Boutique Hotel Matlai
Policies & Conditions
Everything that governs a booking at Matlai, on one page and in plain language. If anything here is unclear, ask us before you book rather than after — we would rather answer than have you guess.
Arrival & departure
| Check-in | 14:00 |
| Check-out | 10:30 |
Rooms are ready from 14:00 and we ask for them back by 10:30, which gives housekeeping the hours a six-room house needs to reset properly. If your flight lands early we will hold your luggage, give you the pool and the beach, and feed you — nobody sits in the garden waiting for a key. The drive from the airport takes an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half, depending on Stone Town traffic.
Late check-out
Late check-out is charged per villa and must be requested in advance, subject to the following night’s bookings.
- Until 6pm — US$100 at Asili House, US$150 at Villa Kidosho
- Until midnight — 50% of the room rate, dinner included
- After midnight — 100% of the room rate
Minimum stay
2 nights minimum, 5 nights in peak season.
Deposit & payment
A 25% deposit secures the booking. It is non-refundable. The balance is due 30 days before arrival.
The deposit is how a six-room hotel plans. Holding a room means turning other enquiries away for those dates, and with six rooms there is no spare inventory to absorb a change of mind — which is also why the balance falls due a month before arrival rather than on the day. We take Visa and Mastercard — not American Express, which our terminal cannot process — and cash in US dollars or Tanzanian shillings.
Cancellation
We would rather move your dates than keep your money. If plans change, tell us early and honestly — where we can resell the room we will look for a way to make you whole, and long-notice changes are almost always workable. What the schedule protects against is a late cancellation we cannot refill, which for a house this size is a real loss rather than an accounting one.
If you cancel, the following applies:
- With 2 months’ notice — 50% of the total is charged
- With 1 month’s notice — 100% of the total is charged
Occupancy & children
- Single occupancy is 80% of the room rate.
- An extra bed is 25% of the room rate.
Children under 14 are welcome only on a whole-villa booking. With six rooms and no separate children’s areas, this keeps the house calm for everyone in it.
The children rule is not a dislike of children — it is arithmetic. Six rooms, no kids club, no separate pool, and sound carries between floors in both houses. On a whole-villa booking the family owns the building and none of that applies, which is why that is the configuration where younger children genuinely work. Villa Kidosho sleeps four; Asili House sleeps eight.
Board basis
All rates include half board — breakfast and dinner, both at Zatiny.
- Full board: add US$30 per person per night.
- Bed & breakfast: deduct US$35 per person per night.
Both on request.
Half board is included in every rate rather than sold as an upgrade. Zatiny is one restaurant with two kitchens — Indian Ocean fusion and Duyên Vietnamese home cooking — and both menus are available at every table, every night. Lunch is not included because most guests are out, on the sandbank, or simply not hungry in the heat.
Not included in the rate
Everything a guest is ever charged for is on this list. There is no resort fee, no service charge added at checkout, and no mandatory extra that appears only on the final bill. Two of these are not ours to keep: the infrastructure tax is set by the Zanzibar government and collected on their behalf, and the airport transfer is paid directly to the driver’s company — which is exactly why it is not quietly folded into the room rate.
- Airport transfer — US$60 per car for up to six people. We arrange it, but it is paid to the driver’s company, not to the hotel.
- Zanzibar infrastructure tax — US$4 per person per night, set by the government.
- Premium dishes such as lobster, which are priced separately from the half-board menu.
- Laundry, charged at cost.
Special offers
- Early Bird — book 6 months or more ahead for 10% off the seasonal rate.
- Last Minute — book 2 weeks or less before arrival for 10% off, subject to availability.
Both offers are valid only for bookings made between 16 January and 15 December, and cannot be combined with each other or with any other offer or package.
Both discounts are straightforward and neither needs a code. Book far enough ahead and the seasonal rate drops; book late into a room still unsold and the same applies. What they cannot do is stack — with six rooms, two discounts on one booking stops being a promotion and starts being a loss.
Common questions
Is the deposit refundable if I cancel?
No — the 25% deposit is non-refundable, and it is what secures your dates. Beyond the deposit, what you are charged depends on notice: with two months’ notice, 50% of the total; with one month, 100%. Tell us as early as you can and we will always look for a way to move the dates instead of cancelling them.
Is the airport transfer included in the rate?
No. It is US$60 per car for up to six people, and it is paid to the driver’s company rather than to the hotel — we arrange it, but the money is not ours. The drive from Zanzibar airport takes an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half.
Are there any hidden fees or resort charges?
None. There is no resort fee and no service charge. The only mandatory addition is the Zanzibar government’s infrastructure tax of US$4 per person per night. Everything else that costs money — premium dishes such as lobster, laundry, the airport transfer — is listed on this page.
Can we bring our children?
Children under 14 are welcome when you book a whole villa. With six rooms, no children’s facilities and sound carrying between floors, that is the configuration where it works for your family and for everyone else in the house. Villa Kidosho takes four people; Asili House takes eight.
What does half board actually include?
Breakfast and dinner every day, both at Zatiny, included in the rate. Both kitchens — Indian Ocean fusion and Duyên Vietnamese — are available at every table. Full board adds lunch for US$30 per person per night; bed and breakfast reduces the rate by US$35 per person per night. Premium dishes such as lobster are priced separately.
Can I have a late check-out?
Yes, subject to the next night’s bookings — and the charge depends on which villa you are in, so there is no single flat fee. Until 6pm it is US$100 at Asili House and US$150 at Villa Kidosho. Until midnight it is half the room rate with dinner included; after midnight, the full rate.
The Villas · Dining · FAQ · Accessibility
Rates by season and villa are on the booking page.
See rates and check availability