Maru Maru Hotel

Zanzibar Town

LoginSave

In a grand old building just behind the Old Fort and House of Wonders, this hotel has historic credentials. Spaced over several floors around two courtyards, rooms combine traditional touches with modern facilities like flat-screen TV and minibar. For people with mobility problems, taxis can get to within a very short distance of the hotel, and it has a lift.

The rooftop bar has a popular happy hour, the restaurant serves excellent Swahili food, curries, grills and pasta dishes (mains Tsh17,000 to Tsh30,000), while downstairs is a gallery and bakery.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • House of Wonders, Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania.

    House of Wonders

    0.04 MILES

    An icon of Stone Town, the House of Wonders rises in impressive tiers of slender steel pillars and balconies overlooking the waterfront. Its enormous…

  • ZALA Park

    ZALA Park

    19.41 MILES

    ZALA (Zanzibar Land Animals) Park was founded as a project to help local people appreciate the value of wildlife, with funds raised by tourist visits. The…

  • Forodhani Gardens in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

    Forodhani Gardens

    0.11 MILES

    One of the best ways to ease into Zanzibar life is to stop by this waterfront public space. It's a social hub for tourists and locals alike; there's a…

  • The Old Dispensary in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

    Old Dispensary

    0.31 MILES

    With its peppermint-green latticework balconies and sculpted clock tower, this 19th-century charitable dispensary is one of the most attractive landmarks…

  • ZANZIBAR, TANZANIA - OCTOBER 6: (.) Tourists look towards the sunset while resting on a roof top restaurant at the Emerson & Green Hotel October 6, 2002 in Stone town in central Zanzibar, Tanzania. Zanzibar has become a popular tourist destination due to the beautiful virgin beaches and influence of Arabic, Indian and African cultures on the island. (Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images)

    Princess Salme Museum

    0.13 MILES

    Carefully curated by the renowned historian Said al Gheithy, this delightful little museum tells the story of Princess Salme, a sultan's daughter who…

  • Tanzania, Zanzibar, Stone Town. The Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ had its foundation stone laid on Christmas Day 1873

    Anglican Cathedral

    0.23 MILES

    The tall spire and grey-yellow walls of the Anglican cathedral dominate the surrounding streets in this part of Stone Town, while the dark-wood pews and…

  • The Sultan's Palace (Palace Museum) is one of the main historical buildings of Stone Town, Zanzibar as seen at sunset.

    Palace Museum

    0.16 MILES

    Occupying several large buildings along the waterfront, this was the palace of Sultan Seyyid Said from 1828 until it was largely destroyed by the British…

  • Two red Colobuse Monkey in a rainforest of Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Africa

    Jozani-Chwaka National Park

    17.45 MILES

    Jozani Forest is the largest area of indigenous forest on Zanzibar Island. Situated south of Chwaka Bay on low-lying land, the area is prone to flooding,…

View more attractions

Nearby Zanzibar Town attractions

1. House of Wonders

0.04 MILES

An icon of Stone Town, the House of Wonders rises in impressive tiers of slender steel pillars and balconies overlooking the waterfront. Its enormous…

2. Old Fort

0.05 MILES

With its pale-orange ramparts overlooking Forodhani Gardens and the ocean beyond, the fort was built by Omani Arabs when they seized the island from the…

3. Catholic Cathedral

0.09 MILES

One of the first sights travellers see when arriving by ferry are the twin spires of the Roman Catholic cathedral. Serving the local Catholic community,…

4. Forodhani Gardens

0.11 MILES

One of the best ways to ease into Zanzibar life is to stop by this waterfront public space. It's a social hub for tourists and locals alike; there's a…

5. Hamamni Persian Baths

0.11 MILES

Built by Sultan Barghash in the late 19th century, these were the first public baths on Zanzibar. The various rooms were renovated in 2017 and, although…

6. Princess Salme Museum

0.13 MILES

Carefully curated by the renowned historian Said al Gheithy, this delightful little museum tells the story of Princess Salme, a sultan's daughter who…

7. Mercury House

0.13 MILES

Freddie Mercury, the former lead singer of Queen, was born in Zanzibar in 1946 where his name was Farrokh Bulsara. His father worked for the British…

8. Palace Museum

0.16 MILES

Occupying several large buildings along the waterfront, this was the palace of Sultan Seyyid Said from 1828 until it was largely destroyed by the British…