Zanzibar–Where is that again?

That had to be one of the most popular questions I was asked when I talk about my trip to Zanzibar. Last May I had the pleasure of traveling to this exotic Island which is off the coast of mainland Tanzania, Africa.

My cousin celebrated her birthday and organized a group trip for #ForeverYoungInZanzibar. I can not take credit for planning this trip, my cousin Lola did all the grunt work and all I had to do was show up. If you’re thinking about traveling to Zanzibar do it, and after reading my trip recap I’m sure you will be convinced! We also had an all purple night, since it is her favorite color and we wore it on her Birthday night. I love when groups color coordinate and takes pictures. I feel like this is becoming a thing for my trips, and I’m not mad at it.

 

On this trip, I was able to take some great pictures on my iPhone in Portrait mode, and that’s great for times you don’t feel like lugging around your camera. My cousin is also a former professional photographer and captured some amazing shots of me as well.

The Flight:

Prepare yourself! It’s not a bad flight, but it is a LONG flight. If you buy your ticket in advance, you should be able to pay around $800 round trip. Which is not bad at all for a 20+ hour travel. Yes, you travel for a day to get to Zanzibar. It’s not a straight flight so no worries you will have time to stretch your legs a bit. Check out my post where I share some of my travel hacks with you!

Where we Stayed:

We stayed at Park Hyatt during our stay, and the staff made everything about our stay seamless. Each of our meals was handpicked and well thought out curated menu. The icing on the cake was each day our group had custom menus with an appetizer, entree, and dessert. The staff at Park Hyatt is so friendly, attentive, and will make your trip a breeze. They went above and beyond to make sure our group was satisfied. The presentation of our meals blew me away, and I found myself excited to eat each day to see what the chef would curate for the day.

  This hotel as has an infinity pool, and I have always wanted to go inside of one 🙂 This pool is the perfect place to snap some pictures. The hotel also has a nice bar which was nice for our group to relax after our long days.

What to do:

While in Zanzibar you can opt to have a relaxing vacation and spend your time lounging on the beach, eating at the many fine restaurants the city has to offer. The other option is to go around exploring the popular destinations n Zanzibar. I’m sharing below some of the favorite places we went to during our stay.

Walking tour:

Our group took a walking tour of Stone Tone. At first, when I found out we were going on a walking tour I was like how will we be able to see everything? I’m usually used to travel companies coming to pick your group up at the hotel and taking you around to different locations. The great thing about our hotel we were centrally located to most of the landmarks in Zanzibar.

I will highly suggest the walking tour if you plan to go you get to interact with locals and learn so much as you go from place to place.

During our walking tour of Stonetown, we stopped into this spa that smelled amazing. I was able to get one of the scents called Oud. You sprinkle the incense on top of the hot coal, and the smell will travel through your whole room.

While walking through the town, we noticed that a lot of the doors had hand carved details. It was so beautiful to see the different doors and see how talented these people are the attention to detail on the door was amazing. Also acted as a great backdrop as well.

Paje Beach:

One of the gorgeous beaches in town. Although we did not spend much time here. The beach was really clean, and there is a great restaurant located on the beach.

While on the beach you will run into people from the Maasai Tribe, and they are charming and will take pictures with you but be sure to tip since this is how some make a living.

Dinner at Emerson on Hurumzi:

Have you ever wanted to have dinner on a private rooftop? I never knew what I was missing, but this was a highlight of our trip.

After you climb up about 5 flights of stairs, you will find yourself in the restaurant. At the restaurant, there are table and floor seating. The food was delicious, and the staff makes the trim so enjoyable. They have live music with a live band. Your group will have a blast eating and enjoying the views of the city.

Unfortunately, when we arrived, it was so dark so I couldn’t capture all the greatness.

Trust me because you will want to be here. The restaurant is a nice sized and can be perfect for an intimate dinner, but can also accommodate a group.

The staff is very attentive and makes your dining experience unforgettable.

 

Changuu Island A.K.A Prison Island:

To get to Changuu Island, we took a quick boat trip ride out there. If you get motion sickness like me, I would suggest taking Dramamine, and it will make everything smooth. The ride can get a bit bumpy and long if you get motion sickness a lot. The island was once to hold reb rebellious slaves in 1860s but ended up just become a quarantine station for yellow fever ( I know some of you are curious to why it’s called prison island. A quick history lesson) Now Changuu Island is home to humongous turtles. We got to go and visit the Giant Turtle Sanctuary I’ve never seen so many turtles in one place! You can snap some photos with the turtles and feel them.

Dinner on the water:

That’s right I got to have a gourmet dinner on the water. The Rock Restuarant should be on everyone’s list who plans to make a trip to Zanzibar. If the location doesn’t blow you away from the food will. Your group arrives at the restaurant that is literally on the water, and you take a little boat to the entrance. When you enter inside the restaurant, it is beautiful, and our group had the restaurant to ourselves. The staff was so great and allowed us to play our music, and we turned it into our own party. It was the perfect location for us to be at and celebrate the Birthday Girl. I would highly suggest you check out The Rock. Also get there before the sun sets, and you can take some amazing pictures. Unfortunately, we arrived so late, and we were not able to take great pictures, hence my dark photo below.

Orphanage Vist:

I was so happy that we were able to volunteer at an orphanage during our stay. It was very easy for me to be able to have organized this event with the help of Nelson, the concierge at Park Hyatt. Once I told him the size of our group and what we had in mind. He picked the orphanage, and we were all set! The day of our volunteer event he helped organize transportation for us. When we arrived at the Manzini Orphanage, the kids were timid at first, but once we started chatting, we become quick friends. We were able to play alongside the kids, and they all were a lover of snapchat 🙂

We weren’t sure what the orphanage was in need of so we donated to the school, and allowed the faculty determines the best use.

Nightlife:

As far as nightlife our group didn’t make it out the one time we did it wasn’t a success at all so no need to share. If you go and happen to find the nightlife let me know 🙂 I plan to make it back to Zanzibar one day! If you guys have any other questions about Zanzibar, be sure to let me know below!

 

Be sure to check out my IG Story Highlights to see all my Zanzibar Stories!

Until next time!