Maisha Nungwi

Set behind a garden wall on the quiet northern edge of Nungwi, Maisha Nungwi trades resort scale for something closer to a private compound. Makuti-roofed blocks and standalone cottages are spread through a thick garden of palms, travellers palms and flowering shrubs, so most rooms open onto greenery or one of the two pools rather than onto other guests. There are seven room categories, which is unusual for a property this size: Standard and Comfort rooms with pool views and a balcony, a Superior/Family room for three, Garden Cottages tucked into the planting, and Jacuzzi and Premium Jacuzzi suites where the draw is a private hot tub on your own terrace. Interiors are quietly done in dark local timber, coral rag and lime plaster, hung with work by island artists and cooled by ceiling fans and air conditioning. Days tend to run between the pool decks, the thatched garden restaurant and the beach bar at the bottom of the property, with Nungwi village and the fish market a fifteen minute walk along the sand. It suits travellers who want a Zanzibar beach base with character and a personal welcome rather than a large all-inclusive, and it works equally well as a two or three night decompression stop at the end of a mainland safari.