Dhow Inn Boutique Hotel

Tanzania , Zanzibar
ZANZIBAR, Paje Beach
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50 reviews shown

8/10

Excellent

16 Sep 2025

Jack

Pros about this hotel is the staff are excellent and extremely friendly and helpful and always serve you with a smile(makes you feel good!)

Cons about this hotel are that there is isnt much entertainment in the evenings, the service of drinks/food could be abit faster considering it is a small complex.
Could have more (hot) food options for breakfast. But overall 8.5/10

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Dec 2023

Laura

Rooms were very good. The beach was excellent.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

29 Oct 2023

LEONA

Our stay at the Dow Inn has been overall mixed feelings but more towards disappointing. I will lay out, the good, the bad and the ugly regarding this resort. First, food is very good, the buffet, to the lunch menu, well seasoned, very tasty and well presented fresh food. They have a great selection for vegan and vegetarians. The property is pretty nice very well maintained pools very clean and the rooms are very comfortable.

The bad is that the items are quite limited in my opinion especially on the breakfast and dinner which are a small buffet. Furthermore during lunch you're only allowed to order one menu item and one dessert from a select menu only. limited overall.

The ugly is that in comparison to all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean or for instance Dominican Republic you don't get a lot for your money. There no watersports included, there no shows, there's no organized games, there is no dance lessons so in comparison to the Caribbean it's just pretty much minimum. And if you're not much of a drinker then the all-inclusive is really a huge waste here being there so many items are considered a la cart or extra charge.
Additionally, if your order from the bar outside of designated hours its also a charge. Even your room bar is only free upon check-in any refills of the 4 sodas or 2 bottle of beer is also a charge.

We also paid extra for a room with a private pool and the word \"private\" was used very loosely.kids and their parents were able to see us

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Sep 2023

Carine

The hotel could take care of its beachfront, it had lots of debris and litter.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

26 Sep 2022

Elizebeth

What a great hotel! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

08 Dec 2020

Lana

Beautiful hotel

Love the location and overall the hotel is well maintained. I just didn't like so much light in the room (no blackout) and food was average. Everything else is excellent, especially the staff. Very clean and super safe!

Self

8/10

Excellent

08 Apr 2020

Verified traveler

Nice hotel, feels very private. Amazing food and lovely staff members. Special Thank You for Zaina and all the girls from there bar.
Masha

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

05 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

The design and furniture is very elegant and the all-white fabrics contrast beautifully with the setting. But the poor management ruins the experience. The food is horrible. There is limited to no internet. The managers are nowhere to be found. There is no first emergency kit or anyone who knows first aid. No training in hospitality. There is no external lighting. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. What a shame!!!

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

15 Nov 2018

Jen

This space is amazing! We loved it. The staff is fantastic and our experience was truly exceptional. The bikes need to be tuned up and adjusted to people's heights before allowing guests to take off with them.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2018

Alanna

Clean hotel with all the services you could want at the beach. There is a private area plus the pools are there if you want a night swim or to take a break from the ocean. The breakfast was really great and all the staff were helpful. I would definitely stay there again and recommend it.

10/10

Exceptional

02 Oct 2018

Danijel

Great hotel on the beach

Everything about the hotel and the accommodation was superb, staff was really friendly, food was really good.We had a great time staying there, definitely I will come back

10/10

Exceptional

07 Aug 2018

Joanna

Overall nice place

Lovely place. Pros: nice pools, clean decor, good hot water shower, good location, gorgeous private beach, kite surfing shop, near restaurants Cons: Breakfast staff was literally the laziest, they were just staring/standing in groups while they watched me move silverware to a table I wanted to sit at and I had to ask them to refill things when they were out, they would tell me no more and then bring it and not tell me. Very strange. Noises outside rooms (music, talking) but sound proof windows helped (not with the loud hammering). Anyways overall very comfortable stay for 2 nights. Service staff varied, terrible for breakfast, good for other stuff (cleaning, dinner). Overall, 220 USD is def not worth it but I think I would it worth it at 120 USD. Nice in between total resort and just hotel. Food was decent.

