We recently stayed at a 4-star hotel in Stone Town and, unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations. The staff were friendly, but not particularly proactive or helpful when issues arose. While we appreciated the warm demeanor, the service didn’t quite meet the standard you’d expect from a hotel rated at this level. Breakfast was served on the rooftop, which did offer a lovely view of the city and ocean—a definite highlight. However, the breakfast options were quite limited, and the overall quality was underwhelming. Our biggest disappointment was with the room itself. We stayed in the “Living Stone” room, which looked charming and character-filled in the online photos. In reality, the room was fairly basic and lacked any of the charm or ambiance we had anticipated. It felt rather plain and unremarkable. Cleanliness was a significant issue. Upon arrival, we discovered the bed linens were dirty and had to request that the bed be remade—a surprising oversight. Even after that, the overall cleanliness left much to be desired. To make matters worse, the bathroom had a persistent sewage odor that was impossible to ignore. While the hotel has potential—particularly with its rooftop and central location—it fell short in areas that really matter: cleanliness, comfort, and value for money. Sadly, we left feeling disappointed and wouldn’t return or recommend it to others without significant improvements.

Absolutely beautiful and historic hotel near shopping, dining and city sights.

The property needs an upgrade. The breakfast quality needs improvement. The dining staff service needs improvement.

The

This hotel is a beautiful old original Arab style house in stone town full of original features and decor. Staff were friendly, welcoming and helpful. I rea example of a comfortable hotel with the genuine Swahili coast experience

Jafferji is unique in style and the room were very spacious

Beautiful heritage hotel in the center of Stone Town, close to many attractions. Room was super large and carefully decorated with local artifacts and furniture. I loved the breakfast on the rooftop with a 365 degree view of the city! Special call to the staff who was very friendly, attentive and who helped us organize a car transfer to our next destination.

Unique property. Kind staff. Good breakfast. Great aircon!

Jafferji House exceeded expectations as a historic location owned and decorated by a noted artistic figure, originally a family home, right in the centre of a World Heritage site. Individual rooms are in themselves notably special. The professionalism and dedication of the desk staff was the icing on a very rich experience.

Beautiful hotel right in the middle of all of the shops. Very convenient, quiet and comfortable. Beautiful rooftop terrace!!

This place was average. Very quaint and charming. Breakfast was lacking and the room linens didn't seem very clean. There were stains on the pillow cases and sitting areas. There's also a fee that that require in cash in addition to the regular payment and they hound you if you don't have cash to pay it right away. Overall, cute place but not really my kind of comfort.

Jafferji House is located in the heart of Stone Town, conveniently located in the labyrinth of streets full of cool doors and shops catering to tourists. Jafferji House has a colonial era Africa vibe, filled with interesting antiques and curiosities. The rooftop breakfast dining room is a lovely peaceful spot to start the day, with 360 degree views of the town and the ocean. Rooms ate large and each one has unique charm. is unreliable. Staff was helpful and knowledgeable. Accessibility note: this is an old mansion, so lots of stairs/uneven walkways.

It was eclectic however the air condition didn’t work so great. Other than that, it was quite lovely… assuming you’d like ethnic stylings… Which I do. It’s history.😀

We had a wonderful stay at the Jafferji House. Rooms were large and clean, excellent AC and good wifi (although limited availability in the room, moreso in the lobby). Nice included rooftop breakfast and kind and helpful staff. Would definitely return!

Overall a great experience but Air conditioner was not working my entire stay. I originally purchased a superior room but was offered a single without compensation or adjustment for what I paid. Was ultimately given the room I paid for yet without functioning air conditioning. This made my stay very comfortable especially considering the high heat and humidity in the area.

Staff were very nice and helpful. The hotel was very clean. Rooms were good size.

We wanted to stay in Stonetown in an authentic hotel. Dating from the 1880s we found our place. It was just down a very narrow street from the Freddy Mercury House. It helped to have their staff pick us up from the airport. The rooftop restaurant had a great view of the ocean and town. We ate the special dinner. It was expensive but with so many authentic courses and flavors it was well worth. This is not a glamorous place, but very real. The AC worked well and the room was comfortable.

The staff was very helpful with everything we needed. Good location within Stonetown. Walkable distance to a lot of historical sites and shopping.

Property was very nostalgic and romantic perfectly positioned to tour Stone Town. Best part was Manal at the front desk. She was so friendly and helped us with so many things during our stay. The hotel should pay her more money cause she is worth her wait in gold!

Everything was great, except the noise coming from other rooms. I was in the Out of Africa room and could hear loud footsteps and conversations of the people above me at 4am. I think the walls must be very thin. Otherwise, very nice place.