Plan Your Zanzibar Trip
Half Board in a Zanzibar Hotel: What Is Included and What Is Not
Quick answer
Is Boutique Hotel Matlai half board or all-inclusive?
Boutique Hotel Matlai is half board, and it is not all-inclusive. Breakfast (07:00 to 12:00) and a three-course dinner are part of the standard rate, together with drinking water, a tea and coffee station, WiFi and the butler. Lunch, drinks and premium dishes such as lobster are extra. Full board costs USD 30 more per person per night; bed and breakfast is USD 35 less.
| Board in the standard rate | Half board: breakfast and a three-course dinner |
| Breakfast | 07:00 to 12:00, served wherever you like |
| Dinner | Three courses, a menu that changes daily; the kitchen closes at 22:00 |
| Full board | USD 30 more per person per night, on request |
| Bed and breakfast | USD 35 less per person per night, on request |
| All-inclusive | Not offered |
| Always extra | Lunch on half board, drinks, the minibar, premium dishes such as lobster |
| Last verified | 26 October 2026 |
The term
What does half board mean in a Zanzibar hotel?
Half board means breakfast and dinner are part of the room rate. Bed and breakfast is breakfast only, full board adds lunch, and all-inclusive adds drinks and snacks, usually inside a larger resort. The labels sound alike, but every hotel fills them differently, so the same word can mean a set menu at one hotel and a free choice at another.
On the quiet east coast there are few restaurants outside the villages, so half board is the honest default there, and it is our standard rate. Whatever hotel you compare, ask four things before you compare totals. The answers we give for Matlai follow in the next sections.
- Is dinner a set menu or a free choice, and how many courses?
- Are any drinks in the price, or only water?
- Can you take lunch, and what does it cost per person?
- What changes if you eat somewhere else one evening?
Half board
What does half board include at Matlai?
Breakfast and dinner are part of the standard rate, every day. Breakfast runs from 07:00 to 12:00 and arrives wherever you want it: on your own terrace, at the table in the villa lounge, in the garden or in the restaurant. Dinner is three courses from the daily creation, which changes with what the fishermen and the farms bring in; the fixed à-la-carte menu is always there as well. The kitchen closes at 22:00 and you choose the hour.
The same rate covers drinking water, a tea and coffee station in the room, WiFi, and the butler from 07:00 to 22:00. Zatiny is one restaurant with two kitchens, the Indian Ocean cooking of Zatiny and the Vietnamese home cooking of Duyên, and both menus are at every table, so a three-course dinner can mix the two. Our restaurant page shows both.
Extras
What costs extra on half board?
Lunch is the largest item, because half board stops at breakfast and dinner. Restaurant lunch starts at 12:00. Drinks other than water are charged, and so are the minibar and the lounge fridge in each villa: you take a drink, write it on the list, and the butler adds it to your room bill.
Premium dishes cost more than the included dinner. Lobster is the plain example: it is caught in front of the shore by local fishermen, kept live in the tank at Zatiny, and priced above the dinner your rate covers. Celebrations such as a candlelit dinner or a floating breakfast are separate extras too.
- Lunch, unless you take full board
- Juices, coconut water, soft drinks, beer, wine and cocktails
- The minibar and the lounge fridge
- Premium dishes such as lobster
- Celebration extras arranged through the butler
All-inclusive
Why is there no all-inclusive board?
Because we do not sell one, and we say so plainly rather than let a page imply it. The hotel has six rooms in two villas, a daily creation, a fixed à-la-carte menu and a bar that infuses its own spirits. Our three boards are half board, full board and bed and breakfast, and nothing else.
If you are comparing us with an all-inclusive resort, ask the resort four questions before you compare totals: which drinks are covered and from which hour, whether the restaurants beyond the buffet are included, which extras are still charged, and whether the price still rises when you lunch somewhere else. A single price is convenient. It is only cheaper if you would have spent that much.
Choosing
Which board suits which trip?
Half board suits most stays, because the days on this coast are slow and most guests want one good dinner and one long breakfast. Full board suits guests who stay at the hotel from morning to night and would rather not order lunch every day. Bed and breakfast suits guests who spend their days at excursions or on the island and eat out. Where the peninsula’s other places to eat sit is covered in our Michamvi guide and in where to stay in Zanzibar.
Take two guests for seven nights, which is 14 person-nights. Full board adds USD 420 to the bill. Bed and breakfast takes USD 490 off it. Rates for every season are on the rooms and rates page.
| Board | What you get | Against half board | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half board (standard rate) | Breakfast and a three-course dinner | The base rate | Most stays |
| Full board (on request) | Breakfast, lunch and dinner | USD 30 more per person per night | Days spent at the hotel |
| Bed and breakfast (on request) | Breakfast only | USD 35 less per person per night | Days spent on excursions |
| All-inclusive | Not offered | – | – |
Rack rates, per person per night, from the 2026 and 2027 rate sheets. Season and room prices change the base rate, not the board difference.