4/10

Poor

30 Jun 2018

Verified traveler

Underwhelming is the best thing I can say about dhow inn. Terrible internet, no tv in rooms, front desk often useless, food average (pathetic breakfast selection). Overall just go to a cheaper place in paje (as paje was amazing) and save yourself the money and disappointment

8/10

Excellent

14 Apr 2018

Verified traveler

Beautiful location

Beautiful hotel location right on Paje beach..the room was large and very clean. The staff were friendly and obliging..just a short walk to the beach where there was plenty of little beach bars and restaurants..we would definitely recommend this hotel and would not hesitate in returning there ourselves.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Mar 2018

Declan

Restituta on reception was fantastic.
She was very very helpful and completely made our stay.
The room was spotless and was cleaned everyday, new towels and sheets when requested.
One night I had left the safe open in the room with a lot of cash inside and went to dinner.
The girls who went to turn down the room saw that the safe was left open and immediately went to reception, who in turn found me at the restaurant and asked kindly if i would return to the room and lock the safe so that the girls could continue to turn down.
New before have I ever had this sense of trust. Congrats to staff and management.
Everything felt safe and secure. The staff were super friendly, the food was amazing with a different menu every night. Some nights they had live African music, BBQ etc..
We are already planning our trip back next year.
Thanks to all the staff and crew there and especially Restituta.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Nov 2017

Mathias

Great Stay. Enjoyed the excellent food and good service. Overall great service. A nice spot on the beach with sun beds.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Oct 2017

Matthew

Exceeds expectations is every aspect

Beach is incredible, staff are extremely welcoming, rooms are so much better than the pictures suggest. Would love to go back!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

26 Sep 2017

SASA

Hotel has all potetial to be excelent

Clean, well kept, staff friendly and helpful . Probably best solution for this price in Paye.
No TV in bungalow, you can't get a single piece of bread during lunch, also if you want to pay !
Breakfast average, food for lunch is not well prepared ( all is 'dry' or looking not fresh prepared).
Not to do a lot to be much better.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

19 Aug 2017

Dow

Beautiful view, ok food and reception team

Our room was clean, comfortable, and had all the amenities you want including delicious smelling shampoos and body wash. The private beach access with beach chairs was a plus. Even though dinner was included the one meal we had over the course of 3 nights left us looking around elsewhere, overcooked, over salted fish, hard and bland creme caramel.

The cleaning staff, dining, and activities (Major tours and spa) staff were excellent. We had a bad experience with the reception team who could have stronger problem-solving skills and follow-through. We had a unique situation because we left something at our previous hotel and requested the shifting reception team for help in tracking it down. It seemed like a minor request, but we had to check in several times and ask a lot of questions over two days about whether the item was located, if our airport transfer could stop there before the airport. We were excited to learn that the previous hotel--Double Tree Zanzibar found our item. All seemed to be in place until we actually left the Dhow Inn. Our driver wasn't aware of our siuation, asked for more money, our previous hotel didn't know about the call, didn't actually have the item we left behind when we showed up. It was a frustrating situation that could have been prevented. The waste of time left an awful parting gift on an otherwise pleasant experience at the hotel.

You should have a lovely stay if you don't need anything more than extra towels and activity recommendation.

8/10

Excellent

06 Jul 2017

David

Close to the beach. Friendly staff (most of them)

Good location for kite surfing.

No view from the rooms, but it has 3 pools and a good quality food. You can upgrade from half board (breakfast+dinner) to full board to include lunch for a few extra money per day per person. Personally I didn't upgrade and it was more convenient.

Breakfast it's self service with a good variety, and dinner it's a la carte with a couple options that vary every night.

A full frigo it's on the house when you arrive and the balcony area its really comfortable. Be careful with insects specially ants on the lower restaurant.

Activities prices and transportation cost are a bit too high but you can get it at half the price in Several local websites and several other options on line. There are some good and reliable option.

Location it's near for dolphins tour, snorkeling, and for a visit to the rock. But, spices tour, stone town, etc are on the west coast, wich it's one hour from there approx. so if you have a stay in stone town you can better wait for it.

10/10

Exceptional

07 Feb 2017

Alberto

A nice place on a nice beach with caring staff

We were deciding between this hotel and many others on Zanzibar, and we finally decide for this one for the price-quality-comments relation. It's in Paje, at 1h by car from the airport. Is literally on the beach, by the way one of the best beaches in Zanzibar (we were in all of them on the holidays). The hotel is in a very good conditions, I honestly think the pictures don't make justice, it's even better! The room is big enough, big bed, aircon and fridge. The staff is amazing, maybe at the beginning they are a bit more shy but when they see you around a couple of days they are really nice with you.

