Terrace/patio
Check availability

Reviews of House of Spice

3 out of 5
House of Spice
Uwanja Wa Shaba, Zanzibar Town

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 34 out of 69 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 22 out of 69 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 11 out of 69 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 69 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 69 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

7.4/10

Amenities

8.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Lusubilo

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
Avoid room number 1 at any cost!!
Generally, my stay was great with EXCEPTIONAL of the bed. What I saw in the picture when booking is not what I got. I was given room number 1 which is the decker bed where you need to climb a steep stair and I found it very risky. At least they should ask a guest in advance if someone is capable of climbing those stairs regularly. I commend the two receptionists, they are very kind and helpful.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2021
Response from Team Paradise and Wilderness on 16 Feb 2021
We are sorry you felt uncomfortable because of the room furnishing: our hotel's structure reflects the typical Stone Town houses architecture and its unique atmosphere. Our staff is always there to help and there is always a solution if you let us know the issue. Thank you for choosing us, we hope that you will keep the best reminescences of your stay in Stone Town.

8/10 Good

maria dolores

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
SHABA very good area..
THE HOTEL IS HANDLED BUT ONE GIRL..PRICILLA who IS VERY NICE AND ACCOMMODATING THE OTHER GIRL IS NOT... but when I tried to book 3 more nights, tha tnight that might be booked but she could give me the other 2 fllowings nights ....she made me wait for the owner's response but never came back to me...the next day I went personally very early to the hotel...She was on leave and was the other girl..who said it was fully booked even the next 2 following nights that I was tld I could be confirmed... not very responsible --make sure to make booking through hotels.com there was a confusion doing the booking through hotels.com....I wanted to confirm using the 2 nights rewards not used at Kiponda... was rejected the booking...but nevertheless I was charged for 2nights... that Priscilla wasnt aware.... she charged me 2 USD for the 2nights instead if accepting a cash deal whcih had been cheaper.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

JAI

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Shaba dabba do
Good hotel lovely decor and some interesting rooms and in a central location . Hard to access with a taxi but not far from main street. Priscilla was the star , thoughtful attentive and hard working this lady made the place worthwhile and special . Overall decent budget one night stay location
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2020
Response from Team Paradise and Wilderness on 14 Jan 2021
Thank you very much for your review, we are happy you had a good time here with us. Our staff will be happy to read your comment! Looking forward to see you again!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2020
Response from Bert on 14 Aug 2020
Thank you for staying in Shaba Boutique Hotel, hope to see you soon back

10/10 Excellent

Orbel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2020
Response from Bert on 14 Aug 2020
Thanks to staying in Shaba boutique hotel, direct in the old town centre next to Hilton Doubletree and Park Hyatt, but then for a more cosy and friendly price!

10/10 Excellent

Pav

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent stay
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2020
Response from Shaba Boutique Hotel on 29 July 2020
Thank you for leaving us this review! It was a pleasure to have you with us.

10/10 Excellent

Pav

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
very nice place
Great location and a very pleasant hotel - recently renovated. I enjoyed my two nights there
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2020
Response from Shaba Boutique Hotel on 28 July 2020
Thank you so much for your kind words, we are happy to read that you enjoyed your stay with us. We hope to see you again!

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Amenities
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The building was interesting, but the hotel had two problems. The first issue was the tourist tax. Although Expedia explicitly says on their webpage that the tourist tax is included in the final price charged to us, they insisted that I pay the tourist tax. They told me that “many people complained” about the tax and they couldn’t communicate with Expedia” through emails or phone calls. So they have been making everyone pay the taxes despite Expedia had already collected the taxes. I told the guy at the reception when I checked in that I paid all the taxes, then the next day another woman came to ask me for the taxes, and yet again. I had to talk with her for 30 minutes until I found the Expedia chat function and the Expedia staff clarified that I didn’t have to pay. It seemed like the boss was making them insist on paying the taxes. Another issue is that they have the dining space in their garden, which is a good idea in theory, but in reality, there were five or six mosquitoes buzzing around me while I was having breakfast. I got five mosquito bites in fifteen minutes. They might need to move their breakfast location elsewhere indoors or upstairs to avoid this problem. The second day, I went with a piece of cloth to cover up my legs and a jacket to cover my arms, despite the humidity. The swarm of mosquitoes still bit my hand.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Guest Relations Manager on 2 Mar 2020
Hi, we are sorry about the tourist tax issue, but since you placed an "anonymous review" we can't see your Booking data. Will you be so kind as to answer us here with your Booking reference, so we can double-check what happened? Thanks in advance for your help.

