Maru Maru Hotel, Zanzibar

Tanzania , Zanzibar
Zanzibar, Gizenga street, Stone town, 4
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100 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

13 Feb 2026

Nemr

Nice hotel , perfect location , clean room .

Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Feb 2026

Elana

Room was spacious and clean with weell functioning AC. The staff were efficient and kind. The rooftop restaurant served a very good breakfasts with lots of options and the happy hour was reasonable and of good quality. Overall a good location and a nice place to stay.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jan 2026

Peter

Everything great, hotel, staff, food.

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jan 2026

Gunn Marie

Kind staff. Very good breakfast.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jan 2026

Peter

Hotel has nice rooms, extremely clean and well maintained, great staff, nice food. Very enjoyable and great value.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jan 2026

Oscar

Friendly and helpful staff

10/10

Exceptional

29 Dec 2025

Charlene

The room was clean. Staff is very friendly and helpfull.
There was no free breakfast.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

25 Dec 2025

Arie Jan

Our Air conditioner in room 5 was terrible.
For room 2 there was no mosquito net for the roll away bed and my daughter was made fun of for being ‘scared’ of mosquitos.
We stayed the 17-18 and 24-25 and our first stay was great. The second one, not as nice.
We did feel the Christmas Cheer and that was great.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

11 Dec 2025

Melanie

My second time staying at Maru Maru- overall it offers bang for buck with location and room size.
There will be hiccups with slowness of staff- for example my laundry order was delayed but I had to call 3 times until I was finally told it was delayed.
Junior level Wait staff and front desk reception need more training in international hospitality.
For example a smile from a customer is often met with an expression of dread.
Would I book again? Yes because I know what to expect and the rates are competitive for similar properties in the area. Bathroom size is very generous as well as windows in the room.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Dec 2025

Maureen

the two ladies that came to clean my room and put a net on my bed were kind and courteous. they were also hands on and swift

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

08 Dec 2025

Harry

The staff were excellent. This will forever be my hotel of choice when I come to the island

8/10

Excellent

26 Oct 2025

BRIGITTE

Lhôtel est bien placé dans la vieille ville, pas très loin de la mer et des attractions touristiques principales. La chambre était spacieuse, la literie confortable et le service impeccable. Malheureusement, elle donnait sur une cour intérieure très bruyante vers 6 H du matin lorsque les employés commençaient leur service..

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Oct 2025

shahab

Rooms not noise isolated, otherwise good

All good except rooms noise isolation is non-existing.

Friends_and_family Family

2/10

Poor

07 Oct 2025

riaz

Very dirty room. Found a usedcodom underneath the bad bed where I took of my shoes. Upstairs the food was good but cold. I’m all very tired property staff was very unroffesional.

Business_and_leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Oct 2025

Ruth

Maru Maru Hotel staff were very kind and willing to help. The location of this hotel is beyond convenient; a great location if you decide the stone town tour and prison island tour.

I absolutely love that you can turn on heat for your water. I only have positive things to say about my stay here. The restaurant on the rooftop was also amazing; a great selection of food and cocktails. The venue itself was gorgeous- it has a very safe and reassuring feeling.

Self

8/10

Excellent

03 Oct 2025

Karen

Good location but the street is busy and noisy late into the night. Lovely roof top but dining was limited. Lighter fare for lunch would have been nice. Staff was nice, professional and helpful. Transport to and from airport was easy to arrange. WIFI was great and all over the property. At arrival, there was trash from the last customer in my trash cans, and tissues behind the side tables. Things to note: there are lots of stairs and half stairs. the power to the room is with a room key so when you leave power is off, this means no charging of phones, or AC.

10/10

Exceptional

28 Sep 2025

Ayaz

Beautiful hotel, very comfortable, elaborate breakfast, incredibly hospitable staff

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

19 Sep 2025

Nimet

Nice property and friendly staff

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

18 Sep 2025

Shaheroz

Great overall facility for great holidays

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

29 Aug 2025

Melanie

I loved everything. However, Manager of the restaurant is a bit rude

Self

8/10

Excellent

23 Aug 2025

Sandra Lynn

Maru Maru is a classic Stonetown hotel I've stayed at several times. The expansive rooftop pool and restaurant with sunset/sea views is lovely. Staff are responsive and helpful. Rooms are adequate.

