Accommodation will be the most expensive item in your budget when travelling to Zanzibar if you stay at a beachfront resort. However, there are a few private apartments where the prices are very low.

Which places are the cheapest to stay in? And where are the best? Read in this chapter.

• Book cheap accommodation in Zanzibar
• The best last-minute holidays on Zanzibar

Where to stay in Zanzibar

Beachfront accommodation ranges from homely bungalows to lavish five-star hotels. It is common practice with the cheaper bungalows that the price has to be negotiated and you cannot pay with credit cards.

Nungwi

The most luxurious hotels can be found in the north of the island in the Nungwi resort area. You'll find this at the very northernmost tip of Zanzibar. The conditions here are ideal for swimming, as the difference between low and high tide is minimal.

Apart from luxury resorts, there are plenty of cheap guesthouses and guesthouses right on the beach.

• View hotels and apartments in Nungwi

Kendwa

Like Nungwi, Kedwa is ideal because of the unchanging sea levels off the coast. It lies just south of Nungwi on the west side of the island, and here too you'll find dozens of hotels and resorts across the price range.

• View hotels and apartments in Kendwa

East Coast

Another popular location for accommodation is the entire east coast. Here too, you'll find beautiful beaches, but the slight downside is that at low tide the sea can be tens of metres away. This leaves only tiny pools teeming with marine life, and even this experience has its own unmistakable charm.

Most accommodation can be found in the following resorts:

• Jambiani - cheap hotels and apartments
• Paje - cheap guesthouses
• Kiwengwa - quality 4* and 5* resorts
• Pongwe - modern luxury resorts

Stone Town

Also in Stone Town, the largest city, there is a larger number of hotels, which serve more as a first accommodation after arrival or as a convenient starting point for further trips.

Either way, the island is not too big and you can drive from north to south in about an hour and a half. So it's not a problem to stay in one place and from there to go on individual excursions.

• Top 10 hotels in Stone Town

Hotel prices - when are they cheapest?

The cheapest time to stay in Zanzibar is during the rainy season, i.e. spring and autumn.

Expect the highest prices from December to March and June to September.

Regular 3* hotels near the beach cost around 145 usd per night, but 4* and 5* resorts average out at 200 usd to 400 usd per night.

If you just need a simple en-suite room without breakfast in a local apartment, prices start at 35 usd per night.

Holidays to Zanzibar with a travel agent

If you don't dare to plan a holiday on your own, there are of course travel agencies available.

Holidays to Mauritius are mainly offered by European tour operators mainly from Germany, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, the UK, the Czech Republic or Poland.