Where
Kendwa, north west coast
Size
56 bungalows, suites and villas
2026 price
$790 to $1,340 a room, half board
Board
Half board, all inclusive optional
Tide
Swimming at any state of the tide
Airport
About an hour, $95 each way
Zuri Zanzibar
Kendwa, north west coast
- Swimming at any state of the tide, rare in Zanzibar
- Bungalows with veranda and outdoor shower, suites, private villas
- Half board as standard, all inclusive as an option
- About an hour from the airport
From $790 a room, half board (2026 low season)
See rates on Hotels.comZuri Zanzibar review: is it worth the price?
Mostly yes, for the right trip. Zuri gets three things right that most Zanzibar resorts get only one or two of: a beach you can swim from at any tide, a low-density layout of bungalows in gardens rather than a block of rooms, and a sunset over the water every evening. It is a member of Design Hotels, opened in 2018 according to Kuoni, and it still looks new.
The weak point is value. Most reviews praise the rooms and the staff, and Expert Africa's guest reviews run nine excellent out of eleven. The complaints that do come up are consistent: food judged ordinary for the price in 2022 and 2024 reviews, service that some guests felt did not match a bill of $1,000 a night, and drinks and laundry charged on top of half board. A 2025 Reddit thread makes the same point about service and price.
Our read: book Zuri for the beach, the space and the design, and book it in low season, when the same bungalow costs a third less. At the festive rate you are paying top-tier money for a hotel that is very good rather than exceptional.
Zuri Zanzibar prices by season in 2026
The hotel publishes no rates, so these come from Chalo Africa's 2026 tariff, read on 21 October 2026. They are per room per night for a bungalow on half board, which is the way the hotel sells it. Suites and villas are quoted on request.
| Dates in 2026 | Bungalow, half board | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 April to 31 May | $790 | Long rains. Check the May closure first |
| 1 to 22 December | $790 | Dry and hot, the best value window of the year |
| 10 January to 31 March | $1,160 | Hot, calm sea, clear water |
| 1 June to 30 November | $1,160 | July and August cost the same as June or October |
| 23 December to 9 January | $1,340 | Festive rate, about 70% above low season |
Two things in that calendar are worth knowing. December up to the 22nd is at the low rate, and it is one of the best weeks of the year to be on this coast. And July and August are not more expensive than June or November, so the European summer holiday costs no premium here.
Other prices seen in 2026 line up with that table: Mr & Mrs Smith from about $721 for the cheapest double, Expedia at $1,036 for a September night for two including taxes, and Go2Africa at $395 to $705 per person sharing. Our month by month guide to the best time to visit Zanzibar explains what the weather does in each window.
Zuri Zanzibar location: Kendwa, the airport and the full moon party
Zuri sits at Kendwa, on the north west coast, two kilometres down the sand from Nungwi. The road from the airport takes about an hour, and the hotel transfer is around $95 each way. A private driver booked yourself usually costs less, and our page on Zanzibar airport transfers has the going rates.
Kendwa is quiet for most of the month. The exception is the full moon party at Kendwa Rocks, which Trip.com places under 400 metres from the hotel. We found no review complaining about the noise, but if your dates land on the full moon and you came for silence, ask for a bungalow at the back of the garden, away from the beach. Our Zanzibar nightlife guide says how the party works.
At low tide you can walk the beach to Nungwi in about twenty minutes, which matters on a half board plan: lunch and the odd dinner out are an easy stroll away rather than a taxi.
Zuri Zanzibar rooms, suites and villas
The 56 units are spread over a sloping garden. Every bungalow has a wrap-around veranda and an outdoor shower, air conditioning and satellite TV. Room sizes are not published, by the hotel or by the agents.
| Room type | View | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Garden Bungalow | Garden | The entry rate. Some connect, which is how families take two |
| Zuri Bungalow | Partial ocean | The same bungalow, higher up the slope |
| Ocean Bungalow | Ocean | The one most couples should book |
| Ocean Jacuzzi Bungalow | Ocean | Adds a jacuzzi on the veranda |
| Jacuzzi Suite | Partial ocean | Separate living room, large terrace, spa pool |
| Ocean-front Suite | Beach front | A step from the sand, jacuzzi, access to the Dhow Bar |
| Two bedroom villa | Semi-private beach | Outdoor jacuzzi, for two couples or a small family |
| Three bedroom ocean-front villa | Private beach | Private infinity pool, a butler, sleeps six adults |
Which Zuri room to book
For a couple, the Ocean Bungalow is the sweet spot: the view without the suite price. The garden bungalows are fine but sit lower and further back, and on a slope the difference in light and breeze is real.
