The Matlai Journal
Hotel & Accommodation
16 stories in this category — browse all 54 posts, or start with the Zanzibar travel guide.
Birthday Celebrations in Zanzibar | Boutique Hotel Matlai East Coast
Plan the perfect birthday or milestone at Boutique Hotel Matlai on Zanzibar's east coast — private candlelight dinners dressed with palm…
The Ultimate Guide to a Zanzibar Honeymoon: Romance on the East Coast
A practical guide to a Zanzibar honeymoon on the quiet east coast: why couples choose Michamvi Pingwe, when to go, and what a stay at…
Ramadan in Zanzibar: A Peaceful Stay at Boutique Hotel Matlai
What a Ramadan stay at Boutique Hotel Matlai actually looks like — quieter beaches, unchanged dinner service, alcohol still served as…
Why Fewer Rooms Mean More Luxury
What six rooms buy you that two hundred cannot — and who should book a resort instead.
A Day at Matlai: From Indian Ocean Sunrise to Dinner on the Beach
What a day at Boutique Hotel Matlai actually looks like: sunrise over the ocean, breakfast wherever you are, a morning set by the tide…
Zanzibar's Boutique Hotel Scene: A Different Way to Stay
Zanzibar's hotel scene is shifting from big all-inclusive resorts toward small, independently owned properties. What that actually means…
Michamvi Pingwe: Zanzibar's Quiet Peninsula Beach
Where Michamvi Pingwe sits on Zanzibar's southeast coast, how the tide shapes its sandbank and lagoon, the honest answer on seaweed and…
Zanzibar's Tides and Moon Phases, and What They Mean for Your Stay
How the tide and the moon connect at Matlai — the sandbank that appears at low tide, moonrise after the full moon, and why The Rock and…
New Year's Eve at Matlai: Bonfire, Barbecue and Drums on the Beach
Live music, a seafood barbecue, a bonfire on the sand and the countdown at 30 °C.
Meet Our Tortoises: The Ninja Turtles of Boutique Hotel Matlai
Boutique Hotel Matlai keeps nearly forty tortoises in their own enclosure behind the restaurant — named after the Ninja Turtles, fed at…
Get to Know the Departments Behind the Scenes at Matlai
Housekeeping, maintenance, gardening and security — the teams most guests never meet, and what each one actually does to keep a six-room…
The Everyday Extras Included in a Matlai Stay
The welcome cocktail, the in-room yoga mat, the story left on your bed each night, the free kayaks and bicycles — the small things included…
Exploring Matlai's Kitchen Department
Meet the team behind Boutique Hotel Matlai's kitchen — Head Chef Saleh, Chef Ibrahim, Chef Herson, Breakfast Chef Zuhura and Junior Chef…
Meet the Butler Team at Boutique Hotel Matlai
What a Matlai butler actually does — private dining, excursions, transfers arranged the legal way, and the three-month trainee programme…
Reviews and Awards: What a 4.9 on TripAdvisor Is Worth
4.9 from 371 reviews, Travellers' Choice 2017–2023 — and an honest account of what that is worth.
Start Here: The Matlai Guide to Zanzibar
Where to start: when to come, what to arrange before you fly, what to do here, and who writes this.