How to choose accommodation for your kitesurfing holiday in Zanzibar?
Zanzibar Accommodation Overview
Just like the high and low tides in Zanzibar are quite extreme, the same goes for the quality of accommodation. The price ranges also vary greatly. The island offers travellers a wide range of accommodation, from small, family-run guesthouses to luxury resorts right on the water.
Because of many reasons, we strongly advise staying right on the beachfront or only a few streets away if you’re staying in a guest house in a village. This way, you’ll be able to take a quick look to see if it’s windy, enjoy morning swimming, and you won’t need a car at all. It is important to say that Zanzibar is generally a safe and welcoming place and that the beach area is very clean. Luckily, whether you’re looking for a Budget, Standard, Premium or Luxury accommodation, there is a beachfront hotel for all budgets. Just be aware that during the peak season in August, many guest houses and hotels get fully booked months in advance.
How far in advance do you need to book ?
Since at KiteBnB we verify all properties in person, in August, which is a peak month for kitesurfing in Zanzibar and the time when Europeans go on holidays, it was not easy to find available rooms to visit in the most popular hotels and guest houses as they were all fully booked. The peak months of July, August, and late December are usually more expensive and booking ahead is important. If you’re considering kitesurfing holiday longer than 10 days at the same hotel, during these months you should definitely book at least four months in advance.
Self-catering apartment or hotel/private room?
Although having an apartment or a house is definitely nice to have more space, a room without a kitchen is absolutely enough for all stays up to 14 days. The reason for this is that there are many challenges when it comes to preparing your own food and you’ll most likely need around 7 days to find places where to buy and pre-order different foods and spices. Apart from fish, they get literally everything else from mainland Tanzania. Then electricity might go off or you’ll spend time driving on non-paved streets from one shop to another instead of kitesurfing in the beautiful, blue turquoise waters.
Also, there are many restaurants with reasonable prices. When it comes to infrastructure, malls and supermarkets, Zanzibar is a lot less developed than other popular kitesurfing destinations in Africa like Mauritius, not to mention Cape Town.
Why using Kitesurf Travel Expert can save you time and money?
Tanzania is still a third world country and so is Zanzibar. When going through property photos online, they may all seem very similar and it is very difficult to distinguish between them, even for experienced travellers. But differences in room sizes, quality, space between bungalows, semi-private beaches, surrounding hotel gardens and pool areas, distance from other hotels, amenities and personalized service are very big.
Just keep in mind that paying more doesn’t always mean getting more or a better kitesurfing/windsurfing holiday for your needs so before you book anything, get in touch with a KiteBnB Travel Expert. KiteBnB specializes in kitesurfing trips, we have visited all our accommodations in Zanzibar and we have personal experience at the destination that can’t be ‘googled’. For more information about kitesurfing in Zanzibar, kite spots and destination guide visit Kitesurf Holidays Zanzibar and Best Kitesurfing spots in Zanzibar.
6 Things to consider before booking a hotel in Zanzibar
So you’ve booked your plane ticket and you’re searching for your perfect kitesurfing accommodation in Zanzibar! Although the island itself isn’t that big, there are a few factors to take into consideration when booking your hotel:
- What type of experience do you want – solo adventure, group trip, kitesurfing honeymoon or a luxury kitesurf holiday with a family?
- Do you plan on renting a car and are you coming with your own equipment or will you be renting it from one of many kiteboarding schools in Zanzibar?
- Do you want a vibey area, semi-private beaches with a lot of space for kiting or best of both worlds?
- Is accommodation kid-friendly with a decent size pool that can be used during Zanzibar’s famous low tide?
- Does your room offer a full ocean view, partial ocean view or garden view?
- If you are coming during the summer, will you need air conditioning?
Get a free pre-booking advices and recommendations from KiteBnB Travel Experts, and let us help plan your dream Zanzibar kitesurf trip.
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