Spice Island Hotel & Resort

Tanzania , Zanzibar
JAMBIANI, Paje Road, 1
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20 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

01 Dec 2025

Ivana

Room was beautiful as well resort was stunning.
It was perfect stop in our honeymoon trip trough Zanzibar

Staff is friendly and helpful.
It is 5min from Paje but so much more beautiful then hotels/resorts there
Highly recommend...and we will come back

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Oct 2025

Helena

A paradise

Fantastic place where you can relax overlooking the ocean or walking in the park.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

11 Mar 2023

Timothy

Very friendly and helpful staff.
Patio steps unmarked making progress a little risky

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

21 Mar 2021

NIKOLAOS EVA

Beautiful place ! Great hospitality!

Beautiful place ! Great hospitality!

Self

8/10

Excellent

13 Mar 2020

A. M

It was a lovely place

Self

10/10

Exceptional

29 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

The staff were extremely nice and accomodating, it was a beautiful property, right on the beach. We loved the jetty bar to relax on top of the ocean and go for a swim while we enjoyed our drinks. Plenty of comfortable and beautiful shady spaces to lounge by the sea, and the pool was clean and cool. We had a wonderful stay! The only thing I would say is that the food was not very good, with the exception of barbecue night which was delicious. I would still very much recommend to stay here!

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

17 Dec 2019

Frani

Upon arrival, I received a warm welcome from the staff (including men dressed in traditional Masai clothes). That was a nice touch.

My room (23) had a garden view and was spacious with a poster bed, sofa and two bathrooms. It was clean and I especially appreciated the turndown service where staff prepare your room for the night and make sure it’s mosquito free.

They have a big restaurant and their menu offers local dishes, as well as European and American food. I recommend the traditional fish stew. They also have a great selection of South African wines and very good cocktails (the Mango Cooler was my favourite). One some evenings they have themed buffets and on Saturday, we had a BBQ by the pool. The breakfast is wonderful- there’s continental, eggs, sausages and a variety of fresh fruits.

There’s an amazing Jetty Bar that sits in the ocean. It’s a great place to chill, have a cocktail or two and eat a light lunch.

I believe they have the biggest pool on the island- it really is impressive. They provide swimming towels and there are plenty of sun loungers and a hammock.

The staff were amazing throughout. So smiley and always eager to help make sure you have the best time.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

This was a perfect spot to relax and enjoy the beach. There was clear access from the hotel to the water but what made the swimming so much more enjoyable was the jetti. This allowed for swimming while the tide was out and walking on the beach early in the morning or at sunset. We felt comfortable leaving our stuff to swim together and had no security problems while at spice island. the food and drinks were wonderful and the staff made us feel comfortable and relaxed. we would definitely return!

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Great place, only complaint is food and drink are a bit more expensive than they need to be - good food though.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Rate that was shown on orbitz different from what was charged to me and all electrical outlet didn’t support anything that from Africa

10/10

Exceptional

14 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

For us, this property is the perfect blend of Africa and luxury. It still had a local feel, but with most of the amenities you want at a European/american resort. The rooms are nice and the staff are great. What makes this property unique, and why I would choose it again, is that it has a 100 metre long dock stretching out into the Indian Ocean. The landing at the dock's end sits over the water and allows for great views and more ocean breeze to quell the Zanzibar heat. The dock also provides adequate snorkeling underneath, perfect for families who don't want to venture to the reef, but still want to enjoy some amazing fish.
The downside to Spice Island is the wi-fi. It is slow and does not always work. But, who goes to Zanzibar to look at the internet? Hakuna matata
The food in the restaurant is good, not great. It is good enough to eat there every day, so you don't have to take a taxi out. Fine dining is available elsewhere, if you are a foodie. However, the wine list is pretty good! The owner owns his own vineyard, and knows how to get good wines from South Africa.

