Location

Room size is small and the bathroom was not clean and always smelled damp. No variety on breakfast menu

The matrass and the pillow were comfortable, but the sheets were stained. The mosquito net was dusty. The towels were also stained.

the cleanliness of the hotel could be better. The amount they charge is high for the quality of the services provided.

Island Paradise Inn is located very close to Stone Town in a less touristy area, a 20 min drive from the airport. It is only 2 streets away from Darajani market, and a 15 min walk away from all other major attractions of Stone Town. Stone town is more touristy and a little white washed if you ask me, so we absolutely adored our stay at Island Paradise Inn. We walked everywhere and it was nice seeing the locals buzzing about, enjoying their meals, playing, shopping. There is a money changer right next door and a super market a few shops to the left (under renovation when I stayed). The rooms were clean and the air conditioning was perfect. They did our rooms everyday which we appreciated. The lighting fixtures and furniture give it a very colonial feel. We enjoyed having a balcony. The size of the bed was perfect for 2 people, we also had a TV to stream some of our favourite shows. Special mention to the manager Mr.Nitin, who ensured we were comfortable and taken care of at all times. He made us feel very welcome. The old man who runs the breakfast at the restaurant was also very nice, he'd always stop and chat with us, make sure we got good rest, had everything we needed. Breakfast menu was varied and not the same everyday. We ordered in room service twice and both times found the food was good. I was pleasantly surprised at the Indian masala tea they made very well. If you're not ordering in, I recommend Polazz grill right opposite for some street food or walking up to Darajani market where there are plenty of good, highly rated local restaurants. Especially Lukmaan, for some authentic Swahili food which we really really loved. If you would like cafes and ocean view restaurants, they're also walkable distance from this hotel.

I would love to stay here again and would highly recommend to everyone as well. These are in no way meant to discourage but only observations for improvement: We ordered beers to our room everyday and one of the days we ended up with a flat beer which was fully watered down and tasted bad, this could be an issue with the vendor and not necessarily the hotel. The lady at the reception who checked us in was slow and irritable, but her counterparts who were there at other times and who checked us out were all excellent. The bathroom fixtures were all beautiful brass/copper ones but not polished giving them an old dirty look. A little shine to them would uplift the hotel wonderfully. The water pressure in the shower was a little low to our liking however understanding that fresh water and electricity are not so easily available in Zanzibar, we were just glad to have running water, hot water when needed and full air-conditioning at all times.