Spice Palace Hotel

The hotel’s authentic decor reflects Zanzibar’s spirit, and the little pool is a lovely place to relax. It’s right in the heart of Stone Town, steps from traditional shops and lively local life. A charming stay, and I’ll definitely book again on my next visit.

The service was a joke. I was traveling with a group and had booked a twin room, but they gave us a double instead. They’d overbooked, and it felt deliberate. I refused it. After discussions with the tour company and losing my afternoon, we went on a walking tour of the city. When we got back, I asked reception whether they’d fixed it. The guy smirked arrogantly and said, “maybe there’s a suprise in the room.” I hadn’t asked for a suprise, and certainly didn’t want that attitude after the hotel had messed up the booking and my afternoon. I told him his vague answers were inappropriate, but he kept smirking and repeating “suprise” and “you’ll see.” He could have simply said they’d squeezed a single bed beside the double, so there were now two beds. He chose not to give me a clear answer. While we were waiting that afternoon, they offered a free dinner as compensation. I said we were eating out, but they still offered it. So when I asked about a dinner refund the next morning, they of course didn’t compensate me. They claimed they’d only offered dinner at their restaurant, and only if I accepted sharing a double bed. They even tried to deny that the room was ready late, though check-in was at 14:30 and it wasn’t ready until late at night. That shouldn’t even be up for discussion. The room was nice as a double. With the second bed squeezed in, it was too small, the balcony door was blocked, and the mosquito net couldn’t be used. It wasn’t the twin room I’d booked, just a poor one-night fix. That’s how they are here: they gave our twin rooms away out of greed, expected me to share a double bed without complaint because we’re women, and lied to my face whenever it suited them. Incompetent and arrogant.

I thought there were better hotels in Stone Town for the same price, or even less. The location is great for walking around, and the hotel has pleasant common areas, a rooftop terrace for breakfast, and a small, relaxing pool. The shower had hot water and decent pressure. My first room had little flies, a strong moldy smell, a damp bed, a terrible-smelling bathroom, and a brown stain on the bed cover. I asked to move, and thankfully they agreed. The second room was better, with no flies, bad smell, or stains, but the AC didn’t cool it properly, so I was quite hot at night. It faced the pool, where I could hear staff talking in the evening and early morning. There was still some mold in the shower, though not as much as in the first room. At breakfast, large aggressive birds, maybe crows or kites, tried to steal food from the rooftop area, which was unpleasant. With the room quality and comfort issues, the stay was just average for me, despite the location, rooftop, and pool. I don’t think it’s worth the price.

The room was extremely small, and the price felt like poor value, especially for such a central location. The bedding was poor quality and not cotton, the bathroom towels weren’t clean, and even the shower head was in bad shape. The whole place felt substandard, and its upkeep left a lot to be desired. Breakfast was disappointing, with almost no choice and poor food quality. The staff weren’t particularly friendly or welcoming. We’d booked a different, much better place for our caregiver at a lower rate, and the difference was shocking. I’d strongly recommend looking elsewhere. This hotel simply isn’t worth the money.