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Aug 2025

Martin

Stayed here with wife and 2 kids in August 2025. Fantastic property in the middle of the action in Stone Town. Staff was attentive to every little detail, great rooftop restaurant: breakfast was delicious, the sunset was stunning and great supper menu. definitely recommend this hotel

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

05 Aug 2025

rosalie

Excellent experience. The internet super good and roof top is shaded and perfect placer to do some work that we had to do. Working on vacation feel.
Great food. Only tip: ask for inward facing room to avoid occasional street noise at night.

Business_and_leisure

4/10

Poor

31 Jul 2025

Fasika

Location is good , but they kept asking about the local tax after i took care off it .
Annoying .

8/10

Excellent

27 Jul 2025

Amir

Our room was above the reception area. Wifi at reception was good but we were unable to access WiFi in our rooms despite attempts of the staff to assist us.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jul 2025

Marion

It is well situated and gives you a true sense of being in Stonetown. The dining options were not that plentiful though.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

21 Jul 2025

Omar Cassim

Room was okay. Bed not too comfy.
Everything was satisfactory

Leisure Family

2/10

Poor

14 Jul 2025

Penda

My first room had a broken shower door, lukewarm water, and roaches—including one crawling in the food. When I brought it up, the waitstaff laughed, and the front desk ignored me completely—no apology, no accountability, no help. I was only moved to a better room after outside intervention, but the damage was done. Disgusting experience. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel to anyone.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2025

Tamoi

The hotel was very nice. Good customer service 👍

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

04 Jul 2025

Baljeet Singh

Short stay nice and comfortable

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jun 2025

Falgun

Very comfortable beds, clean bathroom, air-conditioned, great rooftop restaurant, live entertainment, central location.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

29 May 2025

Phillip

Excellent lication and amenities, friendly staff

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

14 May 2025

Bob

Loves the proximity to Old Arab Fort and waterfront. Loved the staff. Didnt like the cockroaches and very limited parking.

8/10

Excellent

25 Apr 2025

Thomas

Really enjoyed my stay overall but please improve the WiFi connection, I needed to work and WiFi worked for 1 hour both days l.

Business_and_leisure Self

4/10

Poor

22 Apr 2025

Timothy

Nice hotel esthetic. Good appearance. What didn't work was no towels in the room at check in, had to call and ask for bath towels and washing cloths. Never got washing cloths. Did not refresh drinking water and did not provide after request. Air conditioning stopped working and had to change rooms in the middle of the night. I requested for decoration of the room for our anniversary and they refused to discuse.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Apr 2025

Kirit

There was nothing which we didn’t like.Very friendly service and breakfast choice was excellent.Had Lunch and Dinner one day and the food was excellent.Even The General Manager made us Feel Very Welcome.Words cannot describe our experience.Would Recommend Maru Maru Hotel to Everyone.🙏🙏🙏

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

23 Mar 2025

Catherine

Wonderful location and staff

Staff friendly and kind, especially Frank who took us on a historic Stone town wali g tour
Location perfect, food and service were excellent!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

17 Mar 2025

Verified traveler

Had an excellent stay at the Maru Maru hotel. I've been here twice and the service, room, and accessibility to the rest of Stone Town were great. The rooftop restaurant has an incredible view of Stone Town. Would highly recommend Maru Maru.

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

13 Mar 2025

Sandra

It was close to waterfront but with Ramadan places to eat limited

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

09 Mar 2025

Leona

Nice clean rooms. Staff was professionally and very helpful.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

04 Mar 2025

Juergen

Perfect Hotel in Stonetown

After climbing Kilimanjaro, we spent several nights on a round trip in Zanzibar in a group of five. On arrival, we were able to leave the rest of our luggage at the hotel so that we didn't have to lug it around all day. We spent the last two days at the Maru Maru Hotel, which was a very good decision.