If I have to go back to Zanzibar I will choose this hotel for sure!

10/10

Exceptional

18 Nov 2016

Stamen

Excellent choice

Amazing one.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Nov 2016

Sophie

Very nice stay in a good btq hotel

Excellent quality price value . Great food, great beach , lovely place.
Only the wifi quality and speed was really bad. Good if you want to deconnect. All staff were very friendly except one women at the restaurant who was very rude and not smiling , so not respectful, and the receptionist women who was probably on bad mood some days. Good place for kitesurfing , try airborn school they were amazing

Partner

8/10

Excellent

11 Dec 2015

PETER

Nice East African beach retreat

Great beach
Good food
Rooms large but a bit Spartan
Hotel gardens beautiful
Ocean pretty and warm

Family

10/10

Exceptional

15 Aug 2015

Ann H

What a great oasis!

We could imediately, upon arrival feel the relaxing atmosphere sink in! The room was great, how cool With the bungalows located around three pools. The food was great. I loved the stay, and would love to come back.

10/10

Exceptional

05 Aug 2015

Hanna

Had a wonderful stay!!!

It was a wonderful experience staying at Dhow Inn! The service was wonderful and the decor was very inviting. The staff was very welcoming and accommodating. It was like stepping into an oasis being on the grounds of Dhow Inn after a long trip. I would absolutely recommend it to others. Also - the food was wonderful and I enjoyed the private beach. Perfect vacation whether solo or with significant other or friends. Beautiful place!

8/10

Excellent

21 Apr 2015

Verified traveler

Lovely, quiet spot

Great location, the area is peaceful and beautiful. The stone town/ spice tour combo was a great highlight

Family

10/10

Exceptional

22 Mar 2015

nobesuthu

Paradise Relaxation (No Sphithi sphithi)

It was our first anniversary and there are no regrets about this hotel when we walked around there was nothing compared to this one we had to extend our stay for more days, the only thing that they must change is their breakfast menu cause it's the same and very dry I know they can do better management and everyone was very friendly and respectful I will go again anytime and will recommend this hotel to anyone.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Oct 2014

very good hotel

Very good hotel, excellent serivce! Will come back again.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Aug 2014

Bjørn

Great location

Very nice place at Paje, will love to go back soon.

10/10

Exceptional

02 Dec 2013

Alexandra

Great service and comfortable rooms

We truly enjoyed staying at Dhow inn. The rooms were clean and well-kept. It was low season so the hotel was quite empty. the service is really good and all staff are attentive and friendly. Good breakfast too!

Family

10/10

Exceptional

18 Aug 2013

Alison

Absolutely fantastic!!!

My boyfriend and I were there earlier this week after a 2 week safari holiday on mainland Tanzania.. The staff were extremely welcoming and we could not rate the service highly enough. They go above and beyond the call of duty and the value for money is phenomenal. The food there is of gourmet standard and there are special theme nights which are great too. We were put off initially after reading reviews on trip advisor about the location not being directly on the beach, however the beach is literally a 2 minute walk and the hotel is very secure as a result. On retrospect I am grateful that it wasn't on the beach. Overall a brilliant place, can't fault it in any way.

6/10

Pleasant

18 Jul 2013

Deniz

Average

Dhow Inn is a nice , clean and simple Hotel 50 meters from the sea. Breakfast is poor, staff's english is poor but they are so kind. At the time we arrived to our room, there was no hot water and they could fix it only the next day. One night they arranged a dinner for us at the rock hotel, 20 min drive, they arranged a taxi where the driver didn't know where the restaurant was and we were lost in the evening and got very nervous. other than that, the room was very clean and nice. The service was slow.

10/10

Exceptional

12 Mar 2026

Zwembaden groot en schoon. Vriendelijk personeel en goed eten.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jan 2026

Camelia

SEHR gutes Essen, große geräumige Zimmer, sehr saubere und schöne Anlage mit mehreren Pools, direkt am Strand gelegen mit vielen Einkaufsmöglichkeiten.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

08 Dec 2025

Reidun Iren

Beautiful and relax hotel with delicious food and nice facilities.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

06 Dec 2025

Mohammed

The hotel was everything we hoped for and more. The room was clean, dry, and comfortable, with no unpleasant smells or signs of dampness. Everything felt well-maintained, and we didn’t see a single insect indoors during our entire stay. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing, and the beds made it easy to get a good night’s sleep.

