Hard to find in the labyrinth of Stone Town (well for us anyway!), but when you find it you walk into the nicest baristas and staff in ST. The staff are super friendly, always with a smile on their face - they clearly enjoy where they work and what the do. Coffee is quality - I love the coconut and lime Lassi (so refreshing) and the food is top notch as well. Even when it overflows the staff dont get flustered, they have this down like clockwork - big up to the management and staff.

The coffee house is a wonderful old building in the winding lanes that form the heart of the old town. The staff were welcoming and thoughtful. Our room was large, classy, comfortable and cooled off at night. The breakfast on the roof was outstanding - great service, food and view. Call to prayer at 5 a.m. was the perfect start to the day in this most interesting cultural mecca. Along with a highly recommended stay at the coffee house, I recommend a personal guided tour of the old town which includes the market, the museum and the former slave market. Female tourists may be more comfortable with conservative clothing and a headscarf when exploring this city.

Stayed in Excelsa room on the top floor. Very friendly and welcoming staff. Like the room decor and comfort. Having the personal bathroom/shower outside the room did not bother me. The hotel is not accessible by car, so your driver/you will need to carry your bags to this place from the parked car some 5 min away. I took one star off because the water in the shower was very weak, making showers a time-consuming ordeal. Also, make sure to bring your own shampoo ( or buy in a pharmacy nearby).

We stayed in the Arabica suite, which was a very nice large and airy room. We were on our honeymoon and the staff had left a beautiful complementary chocolate cake in our room with a message of congratulations on, however I had booked under my maiden name and so the name they put on the cake was wrong. This wasn't their fault though and it gave us a giggle. The breakfast was served up on the room terrace and was very nice. The coffee was very good, as you would expect, but very strong! The hotel is located within a maze of small winding streets, so it can be difficult to find unless you have a good sense of direction, which I don't. It is very close to all the main sites in Stone Town and definitely a good place to stay.