8/10 Good

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Overall good...upon arrival I was asked to pay a dollar tax when though I booked through hotels.com... The wifi was very poor on the 1st level of the building..ie my room
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Bert S. (owner) on 27 Feb 2020
Dear Michael, Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We are pleased to know that your experience with us was a good one. About the tax paid directly to the hotel, that is the touristic tax regulated by the Tanzania government. About wifi, we will work on it in order to give a better service. We hope that you got home safely and we hope to see you again in the near future.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
There is no refrigerator in the room. Safety box usage is also charged.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Guest Relations Manager on 17 Jan 2020
No, there's no refrigerator in the room, but if you needed some things to be refrigerated (medicines, for example), you could have asked our staff. They would have placed it in the Hotel refrigerator. Thanks for choosing us for your stay!

10/10 Excellent

Isabel

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great cozy place in stone town
The room that we stayed was beautiful and very clean. The top terrace is falling apart, they should change the wood. It was a great place to stay in the middle of stone town. Easy to walk around. Only one street gets pretty dark at night when you are returning to the hotel. The service was good, they were really friendly and polite. They even made us breakfast at 5am because we needed to leave at 6am. It was a great place to stay in an affordable hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019
Response from Bert S. (Owner) on 28 Dec 2019
Dear Isabel, Thank you for taking the time to leave us such a wonderful review of Shaba Boutique Hotel. We work hard to give a good service in a good admosfear. So thanks for your kind words and we look forward to seeing you again. Kind Regards

6/10 Okay

Christopher

central
Very central, basic, did the job.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Bert (Owner) on 23 Dec 2019
Dear Sonia, Thank you for sharing with us your experience with us in Shaba Boutique Hotel. We hope to see you again soon.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Is was in a great location in the heart of stonetone. Just what we needed for the night.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from Communications Manager on 24 Oct 2019
Thanks for staying with us. We appreciate your feedback!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice location. Interesting rooms with great woodwork. I think there are only 6 rooms which is nice. Staff could have been a bit more friendly. Good rooftop spot!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from Bert S. (Owner) on 24 Oct 2019
Thank you very much for sharing the travel experience you had in Shaba Boutique Hotel with others here on Expedia.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Location was good. We got the deluxe double room and it was very small.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Communications Mannager on 3 Oct 2019
Thanks for staying with us. We appreciate your feedback!

10/10 Excellent

Adam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clean boutique hotel right in the middle of Stone Town. Great daily breakfast provided.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Adam on 19 Sept 2019
Dear Adam, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We are pleased to know that your experience with us was a good one. We hope to see you again. Comunication Manager- Shaba Boutique hotel

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Nice decor in the room and a very decent size as well. I appreciated the complimentary bottle of water. Breakfast was very good. WiFi a bit patchy. My room was on the ground floor behind a lovely carved door, but the lock on the door left a big gap at the sides and I didn’t feel as safe as I’d have liked for myself or my belongings. The lock on the outside was also very stiff for opening and closing and on the inside was only a latch.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from Comunication Manager on 12 Sept 2019
Good morning, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We will work to review all the inconveniences found to give you a solution. We hope that you got home safely and we hope see you soon again.

8/10 Good

paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Beautifully decorated
Shaba is a nice, clean hotel. The rooms are clean and nicely decorated, but very small. No place to put your suitcase except on the floor and then you step over it to get anywhere else in the room. We had two carry on suitcases and were struggling. There is nice outdoor space for relaxing as you enter the hotel and also a sunset watching outdoor space at the very top of the hotel. Everyone was kind and helpful. They booked our taxi to the airport and also will book tours for you. air con was good and wifi was also good.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Communications Manager on 3 Oct 2019
Thanks for staying with us and we appreciate your feedback and we are happy to know that you enjoyed your time with us.

10/10 Excellent

Ilze

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stone Town Gem
Great boutique hotel in the best part of Stone Town. Clean, spacious room with great service and delicious breakfast included in the price. Value for Money!!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Comunication Manager on 12 Sept 2019
Dear Ilze. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this amazing review. We hope see you again soon.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great breakfast. Good location. Rooms very nice and comfortable.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Perfect location. Friendly staff. But not muh to do in stone town one night is enough.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019
Response from SBH Team on 28 Feb 2019
Dear Guest Good Day Greetings Thank you for taking the time to review your holiday experience at Shaba Boutique hotel . We are delighted to hear that you've enjoyed your stay with us.All the best!

