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House of Spices: Traveler Reviews

Kiponda Street, Stone Town 1912, Tanzania
Hotel amenities
House of Spices
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8 reviews from our community

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Traveler rating
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    4
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Date Rating
Oslo, Norway
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
5 hotel reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Athmospheric and authentic hotel”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed April 18, 2012

We stayed in this hotel for 1 night and really enjoyed it. The hotel is right in the middle of Stone Town and you can’t drive to the door because the streets are too narrow. The taxi driver helped carry the luggage. We arrived from an early flight and had breakfast before our room was ready. The room was nice and clean. The shower worked ok. The décor was traditional which gave the room an authentic feel and we really liked this. The breakfast was excellent with lovely fresh fruit and cakes. We had omelet’s as well. Occasionally the electricity and water would not work for a short time, but this was not a problem and it often happens in Tanzania. The hotel was good value for money and a good alternative too a bigger, standard hotel.

  • Stayed March 2012, traveled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Abuja, Nigeria
Senior Contributor
34 reviews 34 reviews
18 hotel reviews
Reviews in 19 cities Reviews in 19 cities
20 helpful votes 20 helpful votes
“It was okay”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed March 15, 2012

Over the course of our stay we ate two meals at other hotels - Emerson Spice and The Swahili House - both were a lot brighter and seemingly cleaner than the House of Spices, where our room was adequate. The carved bed was really cool and the A/C worked (thankfully - it was ungodly hot in Stone Town - I was left wishing for a pool), but the bathroom was a little rough and the water in it not very reliable (which can be very inconvenient when you're lathered up and the water shuts off). Our friends traveling with us had large roaches in their room, but I would imagine those are pretty prevalent in such an old and dilapidated place as Stone Town.

The owner was warm and the little shop in the entry had good prices on cutely-packaged spices, which make great souvenirs.

  • Stayed March 2012, traveled as a couple
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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Avignon, France
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
12 hotel reviews
Reviews in 17 cities Reviews in 17 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed March 29, 2013
Google Translation

  • Stayed March 2012, traveled solo
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Bordeaux, France
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed January 28, 2013
Google Translation

  • Stayed January 2013, traveled as a couple
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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Ask Lovebali33 about House of Spices
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Warere Town House
Great value on a similar hotel
Stone Town, Zanzibar
4.5 of 5 stars 121 Reviews
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Additional Information about House of Spices

Also Known As:
House Of Spices Zanzibar/Stone Town
Address: Kiponda Street, Stone Town 1912, Tanzania
Region: Tanzania > Zanzibar Archipelago > Zanzibar > Stone Town
Hotel Style:
Ranked #7 of 13 Specialty lodging in Stone Town
Price Range: $

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