The Mtoni Marine Center Hotel in Zanzibar

About Mtoni Marine

Located five minutes from Stone Town on the west coast of Zanzibar lies the Mtoni Marine. The hotel – made up of three hectares of garden along the beach, the oldest Sultan’s Palace and Persian baths on the island, the birthplace of Princess Salme, and the first clove plantation in the Spice Islands – is an ideal base of operations for experiencing everything this exotic location has to offer while enjoying a peaceful vacation in a warm, informal environment.

Stone Town, one of the most well known on the island, is close to the hotel and guests enjoy visiting this historic town and the ruins of the Mtoni Palace and the Maruhubi Palace, both of which were once lived in by powerful Sultans of their time.  The hotel is known for its very laid back atmospheres, and the personnel who work there make it a point to make every visitor to Mtoni feel like they are at home.  The accommodations are friendly and warm, and guests who stay here will enjoy the unique mix Mtoni provides.

The marine where the Mtoni Marine Centre is located was once where the Sultans anchored their ships.  The entire area is very historic in nature and visitors to Mtoni can take guided tours to the ruins and learn about the one time rulers of this area of Africa.  Known as the Bububu area, the palaces and the Persian baths are interesting to explore and will definitely wake up the archaeologist in you.

The main lodge at Mtoni offers guests an Internet café and local tour office that will book tours of the islands for guests who desire to see more than the private beach the centre is built upon.  There are two boutiques available at the hotel that sells basic necessities and local arts, crafts, and clothing.  The bar has live satellite sports events broadcasting each day for the guest’s enjoyment and there is a beautiful playground on the grounds for the children in additions to other games.  

Guests can take a dhow cruise or enjoy a unique Swahili beuary treatment (relaxing massage at the Aromatherapy) Mrembo Traditional Spa while enjoying the unique combination of rooms and activities at Mtoni.  Eating your meals under the stars makes visiting this wonderful and romantic locale well worth guests’ while, even if they do not stay as guests of the hotel. It is a very good stopover accommodation for guests who would prefer a little more solitude that what Stone Town can offer.

Rooms at Mtoni Marine

No matter how big your party is or how much you want to pay for your rooms, you can easily find accommodations at Mtoni that fit your purpose.  Each of the rooms come equipped standard with: mosquito nets; air conditioning; ceiling fans; en-suite bathrooms; and electronic safes.  All of the rooms are located in the lush tropical garden of the marine centre and they are divided in groups.

The Palm Court rooms are considered some of the best and they are located in a double storey block of buildings that overlook the sea.  Each room has its own private balcony or verandah.  The four upper rooms have baths with views of the sea while the four lower rooms have showers.  Very well appointed as far as décor and furniture go, they are favourites among the guests.  The Upper Club rooms are set up exactly the same as the Palm Court rooms except they do not have views of the sea.They do have verandahs that overlook the gardens.

Mtoni Marine also offers larger groups of guests the convenience of their new Family Apartments and a Family House.  There are four apartments available and each of them feature a small living room, two en-suite bathrooms, a kitchenette and a large balcony that they can use for taking in the sunsets while staying at the resort.  The Family House is a two-storey structure that is perfect for sleeping up to five people.  It has an open plan living room, two en-suite bathrooms, a kitchenette, and sea facing terrace, all for guest’s enjoyment.

Dining

Guests at the Mtoni Marine Centre are in for a treat when it comes to taking their meals.  The resort has three establishments guests can choose from, depending on their mood and what they want to eat.
 
The Mtoni Marine Restaurant is run by Waldemar and uses local spices and foods from the surrounding area.  Fare at the restaurant includes seafood lunches, a la carte menus of traditional and international cuisines, and beach barbeques every Tuesday and Saturday.  The restaurant is an open air thatched roof affair on the beach and guests can take their meals in the spice garden, on the terrace, or at a table on the beach where they can kick off their shoes and dig their toes in the soft sand while eating.  The restaurant has a small wine list and select spirits for the guests to also enjoy.  Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays see local entertainment at the resort.

Guests who are looking for lighter fare can enjoy the snacks, pizza, burgers and more at the Mcheza Bar & Bistro. 
Finally the ZanSushi bar is also available at Mtoni and it is located beneath an Afro-Japanese thatch roof down on the beach.  The fare here is sashimi and homemade sushi that is prepared fresh daily using the local catch and spices.

Activities

While dining at Mtoni is an activity in and of itself, there are plenty of things to do at the resort that makes it attractive to visitors of all ages.  Currently the Dhow’s are not available, but once they have been repaired, visitors can take a day cruise around the island on the resort’s sailing dhows, the ‘Spice Coast Dhow’ and the ‘M.V. Umande’,  see many of the beautiful examples of flora and fauna around the island.  The Dhows, traditional Arab type boats are available for a small fee. Of course the ruins of the Sultan’s palaces and Persian baths are available for exploring. The Mtoni Palace Conservation Project organises the Princess Salome Spice Tour and Taarab Concerts in the courtyard of the Palace. All profits go back to the conservation of the birthplace of Princess Salome. Guided sea safaris, snorkelling expeditions, and deep sea fishing are also all available.

Guests who prefer to stay on land can enjoy the pristine beaches and brand new infinity pool that was built at Mtoni in 2008.  Spice tours and cultural tours are all available from the resort, and visitors can even fly back to the mainland to enjoy safaris on one of the many game reserves in Africa.  The lodge has a brand new aromatherapy massage centre – the Mrembo Traditional Spa – on the premises that guests can enjoy, and there are a few shops there where souvenirs can be found.  Plus, there is a kid’s playground available for the children to enjoy at the Mcheza Sports Café location.