The suites buy you the beach front and the Dhow Bar on the private beach. The three bedroom villa is a different product altogether, a house with its own pool and a butler, and our guide to Zanzibar villas and boutique hotelscompares it with the island's other big villas.
The beach at Zuri Zanzibar: tide, sunset and swimming
This is the reason to choose Zuri over a resort on the east coast. The north west tip has a tidal range of about a metre, against several on the east, so the sea stays at the beach all day. The hotel says you can swim at every state of the tide, and Expert Africa, which inspects the property, says the same.
The hotel's frontage runs for about 300 metres of white sand, and it faces west, so the sun goes down over the water. The beach shelves quite steeply, which is good for swimming and less so for toddlers paddling. Hotel staff patrol the frontage.
None of the reviews we read mention seaweed, which piles up on the east coast in some months and rarely here. If you are still choosing a coast, the Zanzibar tides guide shows why the north west is the safe bet for swimming.
Zuri Zanzibar restaurants and bars
The hotel lists three restaurants and four bars:
- Upendo. The main restaurant: breakfast buffet, live cooking and five course dinner menus. Peponi Bar sits next to it.
- Maisha. By the pool, more refined and à la carte. Book it at reception, it fills up.
- The beach restaurant and bar. Light lunches and grilled seafood, open to non-residents.
- The Dhow Bar. On the private beach, for suite and villa guests.
In practice that leaves two choices for dinner, Upendo and Maisha, for a hotel of 56 units. Over a week that is the most common thing guests mention. The fix is Nungwi's restaurants up the beach, or a night at The Rock if you are heading across the island anyway.
Is Zuri Zanzibar all inclusive?
No, not by default. The standard rate is half board: breakfast, dinner, unlimited still water, a welcome cocktail and some wellness classes and water sports. Drinks and laundry are extra.
All inclusive comes in two versions you add on: All Inclusive, with house drinks, and All Inclusive Premium, with every drink and spirit. The hotel does not publish the supplement, so ask for both quotes.
Whether it pays depends on how much you drink and how often you plan to eat in Nungwi. With only two dinner restaurants, most guests eat out at least once or twice. Our Zanzibar all inclusive guide runs the numbers on this coast.
Is Zuri Zanzibar adults only? Children and accessibility
It is not adults only. Children of all ages are accepted, babies under two stay free and babysitting is available on request. But it is designed for adults and children over twelve: there is no kids' club, and the site is a slope of paths, steps and raised balconies.
Expert Africa advises against the connecting garden bungalows for children under six, because of the balcony drops. Families with small children are better served by a flatter resort with a pool area, and our page on where to stay in Zanzibar with kids lists them.
For the same reason, the hotel is not suitable for wheelchair users.
Who Zuri Zanzibar suits, and who should book elsewhere
Book Zuri if
- You want to swim at any hour, not on the tide's schedule
- You are a couple, on a honeymoon or otherwise
- You like design hotels more than big beach resorts
- You travel in April, early December or with the low rate
- You are happy to walk to Nungwi for some dinners
Look elsewhere if
- You travel with children under six
- You want a kids' club or a wide choice of restaurants
- You want total isolation: Kendwa has neighbours
- Your only dates are the festive weeks at $1,340 a night
- Someone in your group uses a wheelchair
Alternatives to Zuri Zanzibar in Kendwa and beyond
The closest alternatives share Zuri's beach and tide, which is the hard part to replace. One is smaller and dearer, one is a bigger classic resort, and one costs a fraction of the price.
Elewana Kilindi Zanzibar
Kendwa
Fifteen pavilions, each with its own plunge pool, all inclusive and adults only. The choice if Zuri feels too big.
