Flamingo Guest House — Hotel in Mkunazini

Recommended to us by friends, this was a great option for a reasonable priced stay in an expensive location. We had a twin bedroom with en suite bathroom for $ 34 per night. They don't provide towels and although there is a ceiling fan there is no aircon. No hot water but it was so hot at the time of our visit, we would have taken cold showers anyway. The shower had excellent water pressure too. No plug in the sink but this is probably to discourage people from washing clothes in the room. They will do washing for you for a few shillings. The room was very clean although dust from outside soon made it into the bathroom making it look like it hadn't been cleaned. Breakfast is included, taken up on the terrace where there is usually a very welcome breeze. They offer delicious fresh fruit, fresh bread, jam, eggs, and a choice of coffee or ginger tea. The location is great: at first with the myriad of narrow alleyways you think you will never find your way back or get hopelessly lost but you soon get your bearings and it's great fun to explore. We walked back from the centre most evenings (took about 10 minutes) and felt perfectly safe. We did get back at 1am one night and found it locked although someone did let us in after hearing us at the door so if you are planning a late night it might be an idea to check first. I have seen a couple of reviews saying staff were "uninterested": true, they don't walk around with big smiles saying 'have a nice day' every 5 minutes but they always responded very positively and politely whenever we talked to them. A great place close by for some cheap local food is Lukmaans: turn left out of the guest house, walk to the very end of the alley and you will see it over to the left on the opposite side of the road. If the price stays the same we...

I have stayed at Flamingo guest house several times while In zanzibar between my trips to the beach. It has the perfect location, close to everything, and good rooms for the value. You really can't get any more budget than this. It's clean and safe with good wifi and breakfast served in the rooftop. I stayed in a single room with shared bathroom and it was perfect for me. |You can also book all tours with them and their prices are slightly lower than the agencies around.|And the staff is very nice and helpful, ishak and Omari were helping me with directions, practice my Swahili and whatever else I needed. I really enjoyed this place so much, I felt at home. I will stay here again if I return to Zanzibar. Thank you for making me feel...

I was traveling with two friends on a backpacker's budget, so we booked a three beds room, with two shared toilet and shower on the same floor. The room was very basic, with a sink and mosquito nets. The staff was not friendly at all and made us feel like we were disturbing them. One morning we wanted to go out to have breakfast at 7:30, but the front door was locked and it was hard to find an employee to help us. When we came back at 8:00, the door was still locked and it took some time before someone came to open, looking a bit angry. We were confused: it didn't seem to us like it was too early to...