The hotel is located in the middle of the alleyways of Stonetown, is easily accessible and the perfect starting point for sightseeing tours.

We were warmly welcomed and were able to use the rooftop bar and pool even on the day of our departure.

Very good breakfast, lunch and dinner, we enjoyed it very much and would love to come back.

Many thanks

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2025

Kristin

Overall, a very nice stay. It is conveniently located in Stone Town and for catching day trips out to Prison Island.

The rooms are comfortable and clean. Food and bar options plentiful.

The rooftop restaurant, bar, and pool area is quite nice.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

24 Nov 2024

Verified traveler

+ Friendly and helpful staff. Great breakfast with fresh fruits.
- The bed was very hard. Wifi was really slow and weak.

Self

8/10

Excellent

19 Aug 2024

Janelle

Great location.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Aug 2024

Erin

Beautiful property and close to shops, restaurants and Stonetown attractions.

6/10

Pleasant

17 Jul 2024

Jacqueline

LIKED THE ROOF TOP RESTAURANT. THE VIEW WAS GREAT . THIS PROPERTY IS A LITTLE DATED. I LIKE THE LOCATION.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

30 Jun 2024

Linda

Music went late at night which kept me up

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jun 2024

Melanie

Excellent service, beautiful hotel. We loved our stay, sad to see it end ❤️

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2024

Martin

Staff was amazing, very helpful and informative of the area. Check in was fast and smooth and area is safe for walking at all times. Would recommend

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

28 Dec 2023

Beth

The staff at Maru Maru are very friendly and accommodating especially Hosiana at the restaurant.
The pool area is quite small and shaded.
Rooms are clean.
One item of note is the live music EVERY day from 7:30pm-10:30pm.. if you want to go to sleep before 10:30 bring ear plugs.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

13 Nov 2023

Ashif

Beutiful heritage boutique hotel preserved in time but with modern amenities. Phenominal rooftop restaurant with an exceptional breakfast and to order lunch & dinner menus. Well done to the sraff of Maru Matu - Stone Town, Zanzibar!!!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Oct 2023

Anna

Great location, amazing rooftop, and helpful staff. The room was clean, the bed comfortable and the property is charming.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

17 Sep 2023

Richard

Nice hotel in the old part of Stone Town. Good pool and restaurant with great views on the roof. Can be a little noisy with live music but it doesn’t run very late at all.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

06 Sep 2023

Adrian

Sunset hotel

A nice two night stay. The hotel is super central and the rooftop has a fantastic sunset view not to mention good mojitos.

Friends_and_family Family

2/10

Poor

29 Aug 2023

Verified traveler

The staff was rude and made our group feel unwelcome.

10/10

Exceptional

12 Aug 2023

Shane

Excellent location. Hotel is beautiful with very comfortable beds and fabulous views from the rooftop restaurant/ bar/ pool area. Great for watching the sun set.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

25 Jul 2023

Cara

In the heart of the tourist area of Stone Town, in easy walking distance to all the major sites. Room was spacious and aesthetic. Other reviews are correct that the hotel is a bit noisy, but the music - at a famous rooftop bar with a fabulous view - does end by 10:30, and other noise is the cost of a lovely courtyard. Staff seem like they are struggling a bit; service takes far longer than one would expect (even breakfast wasn't fully ready to serve at 7:30am). But ultimately, all requests are fulfilled (and admittedly, I had a number of them).

Business_and_leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

25 Jul 2023

sarah

Clean hotel close to all—beach, shopping, eats. Rooftop breakfast, live music at night, clean pool and exercise facilities. Lovely for our short stay.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

23 Jul 2023

Nelson R.

Nice hotel

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jul 2023

Karume

Great staff

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2023

Inneke

The room is clean and spacious. The terrace restaurant there provided good and fresh seafood. The breakfast buffet was ok.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jun 2023

Emma

Lovely hotel in Stone Town

We had a great stay at Maru Maru on the first stop on our honeymoon. Great location, very clean, comfy beds and good air con. They also changed us to a different room in order to put petals on the bed and arrange the towels which was a nice touch. Helpful at arranging tours, we did the spice tour which I would thoroughly recommend. Breakfast was on the roof terrace which was very pretty, the food was ok, a breakfast buffet, we had it every morning for the convenience. The hotel was nicely decorated and the staff were all very helpful, would recommend staying here.

