This little hotel is perfect for a more budget night on the island. The views are breathtaking, room is cooled down with the fan, had no issues with mosquitos, WiFi worked well (most of the time) although it is patchy in the general area of Jambiani and the breakfast was delicious. Power was only out once and for a very short amount of time, there was also plenty of water (hot as well, although with such hot outside temperatures I looked forward to a cooler shower!). I recommend the Vietnamese restaurant just around the corner from this hotel (Saigon restaurant).

I think paying 20USD to have some of my clothes washed was excessive as they weren't really cleaned very well either. For dinner I was told they were out of seafood and chicken (at 7pm) so that left beef... The main FOH/waitress in charge of breakfast and dinner was also throwing shoes and items at the local stray cats... The trips organised by them are a bit hit and miss regarding expectations vs reality (but all in all I has a blast fishing and seeing the sunset on a dhow, so I'm not salty about the experiece). I would definitely come back to this hotel :)

Our stay at Equalia boutique hotel was phenomenal. For us, the two best aspects of our stay was the location and the staff. The location was prime - on the beach. From the room you could access the beach within a few seconds. Great views for breakfast and dinner! The staff was also beyond helpful. If we ever had a problem or needed something they were available to help immediately. They helped us with scooter and car rentals within 10 minutes and every need was attended to. Most importantly, they were always friendly and attentive and made us feel like we were at home. The hotel was always cleaned meticulously and every was very organised. It was great value for money and we were more than happy with our stay! We also got to meet and socialise with many different guests thanks to the awesome environment provided by the hotel set up. Thank you! 🇿🇦

I recently had the pleasure of staying at Equalia Boutique Hotel, and overall, it was a delightful experience that left a lasting impression. From the moment we walked through the doors, we were greeted by a warm and welcoming atmosphere that permeated every corner of the hotel. The staff were exceptional, providing top-notch service with a genuine smile. The food was nothing short of exquisite.

While the hotel itself exuded tranquility, the surrounding neighborhood was unfortunately quite noisy. Secondly, the bathroom in my room could use some maintenance. Specifically, the shower fixtures exhibited signs of rust, and the functionality of the shower was just not proper.

Great place to stay in Jambiani, breakfast is very good and all the personnel are very helpful and attentive. If you get the rooms with a beach-view you'll love it. The ambiance is very chill and calm, and it's in the middle of a local neighbourhood, you can easily access boda-bodas or tuktuks. Definitely recommend.

We had a room with no beach-views which faces a local cafe, in the morning it was very noisy and difficult to sleep in, but besides this everything was perfect.

such a lovely small boutique hotel has everything you need for a relaxing stay to just be, relax, read and enjoy beach life in Zanzibar We had beach view, which was amazing to wake up to every morning, hearing the waves of the ocean, from the hotel there is a direct small stair to the beach, 1 meter and you are in the ocean the hotel has a small yard and restaurant, breakfast was super sweet and lovely and the owner and his team fullfill every wish!!! Just WOW! We love this place and we will definitely come back.

there is just nothing - all was perfect

Lovely place to stay for a few days whilst I waited for my group trip to begin. The hotel is small and comfortable. No air conditioning in the rooms, you will be hot, it doesn’t matter that there is a fan because all it does is move around air but it’s very humid in Zanzibar. Not many reviews mention the lack of AC but I did call to make sure beforehand so I knew when I arrived there wasn’t any. AC is a high cost so I understood and the hotel I was moving to had it so I could handle it for a few nights. The view from the hotel is gorgeous on both floor levels, beautiful sunrises . Breakfast is enough to start the day and was fresh, staff were helpful! Electricity goes out a lot more than is usual to me in Zanzibar (I’ve been many times, power cuts are expected even at 5 star hotels due to island infrastructure) the WiFi cuts out a lot but when it’s on the connection is strong! It’s a true place to relax and unwind so those things may not matter much.

Everything was fine with the properly, I don’t enjoy Jambiani for the amount of locals selling trying to get you to leave the hotel whilst eating to buy something, trying to get you to leave the ocean whilst swimming to buy something. It’s common for Paje and Jambiani at any hotel so be aware.

beautiful seafront property with doors opening towards the beach giving ocean views. lovely basic breakfast with self serve tin coffee. the beach loungers worked well.

nothing to rinse beach sand off feet before going into room. no floor mats, only two towels. a bit noisy with local music playing the whole day and locals passing by the side street or the builders hammering next door. had to sleep with earphones on.

Breakfast was excellent, very delicious. The setting perfect. Wish I could have my breakfast every day overlooking the ocean and watching the sun rise. The colours of the sea spectacular. The beds and bedding all very comfortable.

Sometimes the showers were a little short on water but as we come from Kenya we know the problems you have with water 🫤

Where do we start ...THANK YOU Equalia Rose Hotel !! (We originally booked at Equalia boutique but were moved to the Rose hotel and upgraded to an even better room) Thank you so the friendly and welcoming staff for making a short little anniversary celebration so special for us !! We arrived welcome drinks, to a display on the bed in a room with thr most beautiful view ! Then the breakfast are out of this world amazing!!! The hotel is on the beach so you literally just step down onto the beach and go for a walk or swim whatever you like. Just chilling with that view was special enough ! We 100% recommend this place and will certainly be back in the future for sure !!! ❤️

There was nothing to not like !

the pictures above are 100% accurate. Equalia is directly ON the beach. comfortable beds, clean hotel, close to everything and surrounded by excellent restaurants breakfast included excellent value for money fell asleep to the sound of the ocean

- not able to use a credit card yet - new so there were a few kinks but owner very happy to fix things