Experience the Beauty of Zanzibar Serena Hotel

By Jane Staley

As a travel enthusiast, I have always been fascinated by the exotic beauty of Africa, and Zanzibar has been on my bucket list for years. Finally, I got the chance to visit this enchanting island and my stay at Zanzibar Serena Hotel was an astounding experience.

I booked my trip with Regional Air and was thoroughly impressed with their service. The flight was smooth and the cabin crew attentive and friendly. The airline operates daily flights to Zanzibar and the journey took about 2 hours from Nairobi, Kenya. We landed at Zanzibar International Airport, where I was warmly welcomed by a representative from the hotel.

A visit to the magical spice isle

For centuries past, cardamom, clove and cinnamon culled from the fabled spice gardens of the enchanted island of Zanzibar have been prized by sultans and princes alike. To enter the world of Zanzibar is to step through the looking glass into the world of a thousand and one nights and black eyes that smile from behind deep veils. There’s a House of Wonders and a street of food, a Palace Museum, an ancient slave market, an age-old fort, a ruined harem and the house where Dr Livingstone once lived. There are Red Colobus Monkeys and dolphins and a bright tapestry of Arab, African and

Swahili culture, folklore and cuisine that are as mesmeric as myth.

So where to begin?

The journey from the ultra-modern airport into Stone Town takes only around half an hour and you’re soon in the midst of a Stone Town. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Stone Town is the only functioning historical city in East Africa and is much the same today as it was 200 years ago. A city within a city, Stone Town is the oldest section of Zanzibar Town, and is made up of winding lanes and unique stone houses, many of which feature magnificent carved doors and overhanging fretwork balconies.

Where to stay?

As you’d expect of a town that has attracted visitors for centuries past, the choice of accommodation ranges from the most simplistic guest house to the most luxurious 5-star hotel. For optimum exposure to all that Zanzibar has to offer, however, you can do no better than the Zanzibar Serena Hotel which occupies a unique position on one of Stone Town’s most beautiful squares and has its own strip of pristine beach overlooking miles and miles of translucent blue water. Inspirationally presented in traditional Swahili style, the hotel serves as a showcase for Swahili culture housing its own museum of furniture, photographs and traditional Swahili crafts while also featuring performances of taarab music, the chance to sample an entirely authentic Swahili banquet, or take evening cocktails on the pool terrace (which happens to enjoy one of the best examples of Zanzibar’s stunning sunset).

The wonders of Stone Town

Best to begin your stay with a tour of Stone Town which is, literally, on the hotel’s doorstep. Sights include:

The Hamami Baths, built in 1870, The Africa House Hotel, once the British Club, the house of notorious slave-trader

Tippu-Tip, the slave

pit, the National Museum, the old Slave Market, the Church of Christ Cathedral (which stands over the central whipping block of the slave market), the Livingstone House, the Dhow Harbour, the Jamituru Gardens and night food market, the People’s

Palace and the Arab Fort. You can also opt to take in a tour of the Freddie Mercury Museum which is a five-minute walk from the hotel and not only tells the story of this iconic musician but also features a unique collection of antique photographs of Zanzibar.

Retail therapy Zanzibar style

You can’t help but shop in Stone Town. The ancient streets are lined with emporiums selling everything from spices to hand-made soap and from gloriously exotic clothes to Zanzibar chests. You can also stop along the way to enjoy an aromatic coffee made in the Arab style or browse the many art galleries and curiosity shops.

Doing the Spice Tour

A visit to the ‘Spice Isle’ would be incomplete without taking in the famous ‘Spice Tour, which is easily arranged by the hotel concierge. Zanzibar and Pemba supply 75% of the world’s cloves, which were not introduced as a cash crop until 1818. Now the smell of the island’s major export pervades the islands, especially during the harvest season between July and December. The islands also grow nutmeg, lemon grass, black pepper, cardamom and cinnamon, all of which can be seen growing in the spice plantations alongside numerous exotic tropical fruits. The organized tour stops to see and smell and taste the tropical fruits and spices, plus offers information on what they may be used for. It usually ends with ginger tea in the afternoon. Visitors can also purchase spices and spice oils at very economic prices.

Meet the rare red colobus monkey

If you’d like to take a trip out of Stone Town, head for the Jozani Forest Reserve, the last sanctuary in the world for the rare red colobus monkey, which is endemic to Zanzibar. 35 kms from Stone Town, the 484-acre reserve is also home to other species including Syke's monkey's, bush pigs and nocturnal Zanzibar leopards. Jozani has an excellent nature trail and the guides are well trained and informative.

Island hopping

For the perfect picnic getaway on a sunny tropical afternoon, the tiny deserted islands lying a few kilometres off the western tip of Zanzibar Town are ideal. One of the most popular destinations is Prison Island. This coral outcrop was formerly owned by an Arab who used it to detain misbehaving slaves. In 1893 a prison was built there and although it was never used, the ruins can still be seen. A relaxing walk around the island, past peacocks and mango groves, takes about half an hour. Goats, gazelles

How to get there

and birds inhabit the woods, but the most famous residents are its giant land tortoise probably brought from Aldabra in the Seychelles near the end of the last century.

Insider tip: the hotel organizes a superb sundowner dhow trip that includes music from your own private taarab orchestra, fresh coconut juice and Swahili snacks, a tour of the island and swimming off it’s pristine beach.

A seafood lunch on a sand bank

Perhaps the most enchanting excursion on offer at the Serena Zanzibar Hotel, however, is a trip out to the sandbank that lies just off Stone Town and will be clearly visible from your hotel room. Leaving the hotel mid-morning by means of a boat that comes to collect you from the hotel’s own beach, the journey to the gleaming white sandbank takes around twenty minutes. Once landed you are escorted to your own private area of shade beneath which stands a table and chairs. Whilst you take a swim in the aquamarine waters (or a stroll around the island), a selection of freshly-caught seafood is cooked on a barbeque and served (with superlative chips) by your personal steward. You can then elect to spend the rest of the day on the beach, or head back into Stone Town for your next adventure.

Zanzibar Serena Hotel is easily accessible by flights through Regional Air Services, which offers daily scheduled flights to Zanzibar. It also flies to all the safari destinations in Northern Tanzania and offers charter services across Tanzania.

Additionally, Regional Air Services provide a daily scheduled connection from Northern Tanzania to Kenya’s Maasai Mara.

For more information about the package offered by Regional Air for the Zanzibar Serena Hotel, please visit https://www.serenahotels.com/ zanzibar/offers.