6/10

Pleasant

20 Apr 2017

Verified traveler

Expensive with poor food choices but great views

Well organised pick up from Ferry and local staff very friendly. Ambiance is great and views spectacular. Clean big pool. Unfortunately Jetty closed when we were there throughout stay and food/beverage choices extremely limited, poor quality and very expensive. Not much to do but to lounge around. The rudimentary butterfly park and forest nearby will keep you entertained a few hours while Stonetown/main city approx. 1 hrs drive away has much more to offer but requires a day-trip that the hotel will happily organize against a fee.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Mar 2017

eric

Awesome

Nice hotel in an exotic country no complaints here

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

27 Feb 2017

Verified traveler

large hotel with a nice large pool

The hotel is a large with a nice large pool. It caters mainly for the German Tourist on their meal plan. The breakfast was good but their a la carte menu was not great. It is very limited and most of the food is covered in their sauces. We had better food and service at other restaurants.
Very hard to swim from this part of the beach. There are rocks and compact sand with low tide. The stairs off the jetty are broken so we were unable to access the water.
Jetty bar a nice spot for a drink when its not windy.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Nov 2016

Joseph

Perfectly relaxing time at Spice Island

When my fiance and I arrived in Dar we decided to take the ferry to Zanzibar. I highly recommend against this and taking the short 15min flight instead. But anyway, we got to Zanzibar and took an hour taxi ride to Spice Island. At this point we were exhausted, but immediately we were greeted by hotel staff who took our luggage and then we met the reception staff who were waiting for us with cold towels and passionfruit juice. They were very accommodating. When we got to our room all we wanted to do was sleep, but the A/C seemed to be blowing warm air. We went to the reception and they quickly got us a new room which was much cooler and we slept like babies. Breakfast was included, and they had a wide assortment of breads and spreads and meats and an omelette station. We drank so much fresh passionfruit juice during our time. The entire staff was always catering to our needs and making sure we felt relaxed. The pool was so nice, and they would bring drinks out to the pool for us. The jetty bar was amazing, and we went for morning swims in the ocean. There were monkeys jumping around the trees outside our rooms (kind of scary but a cool experience). Everything about this hotel was incredible and I highly recommend to anyone.

8/10

Excellent

05 Oct 2016

Verified traveler

Everyone was very accommodating.

Everyone was very accommodating, but English was a problem, as it was in the whole country. Prices were high, again same in whole country. Beautiful beach, rooms were clean and nice, staff friendly and tried to please.Pool was lovely. Limited menu.

6/10

Pleasant

09 May 2016

Verified traveler

The hotel is located on a beautiful stretch of beach. The staff is very service minded and polite. The pool is very big. Unfortunately the rooms are not 4 star standard as advertised. The rooms are big, but the décor and facilities are not more than 2-3 star.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jan 2016

Anthony D

Quiet luxurious heaven

A wonderful quiet relaxing couple of days with the family. Big pool, lots of space, excellent dining, and the staff were very caring and helpful. And a bar on a pier out over the sea! Very highly recommended.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

22 Nov 2015

Tobias

Finest Sands in Zanzibar

Lovely people, lovely food. The jetty is truly scenic. Paje has also some dinners and parties happening regularly. Will totally come back to Spice Island when I return to Zanzibar.

10/10

Exceptional

12 Aug 2015

Whitney

Fabulous quiet getaway on Jambiana Beach

Spice Island Hotel is a real find. Jambiana Beach is much quieter than some of the norther beaches, and it is for long walks or runs, during which you will pass other smaller hotels and lots of the traditional wooden boats. The hotel facility itself is very nice and upscale but not overly fancy; the rooms are private bungalows that are spacious and clean and the restaurant is good quality. The Jetti Bar is the most special part of Spice Hotel. It allows you to walk right out into the Indian Ocean and the views of the ocean blue colors are breathtaking. There is a nice bar and comfortable lounge seating, making it a peaceful and romantic place to have a drink or read a book. Staff was all wonderful and helpful. The trip to Kizimkazi Island, where you can snorkel with the dolphins, is only a 25 minute drive. The hotel has good adventure packages. I would definitely go back.