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful Hotel in Stone Town
This hotel is located in a beautiful area of Stone Town and close to all the nearby attractions. The building is full of character and the small nature of the hotel really helps it feel like home. The rooms are very clean and comfortable and the staff are very friendly and welcoming!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2018
Response from Anja on 8 July 2018
Dear Daniel, thank you for taking time to leave such a wonderful review. We are very happy that you loved your stay with us. Shaba Boutique hotel is a small hotel and we always do our best to give all our guests a personal experience. Welcome back

10/10 Excellent

Juho

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel in central location in Stonetown
We staid 1 night with my wife and were extremely happy with this small, clean and pretty hotel with a nice rooftop view. Very friendly and helpful staff, and good breakfast. Central location in Stonetown, although as everything in Stonetown, a bit tricky to find.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018
Response from Anja on 8 July 2018
Dear Juho, thank you for your review. Fantastic to read that you loved your stay with your wife in our boutique hotel and you loved our location, staff, breakfast and beautiful rooftop view.

10/10 Excellent

gmbound, Colorafo

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location to shops, water and sites
We stayed in Stone Town for 3 days at Shaba. They were very welcoming and arranged for hotel transport even when we arrived at 1:30am. The rooms are comfortable and breakfast was good. They were also able to help arrange activities. The staff was wonderful!
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2018
Response from Anja on 8 July 2018
Thank you for taking time to leave such a lovely review of our boutique hotel. We are happy to arrange transfer for our guests 24/7.

6/10 Okay

Evelyn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very bijou!
Room much smaller than expected. Didnt like the hard sell from the taxi driver who then checked us in and seemed to be connected to the hotel. A map of Stonetown would have been helpful. Breakfast was fine and they let us leave our luggage for a few hours.
Stayed 1 night in May 2018
Response from Anja on 3 June 2018
Hello, thank you for leaving a review. We do have maps of Stone Town on the table next to the stairs and our staff is happy to give to our guests. We are happy to read you liked our breakfast. Your transfer has been arranged in advance. I don't understand what you mean with hard sell of the taxi driver.

10/10 Excellent

Erhan, Hertfordshire, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice hotel located in the centre of stone town close to everywhere in the town. Hotel staff is extremely nice. Our flight got cancelled and had to check in at midnight out of working hours but there was someone to let us in and check in. Highly recomended if you will stay in stone town couple of days!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2018
Response from Anja on 3 June 2018
Dear Erhan, thank you very much for taking time to leave such a lovely review of our Boutique hotel.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice hotel in a great location. Only weaknesses are somewhat average breakfasts, and showers that could be improved.
Stayed 1 night in May 2018
Response from Anja on 3 June 2018
Thank you for leaving a review. All our bathrooms are new. We have checked the showers which are all working fine. We hope to welcome you back.

6/10 Okay

JMB, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Great locaton but poor facilities
The hotel does not go evening meals, so as a woman on my own it was not ideal to have to go out at night along the wonderful, but slightly intimidating, alleys to find a restaurant. No car access, so walking essential. The internet stopped working altogether in the top part of the hotel and was not fixed in my time there. The breakfast was just about OK but nothing special. Would not stay there again even though it has character and a great location for exploring.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2018
Response from Anja on 3 June 2018
Thank you for taking time to leave a review. Good to read that you liked our location and the character of the hotel. All our bookings in Shaba Boutique hotel are made on Bed & Breakfast mealplan. But we have different restaurants in the nearby surrounding and it's safe to walk.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Room is beautifully decorated with hand-carved furniture and moldings. There are two cozy common areas for reading a book. One is on the rooftop, which has a great view. Staff was friendly and professional. Simple and delicious breakfast in the mornings. Location couldn't be better. Google Maps location is off by a few buildings. Shower head was pointed at the wall, so we used hand-held feature. Hot water did not last a full shower. Overall, I would definitely recommend as a boutique hotel in Stone Town.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2018
Response from Anja on 5 May 2018
Hello, hank you for choosing our hotel, and for taking the time to write a review! We are happy to read that you loved our location, decoration, common areas, staff and breakfast. We have already fixed the shower head. Thank you to recommend us to other travelers.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nicely Located In Middle of Stone Town!
A nicely quaint themed hotel. It's tucked away a bite, but once you get a sense of the location and directions you'll love the location. The rooms are modrrn, clean and comfortable. The staff was superb and friendly and always available to assist. It is an old building and no elevator, so there are a couple of flights of steps you might have to climb, but, not bad. I made it a few times a day! LOL! At this hotel you'll be near a lot of things to do , experience and see. If you're in luck, you'll run into my man Mody near the Doubletree Hotel...excellent person and wonderful guide around Zanzibar. He'll guide you to all you need to see...both day touring and night scene! Overall, excellent hotel and wonderful time in Zanzibar!!
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2018
Response from Anja on 5 May 2018
Thank you for choosing our hotel, and for taking the time to write a review! We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us. We are thrilled that we were able to exceed your expectations and you rated our hotel as excellent. We have 1 double room available for people who are not that mobile to climb the stairs.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Centrally located. Excellent staff. Clean and comfortable.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Location bit inside, but safe with clean room, helpful staffs.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Dearth of services
The hotel has limited services and one person at any shift is responsible for cleaning and all other hotel services.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