Paying
How do you pay for lunch and drinks?
The restaurant and the extras are priced in Tanzanian shillings, and you may settle them in US dollars if you prefer. Cash works in either currency, and cards are Visa and Mastercard. American Express is not accepted. Room rates are quoted and charged in US dollars.
The same addition holds for the catch of a deep-sea fishing trip: bring it back and the kitchen prepares it, at no charge on half board and full board, and with a charge on bed and breakfast. More about arriving and the rest of the planning is in our Zanzibar trip planner, and the terms of a booking are on the policies page.
Where these facts come from
Official sources
- Wikidata: Boutique Hotel Matlai (Q140307008): The open structured record of the hotel: address, rooms, phone and email, which identifies the property this page describes; the board terms come from the hotel's own rate sheets.
- Wikidata: Zatiny Restaurant (Q140307009): The open structured record of the hotel restaurant: location, cuisine and links to its profiles.
Checked on 26 October 2026. We link to the bodies that set the rules, not to summaries of them. Rules change: check the page itself before you travel.
Good to know
Questions travellers ask
These are the questions guests ask us before they choose a board. The answers are what we do, not what hotels in general do.
What does half board mean in a Zanzibar hotel?
Half board means breakfast and dinner are in the room rate. Bed and breakfast is breakfast only, full board adds lunch, and all-inclusive adds drinks and snacks. Each hotel fills these labels differently, so ask whether dinner is a set menu, whether drinks are in, whether lunch is available and what changes if you eat elsewhere.
Does Matlai offer an all-inclusive package?
No. The standard rate is half board, with breakfast and a three-course dinner. You can add lunch (full board, USD 30 more per person per night) or drop dinner (bed and breakfast, USD 35 less), but there is no all-inclusive board with drinks and snacks in the price.
What is included in half board at Matlai?
Breakfast from 07:00 to 12:00 and a three-course dinner, served until the kitchen closes at 22:00. The rate also covers drinking water, a tea and coffee station, WiFi and the butler. The dinner menu changes every day, and the main course always includes one fish or seafood dish, one meat or chicken dish and one vegetarian dish.
Are drinks included?
Drinking water is, and every room has a kettle with instant tea and coffee. Everything else you order, from fresh juice and coconut water to beer, wine and cocktails, is charged to your room, and so is the minibar. Alcohol is served at Matlai, including during Ramadan.
How much does full board cost?
Full board adds lunch for USD 30 per person per night. For two guests over seven nights that is USD 420 in total. It is on request, so ask when you book.
Can I take bed and breakfast instead?
Yes, on request. It takes USD 35 per person per night off the rate and removes the included dinner. Two guests over seven nights save USD 490. One thing changes: the kitchen prepares a deep-sea catch at no charge on half and full board, but charges for it on bed and breakfast.
Can the kitchen cook for vegetarians, vegans or families?
Yes. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are always on offer, the kitchen is flexible, and a children’s menu is available on request. Both kitchens, Zatiny’s Indian Ocean cooking and Duyên’s Vietnamese home cooking, serve every table.
Your stay at Matlai
Choose your dates and the booking page opens with them, showing live availability.
Individually booked rooms take guests aged 14 and over; with a whole villa, guests of any age are welcome. Online booking here covers rooms for guests aged {age} and over, so for children or a whole villa send us your dates on WhatsApp and we reply with the options. WhatsApp →
These dates are by enquiry only — please email info[at]hotelmatlai.com or WhatsApp +255772628833 and we will confirm availability and rates.
Indicative public rates — the engine shows live availability for your dates.
Welcome drink, kayaks, bicycles and snorkelling gear, free of charge.
Booking with the hotel itself? Ask us what we can offer for your dates.
Why guests book Matlai
- A team of butlers on call, 07:00 to 22:00. One message and it is arranged.
- Half board with a chef’s menu that changes daily: three courses, plus two à la carte kitchens at every table, Zatiny (Indian Ocean fusion) and Duyên (Vietnamese).
- Dine where you like: in the restaurant, in the garden or on your own balcony. A private table by the beach or a candlelight dinner can be arranged at an extra charge.
- Six rooms in two villas, a pool for each villa, shared by its rooms, and every room facing the sunrise over the ocean.
- Bustani, the garden spa; the sandbank in front of the hotel at low tide; a quiet beach lined with small, family-owned hotels.
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