[Voor Nederlands: volledig eens met de beoordeling van Josvanbuuren. Zie voor meer info de tekst al daar. Deze is zeer compleet.]

This is the best place to be on Zanzibar, when you want to relax (swim, read, eat, do nothing, etc.), make day trip or two (Stone town, spice farm, diving, etc.) and don't want to be a number in a resort. The hotel is located in a quiet town, which also means there are less/ only a few hawkers.

This small and new hotel is run by an Italian couple (Fabio and Stefania), who have a great feeling for quality and style. The 5 rooms are very clean and of western standard. The food from the little restaurant is of high quality, affordable and the evening menu changes every day. (These Italians live up to the expectation that they care about good food :-) They've hired the best local staff, which makes the food, service and day-to-day communication very pleasant.

Take into account that there is no big bar around. But the drinks/ cocktails in the hotel are good and if you want to have some contact with 'others', the hotel is that intimate that you can easily strike up a conversation (and have a drink) with other guests and/or Fabio and Stefania.

There is also no swimming pool, which makes sense for such a small place. But if you walk 5 minutes on the beach, there is a small resort which has a nice swimming pool. You can stay here all day, as long as you buy a drink once in a while. And 2 minutes further down the beach there is an even bigger resort with a bigger pool. So use the facility of this resort and go back in the late afternoon/ evening to this great hotel.

Fabio and Stefania, thanks for the great time!

My wife and I recently spent a week at Mamamapambo.
We were looking for a really laid back, beach bum, type of week. We did not want TV, telephone and internet access.
This is just as well because they didn't have it.
Perfect.
Our room, on the upper floor, was just right for us. A uniquely designed bedroom and bathroom with a very special outside balcony area overlooking the ocean. This space was designed for comfort and relaxation.
The food served was of good quality with a daily-changing dinner menu which took its theme from the setting with a lot of fresh seafood and also daily pasta dishes (Italian owners). You are not going to get travellers' diarrhoea here.
The village (spread along five kilometres of beach) was a working, rather than tourist, place. Men went fishing and women, seaweed farming. If you have travelled much in Africa or Asia most places frequented by Western tourists have a significant hassle factor. Not this place (Jambiani). It was a pleasure to be here and meet the local people. Worth the visit alone.
Other attributes of the beach and the owners have already been covered so I won't go over the same ground again.
What surprises me is that there are so few visitors from where I live (The Gulf). Many go to the Seychelles or Mauritius (probably because of direct connections by the local airline).
For a fraction of the price they can get to Zanzibar with a very easy connection in Muscat and then a direct connection with Oman Air.
You don't have to go to our particular sleepy resort as there are plenty, more lively, in the north of the island.
But go, definitely. Great experience.

Having spent a full two weeks at Mamamapambo ,i thought i must write a review.....I am a frequent traveller who has stayed in the official best hotel in the world in Dubai....but let me tell you this place comes pretty damn close...Fabio and Stef have thought long and hard about everything in this hotel , the african chic decor was lovely , great big double rooms ,comfy beds ,and large bathrooms...the food is really tasty and fairly priced...maybe one of the best eating places in the area,,,but this is a hotel/guest house with a difference, from entering to leaving our every need was met 100 per cent nothing was too much trouble from different meals to advice and help....Stef went out of her way to make my wedding anniversary special ,which was a really good unexpected gesture.thankyou so much....i had to cut back on my meals as the portions were too filling ..all the staff have been selected to compliment the way stef and fabio treat you...thankyou omar (the gent ) beka ,doula , juma, rwandzi,kombo selema and the masai izaca...these people made my stay wonderful again ,ask them anything and they try the best to please...practical info....all rooms have a good hairdryer ,towels for the bathroom and the beach,european type sockets as well as shaver point...they have mosquito nets around the beds ,mosquito rings and sprays (but i must say the mossies were nearly non existent,)no swiimming pool but one of the biggest in front of you known as the indian ocean ,if u want an alternative ,about 5 min walk along the beach to the left are three hotels that will let you use their pool if u buy a drink there for about two euros Bahari view,Spice island and Pakachi,for the adventurous motorcycle /scooter hire at Bagdad cafe for about 10 euros a day he even gets your driving permit for u...bring sea shoes for the urchins again not loads but a few about....walking in the village is 99.9 percent safe bring a torch....thats all i can say ...except if you want a great hotel ,this is it thankyou Stef and Fabio ...Glynn and Michelle Nottingham England

great hotel and atmosphere, lovely owners and beautifully located, i would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone who's looking for a place to relax. 100% value for your money! a place you feel at home...