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jun 2023

Nadine

The staff were incredible. We had a family room and the bunk bed mattress was extremely hard. They immediately replaced it with a different mattress! Breakfast had a great assortment! Ate dinner there twice and the food was good. Lots of shopping around the hotel but be prepared to be harassed to buy! They spot a tourist a mile away. Hotel very convenient to walk everywhere. Would stay there again!

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

23 Mar 2023

Tara

A good stay but wouldn’t call a 4 star

A good stay and with friendly and accommodating staff. However the hotel is quite remote and without a car or moped you will be reliant on tax alternative is a 45min walk into town and a very rocky view. I was here in March and the sea had a lot of seaweed so couldn’t be swam in, which is the biggest let down. Pool use only. A very relaxing and peaceful stay. Seafood was really good admittedly I stuck to all things seafood on my visit

Self

8/10

Excellent

16 Mar 2023

Jovan

This is an amazing hotel in Stone Town, in walking distance to everywhere and with so many nice shops and scenes nearby. I loved it, and almost all the staff were friendly, pleasant and helpful. My only complaint is one staff member in the Terrace Restaurant, and I intend to speak to the hotel about that directly. Overall, I would highly recommend Maru Maru and I can't wait to be back.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

22 Feb 2023

Lehané

Great, I would reccomend overall

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

22 Feb 2023

Ian

Well located in Stonetown, friendly staff and large, well appointed rooms. Sadly the service in the rooftop restaurant can be vary from excellent to chaotic. Bar staff extremely professional.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

17 Feb 2023

Kyle

A nice, clean hotel that is very close to the ferry terminal and right in the heart of Stonetown. Staff were friendly and helpful.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

05 Feb 2023

One week at Maru Maru Hotel

The Hotel is extremely good. Beautiful rooms, Nice pool and rooftop terrace!
Not so happy with airport shuttle service, should be free as a service to guests. But they charge as a normal taxi!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jan 2023

Ashley

Great value, service & views!

Perfect for what I was looking for – an affordable, clean, and trendy option that was within walking distance to the ferry for convenience. The service was great – everyone was so pleasant and the rooftop was a real treat. I enjoyed breakfast being included and it was actually quite good.

Self

8/10

Excellent

11 Nov 2022

Maxi

The staff was very nice

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

28 Oct 2022

leigh

Close to restaurants and shopping. Very noisy inside the hotel and rooms.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Oct 2022

Crystal

This hotel is great. Very clean and has everything you need. Walkable to all over stone town. Friendly staff. I would stay again. My only complaint is that it is very loud and the walls are thin. I got woken up to a couple FaceTiming outside the door and the music playing in the restaurant also woke me up. I was in bed at 1030 though so it was kind of early. I put in earplugs and slept the rest of the night.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

18 Oct 2022

Patrick

I like the traditional Zanzibar look/style of the hotel. The staffing were quite friendly and nice. I really enjoyed the singer on the roof top restaurant, as well as the view.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Sep 2022

Daniel

Amazing Spot in Stone Town.
The service at the really nice roottop bar and restaurant is really bad though. Everything else was spot on

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Aug 2022

DONNA

Nice Room

I spent most of my time there sick in my room, but it was comfortable, and staff was friendly and helpful.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

18 Aug 2022

Stacey

Maru Maru has a great location and the rooms and rooftops were nice. I gave this property 3/5 stars because they 1.) forgot to pick me up at the airport after confirming with them in writing 3 times. 2.) forgot to book our tour guide. As a result, the tour started 60 minutes late. We couldn't do the full tour. No amount was refunded for this error. 3.) I was told I didn't book through the 16th. I panicked when they told me I need to get all of my things moved out immediately. I pulled up my confirmation that did show I booked (and was confirmed) through the 16th. Very frustrating.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

15 Aug 2022

Estela

Great service - thank you!

