236 Hurumzi

Among the minarets, Hindu temples, and church spires of Zanzibar's capital,

the elegant tower of 236 Hurumzi marks an iconic spot on the skyline of this ancient city. The second tallest building in Stone Town, Zanzibar's historic centre and a World Heritage Site, the hotel has been restored to its former glory as the residence of one of the richest men in the Swahili Empire. Each of the unique rooms - many with balconies or verandas, others with open-air baths - are all magnificently furnished with original Zanzibari antiques of varied origins and swathed in luscious, richly coloured fabrics - you'll feel like you're caught up in your very own tale of the 1001 Arabian Nights.

 

The Accommodation

236 Hurumzi includes nine rooms and seven capacious suites.

All rooms and suites are cooled with ceiling fans - all the suites also include air conditioning, as do most rooms. The suites are all in the new building, constructed and decorated in traditional Zanzibar style and in harmony with the old town's architecture. The North Room boats beautiful latticework in African hardwood that enclose the room from the open veranda with its view of the Indian Ocean and Zanzibar Stone Town. The large stone tub with shower is enclosed with lattice screens and tropical plants, leaving a view of the sky for a romantic evening bath.

Floating above Stone Town is the South Room, accessible only by a wooden bridge from the top floor veranda. The room is air-conditioned and features a lattice enclosed veranda and a semi-open bathroom with a view of the sky. The top floor West Room has an intimate atmosphere, enclosed by hardwood latticework on two sides while the veranda presents a spectacular view of the Indian Ocean and sunsets over the Sultan's ceremonial palace and the African mainland beyond. The kidney-shaped en suite stone bath has room for two.

 

Things to do

Spice and slave tour

In the 19th Century, the islands of Zanzibar received a major boost in the

spice trade with the Omani introduction of cloves. Zanzibar had a near monopoly on the world trade for a long time and despite the emphasis on the wealth gained from the sale of slaves and ivory, the clove industry was the real foundation of the golden age of Zanzibar. This was however, not the beginning of the spice trade, it was only the climax. For centuries, there had been introductions and exploitations of different forms of spices between the Zanzibaris and the other civilizations of the Indian Ocean basin. Spices were traded along this coast with the Egyptian Fatmid and Mamiukian dynasties and later with the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. The industry provided a source of the wealth and increased trade and economic growth of the middle east in the middle ages.

Jozani Forest Tour

We encourage you to take at least a small walk through the rainforest, which is uniquely

beautiful and very peaceful. If you have any doubts about other mammals having personality, character and choice of behavior, make sure you spend enough time in the rainforests to see the Red Colobus monkeys who shun the cheap feasts provided by tourists along the road.