The service was absolutely incredible — the staff were friendly, attentive, and genuinely welcoming, always making sure we had everything we needed. The food was great, and even though the all-inclusive package covered only breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all drinks and snacks were free throughout the day, which was a really nice touch.

Everything felt professional, organized, and made with care. It was simply a peaceful, comfortable hotel where everything worked exactly as it should — the perfect place to enjoy the holiday.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Dec 2024

Line

Kommer gerne igen

Det var super lækkert hotel med meget sødt personale, lækkert værelse og god mad

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Oct 2023

Judit

Das Personal war sehr freundlich und höfflich. Strand in unmittelbarer Nähe und sehr schöner Strand. Das Essen war sehr gut und das Hotel sauer.
Eine tolle Erfahrung.

8/10

Excellent

06 Oct 2023

Roland Petrus

Als het goed is ga je een tweede keer. Alles was goed: het weer, de natuur, de mensen. De accommodatie is ook zeer goed bevallen: prettig en vriendelijk personeel en een goede keuken. Het verblijf voldeed aan de verwachtingen. Het boeken van excursies was in goede mate aanwezig met vervoer vanaf Dhow Inn

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

02 Oct 2023

Bente

Veldig fornøyd med oppholdet. Fint hotell og veldig hyggelige ansatte. God frokost og middagsbuffet.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

01 Oct 2023

Marie-Louise

Really nice vacation, with helpful staff.

Partner

4/10

Poor

18 Sep 2023

Kerim

Negativ. Wlan im Zimmer ist Katastrophe. Privatpool wurde nie gereinigt und ist immer voll mit Insekten. All in Clusive bekommen eine Speisekarte mit wenig Auswahl. Im allgemeinen ist die Anlage etwas in die Jahre gekommen. Privater Strand ist nicht direkt am Hotel.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Mar 2023

lars

Super strd

Lækkert renligt hotel i rolige omgivelse
Personalet er bare gode og mad og drikkevare mangler bestemt ikke noget

Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 Mar 2023

Tilmann

Good quality hotel

In general Good quality hotel! The term Boutique hotel is a bit overrated though, for this the buffet food and service at the meals is too average. Rooms are nice and good quality but here and there maintenance is partly lacking. Nice Bungalows in a good area with restaurants and beach nearby. Friendly staff and good management.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

13 Mar 2023

Lien

Bon établissement

Séjour très agréable dans un environnement calme avec un personnel très souriant et aimable.
Bien situé, je recommande.
Dommage pour un hôtel 4 étoiles qu’il n’y ait pas de télévision dans la chambre, 2 grandes serviettes et 1 toute petite serviette par chambre ni de mouchoirs Kleenex

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

10 Feb 2023

Adriana

Very good hotel.

Very good hotel. Super clean, very friendly and helpful staff. It is not luxurious, simple but with good taste and quality. Towels for the room, pool and beach.

We booked with breakfast and dinner, the breakfast was of quality, without exaggeration, the dinner of excellent quality, varied and delicious dishes. Drinks reasonably priced, not exaggerated like other hotels.

It is not directly on the beach, a few meters back, but it has a reserved area on the beach with sunbeds and service.

The hotel is ideal for those who want to practice kite surfing or simply walk along the white sand beach. If you want to eat outside the hotel, there are options close by on the beach. The photos match the reality

Partner

8/10

Excellent

27 Jul 2022

Jenny

Cozy stay!

When in Tanzania, stay away from the big resorts.
Try to choose a place with less rooms, and boutique.
The chances are that you will not be happy with the food, no matter where you stay, the pizza and sushi in this place though will go down perfectly! The best rooms are ok at this place but the last night we switched to the standard rooms and these, 200usd per night, I would say is a bit too much.
Otherwise, the hotel is cozy and right by the beach.
It is a shame though that the beach is trashed with litter - this could be fixed (in the areas next to the hotel).

Partner

4/10

Poor

12 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Hotel with potential, inconsistent service

Inconsistent supply of running water
Unannounced construction which led to unexpected, unplanned and unforeseen wake ups. Which was contraindicatary to what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation.
Poor wifi availavility/connection.
Strange dinner reservation requirements.
Staff attitude was not always welcoming. And service levels were inconsistent (fridge replenishment, towel replacement, making of beds)

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Hotel met airco, safe, koelkast, goede keuken aan het strand.