Emerald Palm Hotel, Zanzibar — Hotel in Shangani

It is, by far, the worst place I have stayed in during my numerous travels. It's a shame that such a dump can host guests. Let's start from the beginning: the location is in a dead-end alley in the midst of the mazes of the old part of Stone Town. It's very hard to find, and at night, this area becomes deserted and somewhat scary. To make matters worse, cars can't get anywhere near the front door, so you have to carry your luggage through several streets. Once you enter the "hotel," you feel like crying. The "reception" is a shabby table on a landing that looks abandoned. I'm not exaggerating; the walls are full of peeling paint, and the paint disappeared years ago among damp stains. The floor tiles are loose, and on the last day, they were making a hole because of a water leak. The reception was terrible; they forced us to pay a fee that was already paid, and they threatened to leave us on the street. Furthermore, they didn't give us a receipt despite our repeated requests. Everything was just awful.

Now, let's talk about the room. To reach the rooms, you have to climb the steepest and narrowest staircase in the world. If you have a large suitcase, be prepared to suffer. We got the first room on the left as soon as we went up. The door's lock is broken, and to keep it closed when you leave, they've put a padlock that you have to remove and put back on. When you're inside, the only solution to keep the door closed is a fragile latch. The room itself is spacious, with two areas, and although the furniture is very old, it's not too bad. The beds are not uncomfortable, and the air conditioning works. The worst part is that the bathroom is separated by a curtain, not a door, so all the sounds and smells fill the entire room, which is intolerable.

The worst part is the windows. It's not that they're Zanzibari-style windows without glass; two out of the three large windows are completely missing, torn out completely because the wooden frames are literally rotting. This lack of windows means that all the noises come directly into the room, making sleep almost impossible. When it's not the street noises, it's the calls to prayer from the nearby mosque. We hardly slept, and we had booked a room with soundproofing! Breakfast is not served at the hotel but at a nearby Indian restaurant. It's not bad, but it's very basic, and if you have coffee, they won't give you juice or water. We didn't want to end this review without mentioning the best part of this hotel: we only stayed...

I stayed here with one friend. The staff upon arrival were nice and welcoming but throughout the stay some of them were abrupt and quite rude. The bedroom and bathroom were exactly as advertised (basic), however the shower head didn’t work so you had to use the tiny hose at the bottom (2ft of the floor, no adjustable or moveable) to wash which was hard and lucky are two smaller females who could squat to get under (no chance for someone over 170cm tall). The wifi went in and out but overall ok. A lady came into our room when we were there and also when we were out, she put down the mosquito net over the bed and sprayed mosquito spray everywhere (I would recommend leaving the room and having fans turned on). Windows and doors have gaps and so did the mosquito net. Breakfast provided was fine and a nice touch for the price. We also went for dinner one night and the garlic naan was delicious. The waiters and staff were lovely and prompt. There are other hotels much nicer for the same/a similar price mizingani seafront hotel. But overall a fine place to stay for 1-2 nights if you’re on a budget and wanting to...

I stayed at Emerald Palm for a few nights and had a great experience. The staff were fantastic; approachable, friendly and genuinely compassionate. The building is old and very traditional and 'authentic-looking', I personally loved this as it made it feel very cosy and like home. The staff helped me with my suitcase to get it up to my room. I was on the second floor and my room opened out onto a terrace which had a lot of plants and a bench which i loved. The room was really clean, had good Wi-Fi, and all the basics I needed: kettle, teas, robe etc. They took good care to prevent mosquitoes. It is located in a small alley in the heart of Stone Town which means cars cannot get to the front. But it is right by the old fort and not even a mins walk from car access. As a solo female traveller, my main concern is always safety, but i felt really safe here as there is always someone at the desk, and the hotel is so close to the main areas so i dont have to walk for ages during the night. Overall I had a great...