House of Spices

House of Spices is a typical 18th Century house in Zanzibar and comprises three floors enclosing a central courtyard. The house offers four comfortable bedrooms and the rooms can be rented separately, or the unit as a whole.

On the ground floor the main entrance and reception of the house looks out onto Kiponda Street, one of the major thoroughfares crossing the town. On the second floor of the house there are two terraces which were used for drying the spices before they were packed. One now hosts a restaurant serving a wide selection of dishes, gently scented with spices. The wooden oven is used to cook fragrant pizzas, and vegetarian and fish dishes can also be enjoyed. The second terrace is now a wine bar offering wines from most known wineries around the world, complemented by tapas and snacks. From both shaded terraces with their open sides, rooftop views of the minarets and streets of Stone Town can be enjoyed.

On the first floor there are four bedrooms that are all air-conditioned as well as three bathrooms and two sitting rooms. This was the floor originally occupied by the trader in the last century, together with his wife and their three daughters. Every room has its own little treasures with original Zanzibar-style furnishings, beautifully preserved, in a setting of authentic Swahili architecture. Each room carries the name of a spice.

There is a shop on the ground floor, where you can find many gift items that are perfect for spicing up the lives of friends and loved ones.