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

12 Aug 2022

stacy

unfortunately the Wi-Fi connection is poor at the hotel. Besides that, my stay was pleasant

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

24 Jul 2022

Shabbir

Service on the rooftop restaurant “sucks” lazy and slow. Ordered hamburger and fries but got some kind of “RAW” kebob instead if hamburger patty and had to return back to the manager. 3rd floor room was noisy as the restaurant staff were dragging the chairs instead of lifting the chairs to clean the rooftop restaurant.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jul 2022

AMIT

The staff are great and the manager is always around to respectfully help you. Rooms are nice too

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

23 Mar 2022

MATTHIEU

Everything was great except the food. The menu is good, same for ingredients but there's no chef in this kitchen. Everything was overcook. So they get seafood from the sea right there on site but cook them like crazy so it's tasteless and with bad texture. Best cocktails I've had in my life tho.

Business_and_leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

27 Feb 2022

Kristen

The hotel was clean, room was spacious, and I loved the hamam in the bathroom. Centrally located and easy to walk to shopping, points off interest, restaurants and the beach to catch boats to other islands. The only thing I didn’t like was the food in the terrace restaurant and I could hear the live music in my room until 11pm nightly.

Self

8/10

Excellent

21 Feb 2022

Sandra

Appreciated many things your property had to offer

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jan 2022

Alexander

Incredible time at this hotel

Great experience at Maru Maru hotel. The roof top terrace/restaurant had great views, the food is great too. Very courteous staff both at the restaurant and the reception and housecleaning. The location for the hotel is incredible too, right in stone town with access to street food and restaurants. If you’re looking to visit stone town and Zanzibar then Maru Maru is the perfect place.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jul 2021

Verified traveler

My stay at Maru Maru was absolutely amazing. It was clean, it was beautiful & the staff are amazing. I appreciated the complimentary water & tea every day as well. It is the best Hotel I've ever stayed at. I would definitely visit again next time I'm in Zanzibar.

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jul 2021

Jason

Wonderful Hotel

The hotel was very nice and the staff was excellent. We were lucky to take in the international film festival while staying!! Stay here if you are in Stone Town.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

30 Apr 2021

Verified traveler

Great service

Business Friends

10/10

Exceptional

20 Apr 2021

Verified traveler

Fantastic hotel with friendly staff and wonderful food. I will definitely recommend it.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Mar 2021

Verified traveler

Some of the best customer service in all of Tanzania.

Business Friends

10/10

Exceptional

09 Mar 2021

Mohammed

Great

If you need luxury hotel don't stay away from Maru Maru hotel😊, Friendly staff, Comfortable place, Clean room, nice views, near from Attractive places, near to international airport (Abeid Amani Karume International Airport)

Partner

4/10

Poor

08 Mar 2021

Verified traveler

the hotel was outrageously noisy. Some staff were extremly condscending. Was not allowed to sit on the roof top with my own take out coffee. Sure we pay good money and we should be able to sit and enjoy the views of the ocean.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jan 2021

Verified traveler

i liked the roof top restaurant most.and the staff were friendly

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

26 Dec 2020

Verified traveler

Quiet but central

Superb place with good roof top views

Business

6/10

Pleasant

25 Dec 2020

Verified traveler

By the water

Lovely sunsets

Business

8/10

Excellent

24 Dec 2020

Verified traveler

Zanzibar centre

Great location close to everything

Business

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jul 2020

Fahad

Highly recommended

Excellent! Highly recommended for anyone who wants to stay in Stone Town. There are swankier places but for the budget, this is great.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jul 2020

Fahad

⭐️

I love Zanzibar and Maru Maru! The food was excellent and the staff friendly. Overall a great experience!

Business

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jan 2020

Masoud

Really a great location, close to all the amenities you can ask for. In particular the roof top restaurant with great views of the ocean was just great.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

23 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

Management has done a remarkable j

Friends_and_family Family