The Swahili House

The rooftop bar and restaurant give this old Stone Town house a lot of character, and there’s even a small spot to cool off, though it isn’t a pool. Our room was lovely, with a balcony looking out over the front of the hotel, and the A/C worked well when we wanted it. Swahili House is more than 200 years old, so you really feel its history. A tucked-away little gem right in the centre.

We had dinner on the rooftop terrace twice while staying here on half-board, and both meals were delicious, some of the best we had on the island. Breakfast was fine, but it didn’t come close to the dinners. We spent two lovely nights here. The rooms have an appealing old colonial feel, and all the staff were attentive and friendly. It’s an old house, so the hot water was sometimes only warm.

Just one night in this lovely historic hotel, but it was a wonderful stay. Edwin and all the staff were so kind and hospitable. Thank you, it meant a lot.

The coffee was good, but the desserts were very disappointing. The mango panna cotta was basically a quarter cup of frozen milk with mango juice on top, and the cheesecake didn’t resemble cheesecake at all. We came up to the rooftop for dessert and coffee, and the sunset view wasn’t much to write home about.