete with original antiques and furnishings. An airy terrace, where meals and drinks are taken, has views over the beach, where at high tide the water laps the stone walls that surround the house.

This hotel is for those seeking something different, off-beat and idiosyncratic.

It is not a hotel in the strict sense, rather rooms to which a key is provided and you can come and go. The staff are absolutely charming.

A cook is on hand to agree an evening menu with you, if desired.

Other Holiday Hotels, Beach Rentals and Holiday Villas

The food is superior, by Zanzibar standards. Only bush babies are liable to break the calm. The walled garden creates a unique sense of atmosphere.

It seemed obvious to us that the weekend discos at a local beach club could be a problem if you stayed in a north facing room.

For that reason, the room we stayed in, south facing (with a terrace) appears preferable at weekends.

A fourth room downstairs has the potential to be damp as other reporters point out. The beach is of little interest and below par for Zanzibar. Salome's Garden is handy for Stone Town, either by local hop-on, hop-off transits or taxi.

The bathrooms could do with a little investment, but the south facing room we stayed in, had a light filled large bathroom over the terrace which was perfectly acceptable, if you remember you are in Africa. Salome's Garden will provide a restful alternative to the standard beach resorts...

This is a place you really want to love. It's a building that exudes faded, disheveled style. The gardens are lush and overgrown and it's surrounded by crumbling walls.

To find it you have to travel down a fairly rough track, following instructions that pretty much amount to "Turn left after the Police roadblock at Bububu then take the first track left, just by the big tree"

All this gives the place a romance and sense of having found something very cool. Add to this the fact that the staff are wonderful and you have the ingredients of something pretty special.

If you do stay, take a bottle of wine with you and get Saluum to cook you dinner one night - it's really worth it.