Garden Lodge Zanzibar

Kaunda Road Zanzibar, Stone Town, Zanzibar City Tanzania
Traveller (26)
Room & Suite (10)
Dining (6)

View prices for your travel dates

Fully refundable before Fri, 29 Mar
No prepayment needed
HK$166
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.

About

3.5
#32 of 38 hotels in Stone Town
4.1 of 5 bubbles
Location
3.4 of 5 bubbles
Cleanliness
3.5 of 5 bubbles
Service
3.6 of 5 bubbles
Value
An affordable characterful lodge Situated on the heart of Zanzibar Stone town which own rich of History A barely 15 min drive from Airport. Garden Lodge consists of 18 rooms in block style. This efficient, friendly, family-run place offers 18 rooms with air-con in a characterful Swahili house fringed with balconies and decorated with stained-glass windows. Rooms are good value and all have hot water, ceiling fans and Zanzibari beds. There’s a rooftop breakfast terrace, and lunch can be arranged with advance order.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Free breakfast
Boating
Airport transportation
Rooftop terrace
24-hour security
24-hour check-in
Parking
Wifi
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Shuttle bus service
Taxi service
BBQ facilities
Concierge
Currency exchange
Non-smoking hotel
Doorperson
24-hour front desk
Laundry service
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Room features
Air conditioning
Desk
Housekeeping
Room service
Coffee / tea maker
Refrigerator
Complimentary toiletries
Hair dryer
Safe
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Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Quaint
Languages Spoken
English, French, Hindi, Italian
62Reviews0Q+A5Room tips
Traveller rating
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Detailed Reviews
touchofklaas wrote a review Feb 2007
dutch in new york5 contributions13 helpful votes
4.0 of 5 bubbles
I used tripadvisor a lot when planning my vacation but the Garden Lodge hadn't a review. I'd like to correct this.
I heard about this hotel from other backpackers on the ferry and feel like I discovered a great place. The location is great as it's just at the top of Kenyatta Rd one of the main streets so anyplace you need to get to in Stonetown is in walking distance and I didnt ever get lost on the way home. It was quiet as not in the rabbit warren streets surrounded by neighbours. The room was really good value, 30$ with bathroom and aircon. The staff were friendly and helpful but not pushy. One young guy Mr Oxygen (everyone needs oxygen right?!) works on reception and organised a taxi out of town and advised on best deals for diving and gave us the lowdown on where to go and what to do. All in all cheap and cheerful, I don't think you can find a better place at this budget.
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Date of stay: December 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EmmaAnnaParis wrote a review Oct 2015
Paris, France5 contributions2 helpful votes
4.0 of 5 bubbles
The garden lodge offers rooms in a traditional swahili house. The house itself is beautiful and has a nice rooftop terrace for breakfast. The rooms are spacious, with nice furniture. They are clean but not impeccable (especially the bathrooms) and the hot water rarely works. The breakfast is included and is very good. Given the prices of Zanzibar, the hotel is a good choice. The staff is friendly but of the kind that will call their non-registered driver friend when you ask them to book a taxi for you (the driver friend asking for 3 times the price of a taxi). There is wifi but only on the rooftop.
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Date of stay: September 2015
4.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
3.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
apfelwein wrote a review Feb 2017
Frankfurt, Germany749 contributions164 helpful votes
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Garden Lodge is located on the edge of the old town. The location is great with restaurants and the seafront just a couple of hundred metres away. We always felt safe walking around here.

The hotel itself has very basic rooms. It really just had a bed and funnily enough a refrigerator in it. It was clean but a bit dated. The bathroom was fine, too, again a bit dated but it did the job. There are quite a few lounge areas and balconies in the building.

There is no bottled water available in the rooms but you can buy it from the reception or one of the nearby stores.

Wifi is available. The reception staff seemed a bit disinterested at first but became a little more friendly after a while. Breakfast was nice (with really friendly breakfast staff). Breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace and is the highlight of this stay.