$685 to $1,087 per person a night, all inclusive, 2026
See rates on Hotels.com →
Gold Zanzibar Beach House & Spa
Kendwa
72 rooms on the same beach and the same tide, around a large lagoon pool. The all inclusive, called the Gourmet plan, is optional.
See rates on Hotels.com →
Kendwa Rocks Beach Hotel
Kendwa
Bungalows right on the sand, and the home of the full moon party. Loud one night a month, simple and cheap the rest of it.
See rates on Hotels.com →The step above all of them is Mnemba Island Lodge: twelve bandas on a private island, all inclusive, where you pay for having almost nobody else there. For the full ladder, from $250 resorts to private islands, see luxury hotels in Zanzibar.
Rooms at Kendwa
Every hotel on Kendwa beach on one map, from Zuri's neighbours to the simpler places behind the sand. Same tide, same sunset, and a wide spread of prices.
See places to stay at KendwaPartner link. The price is the same for you.
Zuri Zanzibar practical details: tax, power and the May closure
- Infrastructure tax. Zanzibar charges $5 per person per night, paid at the hotel. Sources disagree on whether it takes cash or card, so carry some dollars.
- Check-in and check-out. 2 pm and 11 am.
- Power and signal. Expert Africa reports more frequent power cuts, covered by generators, and patchy mobile signal. Wi-Fi runs across the property.
- May. Mr & Mrs Smith says the hotel closes in May and reopens on 1 June, while Chalo Africa sells May nights. Confirm with the hotel before booking.
- Wellness. The Maua spa has three treatment rooms and a jacuzzi deck, alongside a 32 metre infinity pool, yoga, an outdoor gym and a private spice garden.
- Sustainability. The hotel says it was the first in the world to receive EarthCheck's Sustainable Design Gold certification.
Excursions from Zuri Zanzibar
Most boat trips to Mnemba and sunset dhow cruises collect from Kendwa hotels, Zuri included. Booking yourself is usually cheaper than the hotel desk for the same boat.
Tours that pick up at Kendwa
Prices, ratings and review counts as the partner lists them, read on the date shown below the cards. Check the pickup point is Zuri before you pay.
From Kendwa: Mnemba by boat, dolphins and snorkelling
Leaves from the north, which saves the drive to Kizimkazi.
From$55per person
Check availability
Sunset dhow cruise from Nungwi and Kendwa
Two and a half hours under sail as the light drops.
Quad biking from Kendwa or Nungwi
Four hours through villages and plantations, beginners taken.
From$81per group, up to 2
Check availabilityPrices, ratings and review counts read from GetYourGuide on 27 September 2026, and indicative. These are partner links: the price is the same for you.
Questions people ask about Zuri Zanzibar
Is Zuri Zanzibar all inclusive?
Not by default. The standard rate is half board, breakfast and dinner, with still water, a welcome cocktail and some wellness classes and water sports included. All inclusive is an option on top, in two versions: All Inclusive with house drinks, and All Inclusive Premium with every drink and spirit.
Is Zuri Zanzibar adults only?
No. Children of every age are accepted, and babies under two stay free. But there is no kids' club, the paths and balconies are steep, and the hotel is really built for adults and children over twelve. The connecting garden bungalows are not recommended with children under six.
Who owns Zuri Zanzibar?
We could not find a published owner name in October 2026, either on the hotel's site or with the agents that sell it. It runs as an independent hotel marketed through the Design Hotels collection, not as part of a hotel chain.
What is the most luxurious hotel in Zanzibar?
For exclusivity, Mnemba Island Lodge: twelve bandas on a private island inside a marine conservation area, all inclusive. Zuri is a step below it, a large design resort on a swimmable beach rather than a private island.
How far is Zuri Zanzibar from the airport?
About an hour by road from Zanzibar airport and roughly 50 kilometres from Stone Town. The hotel transfer costs about 95 dollars each way.
Is Zuri Zanzibar open in May?
Possibly not. One agent says it closes for May and reopens on 1 June, another sells May nights at the low season rate. Ask the hotel directly before you build a trip around May dates.