Boutique Hotel Matlai

A beautiful small resort with just 6 rooms in two separate buildings. Very attentive and friendly staff. Lovely pool. Beautiful gardens. Long white sand beach right in front of the rooms is perfect for walks and swimming (with sea shoes, and somewhat tide dependent).

MY WIFE AND I STAYED FOR ONLY THREE NIGHTS (WISH IT HAD BEEN LONGER!) AFTER A LENGTHY STAY ON THE MAINLAND AT VARIOUS SAFARI CAMPS. OUR WONDERFUL HOLIDAY ON ZANZIBAR, ESPECIALLY AT THE BOUTIQUE HOTEL MATLAI, WAS A PERFECT AND RELAXING ENDING TO A MEMORBLE VACATION. WE VISTED THE SPA AND WERE SO GLAD WE DID. THE STAFF WERE VERY FRIENDLY, THE FOOD QUITE GOOD, AND THE VIEWS WERE SPECTACULAR OF THE INDIAN OCEAN. WE DID VISIT THE JOVANI FOREST TO SEE THE RED COLOBUS MONKEYS (GO EARLY!) AND WE HAD LUNCH AT THE ROCK RESTAURANT RIGHT DOWN THE BEACH. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ALSO! WE STAYED IN THE MOON SUITE AT THE VILLA KIDOSHO SIDE OF THE RESORT.

We recently spent two magnificent weeks at the Boutique Hotel Matlai. In a nutshell this an oasis that provides for your all your holiday needs on immaculate grounds with exceptional staff. If you’re looking for that personal touch, then Matlai is it. What makes this hotel unique is its size. There are a total of 6 rooms spread over two ‘homes’ (4 rooms in the palapa-styled home, and 2 rooms in the white-house) on the grounds and a whole team dedicated to ensuring your stay (without being obtrusive) is the best possible. The rooms are all well appointed with plenty of space for your belongings, each room having a beautiful view of the Indian Ocean. What really sets this hotel apart is the staff and level of attentiveness to your every need. The staff were superlative - Ramadan, Martin, Derrick, Gideon, Tatu, Mariam, Anna, Asi, Emmanuel, and the front-desk staff all provided personal touches – such as fixing a broken mask of mine, preparing the meals a specific way, ensuring our health was okay (got sick from diving too deep), etc. It is this level of service you wouldn’t find at a regular hotel that really made this place stand-out. They honestly made us feel like we were family, they were all so warm and welcoming. The grounds of the hotel are immaculate, with lush gardens throughout. Two infinity-style pools provide stunning views out across the Indian Ocean. The hotel provides delicious meals – breakfasts can be ordered in your room or front balcony (ordered however you like and whatever you like). Dinners can be had anywhere on the grounds of the hotel – they were varied – with no same meal had in the two weeks we were there. The hotel can provide personalized tours through a 3rd party – Chiddy Tours. I highly recommend working with the hotel for any tour. Chiddy’s tours were personal down to just us as a couple so we could do anything we wanted and spend as much time on things as we desired. It wasn’t like being packed on a bus like a sardine with 100 other folks. Chiddy Tours worked with what you wanted to do/see and tailored the tours accordingly. In addition, the hotel has on-ground massage/spa services which were very good, especially after or prior to the long journey home Mariam and her team do an outstanding job of ensuring you’re comfortable and relaxed. If anyone is an avid swimmer/snorkeler – about a mile out (1.6km) are outstanding reefs/fish. Go at high-tide (you definitely need fins as it is a long slog) straight out from the hotel, past the sand-bank you see at low-tide another 400-600 metres straight out (before the waves), you’ll find a plethora of reef with outstanding tropical fish. The water (even at high tide) is never particularly deep (no more than 5 metres at the deepest). We found the reef here to be even better than at Mnemba Atoll, mind you, at Mnemba the boats take you instead of the long swim

We have just spent 4 nights at the fantastic Matlai. It’s an amazing location and the hotel is beautifully constructed and a real oasis of peace. The rooms are wonderful, the food is terrific (much better than the famous Rock restaurant up the coast) and people make the experience a total delight. We were looked after so well by Gideon, Ramadan and Anna. Sincere thanks to them. It’s been a highlight of our visit to Tanzania.

This hotel is exceptional! That isn’t really a good enough word to describe it! Many people return yearly and I can see why! The service and the experience is first class - world class! I was honestly blown away by how wonderful it was (is as we are still here and loving every moment) From the incredible outdoor cinema - must be seen to be believed but a tropical oasis, to the world class spa trea**ent we had as part of the wonderful pamper package (my only criticism was if anything this is undersold as we didn’t realise the sunset trip was actually in a traditional dhow which we were happily surprised by and wonderful included a visit to an acrobat show). Everything is just above and beyond - our spa trea**ent for example 60 minutes but was longer with the lovely foot cleaning we had, the dinner and breakfast you can have wherever you like or opt for a “surprise” which my goodness is just wonderful - the most romantic and special experience. Everything is right and it’s not just right it’s right on steroids - it’s maximum right! We adore Matlai and very very much hope to return - there is nothing I would change and everything has been thought of - even things you wouldn’t think of!

What an amazing place. Even before we arrived I had been impressed. I wrote several emails to the owner, Inge, and received replies almost by return. All her replies were helpful and answered my queries. We were blown away with this wonderful place. They had built the hotel from scratch and it is obvious that they have thought of everything. Each detail is worked out. Even having a place to charge our phones which is always convenient. The rooms are perfect and all different. We had the 2 rooms in Kidoshi which were rather Arabic and 2 rooms in Asili House which were more African. Beautiful toiletries where you could choose the scent for your bath and for your room. Very comfortable beds and every amenity. There is a cabinet outside the room for cold drinks at all times. There is too much to mention but it was all perfect. The owner Inge and her son Tim clearly care a great deal about the hotel and in maintaining extremely high standards. Tim was always very friendly and helpful to us throughout our stay. Inge was away while we were there. The butler team was amazing, such lovely people and all very professional. The attention to detail and effort put into service each day and night was superb. All the staff were helpful and friendly. Nothing is too much trouble. You can also play football, darts, boules, ladder golf and volleyball with the staff. The rooms are immaculate and cleaned regularly. Breakfast is from a vast choice and can be eaten anywhere. The all-day menu contains anything you might want. There is a new dinner menu with many choices every night. All delicious. We were an extended family of 9 people of varying ages and there was always something for all of us. Sometimes so much it was difficult to choose. The facilities are outstanding with spacious grounds, lots of sunbeds, hammocks, daybeds etc. There is always somewhere to sit or lie in the sun or shade. The grounds are well-kept and beautifully designed. It is hard to describe how perfect this place is. The location is on the beach. The tides go in and out quite a long way. It is interesting to walk on the sand (in reef shoes provided by the hotel) and see all the sea urchins, brittle stars and water snakes stranded in pools. We went on a Dhow boat and snorkelled with lots of fish, clams and anemones etc. We then went to an area full of star fish. Covering the bottom of the sand. There are other interesting trips we did to Stone Town, on quad bikes to a village, a spice tour and visit to the National Park to see Red Colobus monkeys. We didn’t want to leave and all want to return. I had hoped that my family would have a holiday of a lifetime………..they did!! I travel a lot all over the world……….this is one of the very best luxury places.

We stayed in a hotel near this restaurant (that’s part of a boutique hotel. ) the food is simple amazing. It’s a real rarity for me to say this. The only downside is that it took me 6 nights to know that it was there. Great cocktails. Totally different to the norm. Amazing food and very good service. Highly recommend it.