The place was fine. I gues I would stay again but would probably try and find a slightly more pleasant place next time.
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Date of stay: October 2016
2.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
3.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
3.0 of 5 bubblesService
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ILoveToTravelAbroad wrote a review Dec 2021
Long Beach, California17 contributions11 helpful votes
5.0 of 5 bubbles
The staff was SUPER friendly and helpful. The free breakfasts were fantastic- eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, fresh fruit juice, coffee (instant) and toast. The rooftop patio was the perfect place eat breakfast and relax.

The room was lovely. The building is old (as are all buildings in Stonetown), which added to the charm. The room and bathroom were simple, and quite adequate for sleeping and bathing. The water was always hot. There was mosquito net, but it wasn't really needed.

One of the best parts of the Garden Lodge is the location. It is very close to the Bazaar, daladala "station", restaurants and the waterfront. We took a daladala from the airport (1000/$3 for 2 people and 2 bags), and the stop was only about 2 blocks from the lodge. You can also very easily get tuktuks at the circle just to the north of the lodge. It is on a side street and very quiet.
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Date of stay: December 2021
5.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dougn341 wrote a review Jan 2020
monroe.ct.7 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
The hotel was a dump! Air condition was not working and it was 90 degrees out. We had a staff member come in to try to fix it, he just looked around, walked out and never came back. There were ants and other insects all over the room and bathroom. Sink in the bathroom was so small that when you brushed your teeth you hit the shelf above when bending over. Unfortunately we tried getting a hotel elsewhere for our second night but everything in the area was booked and we had to stay another night. It was so gross, we ended up sleeping on top of the covers on the bed and I was up until 2:00am killing ants from the walls and floor until finally going to sleep. Breakfast was mediocre at best. If you want something really low cost and centrally located, this would be it, otherwise, I'd go somewhere else.
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Date of stay: December 2019
1.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
4.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
1.0 of 5 bubblesService
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2jipatel wrote a review Aug 2023
New Brunswick, New Jersey5 contributions8 helpful votes
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Very Low quality budget hotel that failed to meet already low expectations.
Only plus is location.
The AC/Fan did not work when we checked in.
The towels and bedsheets had rust color small stains. Upon informing the front desk person, Muhammad about these issues they were promised to be corrected but we were later informed that they wouldn’t be able to accommodate.
The bathroom was dirty and in need of maintenance.
The rooms are smaller than it appears in the pictures.
Don’t expect any help with carrying your luggage to your room.
The hotel doesn’t have elevators and has 4 floors.
We ended up moving our 3 day vacation stay to other nearby hotel (only stayed 1 night).
I highly recommend checking other great hotels in the same area like: Tembo,
Foradhani, Spice Tree, Emerson Spice Hotel. They are all within walking distance of the Stone Town tour and worth your money.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip: Try other nearby hotels
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katy L wrote a review Jul 2016
3 contributions5 helpful votes
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Woke up to my friend raving over how great the rooftop spice rub was. She didn't mention that the man doing it also tried to touch her breasts. So when I went up for breakfast and he offered me a spice rub I accepted. I regret it. He touched my breasts after I'd asked him not to and pushed me past the point of comfort and further. I wish I had switched hotels that day, and regret making the choice to stay there. Young ladies, be warned. The spice rub is not part of the package, I felt so dumb and naïve afterward. Finally, after describing what happened to a couple friends did I realize I'd been taken advantage of. It could have been much worse, but I never want another young woman to have to deal with what I dealt with.

Everything else, however pleasant, paled in this light.
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Date of stay: May 2016Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jannerson Xavier wrote a review Jan 2018
Sao Paulo, SP10 contributions54 helpful votes
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We enjoyed a lot our stay here. The room was pretty comfortable and the staff was really good. The breakfast is at the rooftop and is also good.

It's not IN Stone Town, but it's right beside, for a fraction of the price. And frankly, the whole historical Stone Town is so small you can get anywhere you want from the Lodge in 10min.

