What Mbweni Ruins Hotel Zanzibar has going for it most is the setting. The restaurant overlooking the Zanzibar channel, the delightful terrace bar, the gorgeous and well-tended botanical gardens and the proximity to the ruins which are great for birding and for lizard-watching!

The sunset from the patio of our room, framed by palms was truly memorable and watching the bush-babies come down from the trees for bananas was fascinating, if not a bit contrived.

The view is gorgeous! The beach (and the lounge chairs they provide for you) is great and since it's facing the mainland, you can totally swim there! The pool is excellent:

clean, nice and private. The restaurant is good (though we only had breakfast there) and the people working there were very friendly and helpful!

The ruins next door were really pretty as well (though they only take about 20 minutes to see them) and made for some excellent pictures.

The rooms are clean, much larger than expected, and fully equipped (even had beach towels for us which we didn't expect) with even though it was a nice temperature outside and we didn't really need it, a fan, mosquito net, comfy, clean bed with nice linens, a frig and a nice seating area to write in your travel journal.

Oh -- AND there is a private porch with a table and two chairs outside our room as well!!

The only thing was that the pier was being reconstructed while we were there -- but that didn't really matter too much as there was a nice decky area off the restaurant for sitting and watching the sunset or having a drink, etc and you have your private porch.

Mbweni offers thirteen air-conditioned suites, each furnished in distinctive Zanzibari style.

Each suite has easy access to the swimming pool and secluded beach and has a balcony overlooking the sea. The Baobab Suite is perfect for honeymoons, and for that extra special treat.

This spacious suite, complete with king-sized fourposter bed, has its own rooftop terrace with spectacular views over the ocean, the ruins and the garden, which is vibrant with the colour and scent of frangipani, hibiscus and oleander.

The furnishings are in Zanzibar style, fit for a Sultan! All of the rooms are air-conditioned, with ceiling fans. All have verandas except for the Frangipani Suite, No 4, which has a bigger main bedroom instead.

The pool lies just above the beach, with its beautiful swaying mangrove trees; this is a perfect place to watch the sun go down. You can canoe or swim along the shore or in the pool.

You can take a dhow trip from the beach, to the sandbanks opposite, or even into Stone Town.

The Hotel Mbweni Ruins magically blends the living experience of Zanzibar's historic past with the modern day luxury and comfort expected of an international resort hotel.

It is here where the weary visitor can relax, and allow themselves to be pampered by the ever caring staff whilst enjoying the true beauty of nature.

The luxurious gardens gradually leads you down to the beach where mangroves sprout out from the sea.The gardens also serve as home and paradise to a vast variety of different species of butterflies and birds.

A beautiful crystal clear fresh water pool on the edge of the beach connects the rooms to the restaurant and bar, where traditional spicy foods as well as panoply of seafood delicacies await the discerning diner.

Mbweni Ruins Hotel Zanzibar has 13 air conditioned luxury rooms are elegantly furnished in the traditional Swahili Coast style of Zanzibar

Mbweni offers accommodation for no more than 30 guests. All the rooms are air-conditioned, furnished in exotic Zanzibar style and offer views of the Indian Ocean and the gardens.

The new Mangrove Bar perches over the ocean, perfect for that evening sundowner! Our new jetty passes through the mangroves to the sea - making embarkation to Chumbe Island and other boats much easier!

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