Maruhubi Villas — Hotel in Unguja

We stayed there for one week in early August 2016 and really enjoyed our time, although we could have had a couple of things that we disliked. ||||The hotel is situated in Maruhubi a - I guess - suburb in the northern part of Stone Town. Getting to the center took about an one hour walk, so we mostly took a taxi for a just a few dollars to get there. Everything organised by the nice people at the reception.||The name "Beach Villas" might be a bit exaggerated, if one takes into consideration that the "beach" is just a small strip of sand. Many locals who were taking a bath there, as well, didn't seem to be too keen about keeping the beach clean. It was loaded with heaps of plastic garbage. So, we mainly spent our time at the pool which was nice, however.||Next to the hotel, some new hotel was built during our time there, which could be quite noisy sometimes. But even that didn't bother us really much.||||What we really liked, instead, were the nice rooms and the really really friendly staff.||The rooms were big and equipped with air conditioning, a clean bathroom, a nice terrace and lots of beautiful pieces of wooden furniture. Juma, the owner of this place, was really nice and put lots of effort into making it an unforgettable time. When we decided in the morning to do a trip, he made a couple of phone calls and organised it for us. When my girlfriend suffered from a heat stroke he did his best to make her feel better, brought her ice and blankets. We've never had an accommodation before that was that familiar. Also the staff at the restaurant, where they serve a fruity and nice breakfast, was really nice and always interested in a little chat. ||||All in all, I definitely can recommend this place. If you expect a nice beach, you will be disappointed. If you expect a luxurious hotel, you will be disappointed, as well. But if you expect a nice time with local people that help you to make your trip an unforgettable one, you will get your money...

Nice quiet spot just outside of Stone Town. We stayed there 2 nights after staying in the centre of Stone Town just to get away from the noise and swim as we thought it was situated on a swimming beach, but it is definitely NOT a swimming beach. GOOD POINTS: pretty, pleasant setting, lovely pool and lapa. We did a private boat trip from Maruhubi to Prison Island and Sand Bank, which was convenient from there and good value for money. The bungalows are basic but comfy and priced accordingly. Lovely pool with sun lounges. MINUSES: food in restaurant very basic for the price. Breakfast rather tasteless. The balconies on the bungalows face to the back, not the front of the resort, so you only a view of the hotel being built and/or renovated behind the villas, and the big sand dredger dredging up sand from a portion of the beach which appears to be for the hotel being built behind the resort. Whatever the dredger is doing it seems it is going to be there for quite a while still.||Please note that this place is a short DRIVE from Stone Town, not a short WALK. ||Overall review: it's not bad, but it is cheap and cheerful. I do feel we could have skipped this part of our trip. Before deciding whether to stay here, give some thought to the purpose of your stay - for some quiet, a nice pool and private boat trips it is great, bit not for swimming, beautiful view and...

I had a very pleasant stay in Maruhubi Beach Villas. I stayed here because I was tired of the noise of Stone Town. The hotel is very basic and local run. The bungalows are very spacious with a big veranda.||Best part of Maruhubi is the swimmingpool and the sunset view in the evening.||The pool is always open and I liked jumping in the pool early morning before breakfast.||The staff is amazing. They will go out of their way to help you.||Breakfast is nothing special, but enough to have a good start of the day.||The food is okay, but the town is close enough to go out for dinner (5 minutes by taxi).||In the daytime it can be a bit noisy because there are construction at the neighbor hotel. No idea until when.||I would definitely go back here if I go to...