Smack in the middle of Stown Town's most buzzing backstreets and with a cool little café style restaurant for breakfast and the lot.

The room was shabby, with sealed windows instead of wall seperating our bed from the reception. You could hear everyone in the hallway. We didn't mind though, unless it was during the night.

The room had two beds and one of them was in so bad condition that it was impossible to sleep in. Luckily the other bed were big enough for both of us to get our sleep on.

We looked at 5 hostels before choosing this one and negotiated a rent of 40 USD per night. Accomodation in Stone Town is not cheap, so this was good value for money.

Nobody can call the Coco de Merd inconsistent. Having stayed in 2009 and 2011 I can confirm that nothing has changed. On a positive note at least you know what to expect when you book here, I assure you if you read the reviews below, and then stay here you will not be disappointed!

This place is grotty, smells bad, and is quite possible the worst accomodation I've ever seen. There was no power on the island, so every hotel was running generators, but this hotel only ran it a couple of hours a day, and when it did, it was directly under our window. We had to use a flashlight in the bathroom, men were sitting directly outside our door smoking and drinking, air was stagnant and we could not breath. We could not bare to stay a second night - I was seriously concerned about our health. All of the campsites we stayed at during our safari would be preferable to this dive!

We only stayed here because our previous night's accommodation (Zanzibar Coffe House Hotel - which is excellent) was full. And what a contrast! I'd actually visited a friend here about six years ago, but the place seems to have changed hands and is looking decidedly run-down. The rooms were shabby, and the linen and towels either in poor condition and (in the case of the towels) not particularly clean. The bathroom was the worst part of our room, with leaking taps, ants everywhere, and a bad smell. This would be okay if they charged budget rates, but at $50 for a twin, we felt a little cheated.

However, the guy at the front desk told me that they have plans to refurbish it over the next year, so this place could be brought back from the dead - worth checking back in 2009!