It's simply a good service in a nice location at a good price. Can't miss.
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Date of stay: December 2017
3.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
5.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pinklezhou wrote a review Oct 2010
shanghai8 contributions2 helpful votes
1.0 of 5 bubbles
The garden lodge is totally a nightmare to me and my friends. It looks good from appearance. But the room has a strong smell and it's dusty. No electrical socket in room. The most disgusting thing is, when I waked up at night, finding the bed was all covered with these small climbing bloodsucker bugs. I went to the one on duty at night, asked for pesticide and clean sheets. And that's all. They didn't even asked to look at the room. Lucky we have another vacant bed thus I changed bed. There were also bugs on that bed! I had to stay awake all night with the bugs around, waiting for morning.
When we told the hotel employee the case, he just said he was sorry, but no more apology. Also no compensation, no regrets.
All the other days in Zanzibar were good. But this hotel ruined my last night in Zanzibar.
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Date of stay: October 2010
1.0 of 5 bubblesValue
1.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
2.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
1.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
1.0 of 5 bubblesService
1.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TDH wrote a review Aug 2019
Enschede, The Netherlands63 contributions31 helpful votes
2.0 of 5 bubbles
To begin with good points: room is quite clean, has air conditioning, private bathroom and hot water.

Hotel staff was so so and somewhat ignorant. We are staying with 2 people, the hotel knew this, but we only got 1 towel. The light in the shower did not work. The TV was in the room but the cables is cut off.

I think for the same price you can get better hotel rooms in the area.
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Date of stay: August 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2jipatel wrote a tip Aug 2023
New Brunswick, New Jersey5 contributions8 helpful votes
1.0 of 5 bubbles
"Try other nearby hotels"
Read full review
mmcclanahan wrote a tip Feb 2016
Victoria, Canada9 contributions2 helpful votes
5.0 of 5 bubbles
"choose a room that doesn't get afternoon sun"
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theTimeTravellersBox wrote a tip Jan 2016
Belgium294 contributions132 helpful votes
4.0 of 5 bubbles
"the upper rooms usually are the best"
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Orangelons wrote a tip Nov 2014
Mumbai, India34 contributions14 helpful votes
3.0 of 5 bubbles
"Rooms at the back are quieter although the ones out front are not bad either since it does quieten down post 11pm."
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JulieFMalaga wrote a tip Mar 2013
Malaga, Spain304 contributions95 helpful votes
4.0 of 5 bubbles
"we stayed at the back on the second floor (quieter than the front & the bottom floor)"
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Not the right property for you?
There are more places to choose from in the Stone Town area.
PRICE RANGE
HK$227 - HK$532 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
garden hotel stone town
LOCATION
TanzaniaZanzibar ArchipelagoZanzibar IslandZanzibar CityStone Town
NUMBER OF ROOMS
18
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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GARDEN LODGE ZANZIBAR HK$227 (H̶K̶$̶8̶1̶3̶) - Prices & Hotel Reviews - Stone Town, Tanzania

Frequently Asked Questions about Garden Lodge Zanzibar
Which popular attractions are close to Garden Lodge Zanzibar?
Nearby attractions include Aromas of Zanzibar (0.4 km), Christ Church Cathedral (0.4 km), and The Coins Shop (0.4 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Garden Lodge Zanzibar?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and an on-site restaurant.
Which room amenities are available at Garden Lodge Zanzibar?
Top room amenities include air conditioning, a refrigerator, and a desk.
What food & drink options are available at Garden Lodge Zanzibar?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Garden Lodge Zanzibar?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Garden Lodge Zanzibar?
Conveniently located restaurants include Breadfruit Restaurant & Cafe, Puzzle Coffee Shop, and Taarab Restaurant.
Does Garden Lodge Zanzibar have airport transportation?
Yes, Garden Lodge Zanzibar offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Garden Lodge Zanzibar?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, French, Italian, and Hindi.
Are there any historical sites close to Garden Lodge Zanzibar?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Christ Church Cathedral (0.4 km), Mkunazini, Urban West, Zanzibar (0.3 km), and David Livingstone's place of rest (0.6 km).