Zanzibar, TanzaniaStone Town
Emerson on Hurumzi
Restored merchant palace
Stone Town Zanzibar, Tanzania
Renovated
2014
Price
$$
Rated for
Heritage Local DesignOutside the door
The house
Emerson ZanzibarRestored merchant palace
The hotel runs like an eccentric sultanate residence, where guests wander through breezy tiled galleries and gather on the roof at sundown.
What it’s good at
Remarkable
A restored nineteenth-century palace built for Sultan Barghash's chief financier, Tharia Topan.
Remarkable
Rooftop Swahili dinners with live Taarab music, overlooking Stone Town minarets and dhows.
Notable
Carved four-poster beds, stained glass, and jewel-toned textiles in theatrical antique rooms.
What they say
Michelin Selected
Michelin
Also in Condé Nast Traveler.
The atmosphere here is one of antique splendor, the rooms packed with eclectic traditional furnishings, each quite different in layout and features.
Right in the middle
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Stone Town's pedestrian alleys surround the property, with coffee at Jaws Corner and the seafront food market at Forodhani Gardens a short stroll away.
The rooms
No two rooms share the same layout, and selected suites open onto private verandas or stone baths beneath the stars.
The pool
Bring a swimsuit.
The plunge pool sits in a leafy courtyard atrium, fed by an arched tiled wall fountain.
The spa
At the table
Guests sit on floor cushions around low tables on the rooftop, eating three-course Zanzibari dinners above the harbor.
Every inch of the space, from the canopied beds to the rooftop teahouse, was designed to look like something out of a classic opera or African legend—decadent, theatric, and full of history.
How it began
American traveler Emerson Skeens rescued the derelict palace in 1991, spending years restoring its coral-stone walls, antique timbers, and soaring rooftop.
Zanzibar
More like this
Essque Zalu Zanzibar
“Thatched cliffside compound”
The app
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.