Michal

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

Rachel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Would stay here again
Lovely place, great location, super helpful staff, good hot water. Wish the wifi would have been just a tad stronger.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

Brenda, Mexico

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location
Shaba is a beautiful small hotel in Shangani, a very safe and walkable area in Stone Town. The staff is incredibly nice and helpful and even kept my big bag for some days while I went up north. I would definitely stay there again.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful location, beautifully refurbished inn. Highly recommended. Friendly staff.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Sara

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stay here - you'll love it!
Shaba was a great place to stay in Stone Town! Tucked in behind the Double Tree, not many locals knew where it was. Service was great, room has a lovely green tea frangiapani fragrance that I would have loved to bottle up and bring home. Only slight complaint was that the staff had little knowledge of local activities, so we sought that out at another hotel. Despite that, two thumbs up and 5 stars!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2017

10/10 Excellent

paul, Brisbane

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
lovely small personal hotel
stayed 3 nights. The hotel has great character, quiet, wonderful warm personable staff.Great spacious room with plenty of old charm.Nice courtyard to have breakfast, read a book.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2017

8/10 Good

stu, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel close to heart of Stone Town
Great roof top terrace! Highly recommend. Newly renovated snd clean.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice Hotel
A nice small hotel with great service. Had small hiccups but they were resolved efficiently.
Stayed 1 night in May 2017

10/10 Excellent

Barbara

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful hotel and great service.

10/10 Excellent

Mariusz, Sydney

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
cute hotel in prime location
I had a great stay at this hotel. The staff was very friendly and helpful. My room was nicely decorated and kept clean and in a very good condition. There is a nice roof top terrace where I relaxed in the evening. Breakfast was delicious. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to stay in the historical part of Stone Town.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nicely renovated calssic Swahili-Arab town-house
Small but great team, very helpful and friendly.

8/10 Good

JANICE

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfortable, clean, well situated hotel
The hotel is new and has a very rustic decor. We were the only guests at the time so we had a very private and quiet time when we were in. Breakfast (which was the same every day for the duration of our 6 days stay) is served in a little courtyard that fronts the hotel. We wondered what happens when it rains. The staff was very courteous and helpful throughout. It was a little odd and unsettling for us first time guests that all the staff, including management and housekeeping,left the premises every evening and came back in the morning. Two night watchmen stayed on. The hotel connected us with a local tour guide Ali, who was very knowledgeable and trustworthy. The tours(which we felt could have been better planned and the transportation a little more comfortable) were still largely value for money.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2020
Response from Shaba Boutique Hotel on 28 July 2020
Thank you for this nice review!

10/10 Excellent

Alexander

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
super
Supertrevlig personal med god frukost
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Guest Relations on 23 Mar 2020
Thank you for choosing our hotel and taking the time to write your review. We do appreciate your feedback and happy to read you had a great stay with us and liked the breakfast. We hope to welcome you back to one of our resorts in Zanzibar or one of the Safari Camps in Tanzania.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Sejour en solo
1er séjour parfait , le confort et la propreté sont là, le personnel très disponible et agréable. Je recommande cet hôtel, il est nickel
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Bert S. (propriétaire) on 29 Feb 2020
Merci beaucoup pour votre excellente critique de notre hôtel-boutique Shaba. Nous sommes ravis que vous ayez aimé votre expérience ; notre personnel sera certainement heureux de lire ce que vous avez écrit. Notre personnel travaille très dur pour offrir le meilleur service dans le meilleur environnement. Nous vous remercions donc pour votre aimable remarque et espérons vous revoir dans un avenir proche.

8/10 Good

Sébastien

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Bert S (owner) on 17 Feb 2020
Thank you very much for sharing the travel experience you had in Shaba Boutique Hotel with others.