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The Journal

Notes from the quiet side of Zanzibar — written where the tide comes in.

Jambiani · Zanzibar · Est. 2026

Before you choose the island

The two questions everyone asks first.

  1. Where to Stay in Zanzibar

    9 min read

    A coast-by-coast guide to the island’s six main beach areas — what each one is actually like, who it suits, and what it costs.

  2. When to Visit Zanzibar

    8 min read

    Rains, heat, crowds and seaweed across all twelve months, with the trade-offs named plainly rather than sold.

Choosing your stretch of coast

Once you know it’s the east.

  1. Jambiani or Paje?

    6 min read

    Two villages, four kilometres apart, with completely different temperaments. An honest comparison, including who should pick Paje.

Choosing the kind of place

Size and temperament, once the coast is settled.

  1. Twelve Rooms or Two Hundred

    8 min read

    The one number nobody checks before booking: guests per metre of beach. What a small hotel gives you, and what it takes away.

  2. What Makes a Hotel Romantic

    8 min read

    Privacy, dining and space on the beach change the holiday. Four-poster beds do not. And on this coast the sun rises out of the sea rather than setting into it.

Planning the practical side

The boxes you tick last, and should think about first.

  1. All-Inclusive or Half Board?

    7 min read

    The deciding factor is not price — it is how far you are from somewhere else to eat. A coast-by-coast answer to the last box you tick.