Tembo House Hotel, as the first coastal hotel within the UNESCO Heritage Site of Stone Town, has always been one of Zanzibar’s most treasured hospitality destinations. Since 1994, the hotel has welcomed and impressed visitors, and it continues to contribute to the island’s unique history. Whether you’re visiting Zanzibar for business or pleasure, the 4-star Tembo House Hotel and Apartments offers both elegance and convenience.
The hotel has everything you need for a comfortable stay. The hotel provides 24-hour room service, free Wi-Fi in all rooms, a 24-hour front desk, handicapped services, and quick check-in and out. Some rooms provide facilities like LCD or plasma screen televisions, wireless internet access, a private pool, and a Jacuzzi bathtub to ensure a good night’s sleep.
Season and Location
The Tembo House Hotel is situated on the seafront in the heart of Stone Town, just 10-15 minutes from the international airport. This hotel is connected to Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Pemba, and Arusha, as well as the Selous Game Reserve and the northern parks, via daily flights.
Tembo House Hotel
There are daily flights to Mombasa and Nairobi, as well as a ferry service between Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, and Pemba. Dhows transport people between Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Bagamoyo, and Mombasa. When To Go: Zanzibar’s climate is typical of the equatorial region. From December to March, the weather is hot and dry. From June to October, the weather is cool and dry. Heavy rains are expected between March and the end of May, with only a few days of rain in November.
The Tembo Residence Hotel’s excellent location allows you to easily explore Stone Town’s twisting passageways to visit the Peace Memorial Museum, the Palace Museum, Forodhani Gardens, the Old Fort, Tippu Tip’s residence, and all of the old town’s marvels.
History of the Hotel
The Tembo House Hotel has witnessed much of Zanzibar’s history and has welcomed some of the island’s most well-known tourists. For generations, from the 8th century AD to the 15th century AD, fishermen dragged in their catch from the sea on Tembo House Hotel’s seashore. Tembo could have seen the first Portuguese ships sailing to Zanzibar in the late 15th century. One of the first stone structures in Zanzibar’s Stone Town was constructed with influences from China, India, Oman, and the Bantu people.
The first American consulate in Zanzibar opened in 1836, shortly after the Omani Sultanate shifted its capital to the island in 1832. We can only assume that the sultans and consuls drank tea as they watched the sunset over Zanzibar. We do know that prominent explorers such as Ludwig Krapf, Henry Morton Stanley, and, most likely, David Livingstone explored Tembo’s lands. Since the early 1880s, the Tembo House Hotel has housed one of, if not the largest, commercial firms on the East African coast: the Cowasjee Dinshaw and Brothers Company. Commerce and companionship thrived in this atmosphere, and a wooden elephant stood in the courtyard to watch it all. This location was named after the elephant, known as “Tembo” in Swahili. If you visit Tembo, you will follow in the footsteps of previous great tourists. You’ll be strolling with Mahatma Gandhi, India’s transformational Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, music great Freddie Mercury, television star Peter Andre, and many more well-known figures.
The Lounge
Follow the checkered flooring to the hotel’s center, which features a magnificent Arabian-style courtyard. It’s a beautiful, quiet spot away from the busy streets of central Stone Town, with traditional Swahili furnishings and plenty of hanging seats for relaxation. There is also a swimming pool where you may cool down. The Bahari Restaurant, which overlooks the sea, provides both local and international cuisine (but no alcohol). For a more romantic evening, head up to the roof terrace for a private dinner for two under the stars.
Accommodation
The hotel includes 37 rooms, each with its own collection of antique furniture and decorations. All rooms have air conditioning and private bathrooms. Some have balconies that look out over the beach or pool. There is a swimming pool at the motel. Tembo House Hotel’s 37 rooms are decorated in a classic Zanzibar style, with antique furniture and antiquities from around the world. The stained glass windows provide a vibrant atmosphere.
All 37 apartments, which are located around the central courtyard, feature views of the ocean or the courtyard, as well as small wooden terraces, as is typical of Arabic architecture. Traditional dark wooden bedstands, antique tables, closets, and ornaments, as well as low-slung sofas, will take you back in time to Zanzibar.
What to See and Do.
Swimming, snorkeling, sea kayaking, diving, water sports, dhow trips, and nature walks are among the activities available and offered at the hotel, as are visits to a dhow workshop and the eerie caverns of the Mangapwani Slave Caves, where slaves were hidden after slavery was abolished, making their shipment illegal. Other attractions include the Portuguese Fort, the Sultan’s Palace, the Old Dhow Port, the Old Slave Market, the House of Wonders, the Old Dispensary, Tippu-Tip, the Livingstone House, the National Museum, the Chukwani Palace, the Jozani Forest—the last red colobus monkey sanctuary, the Mtoni Palace ruins, the Maruhubi Palace ruins, and the Persian Baths of Kidichi.
