LF Review: ★★★.5
There’s a different kind of beauty in arriving at a new country at the crack of dawn. Sure, red-eye flights can be daunting, but places like Zanzibar make it worth it. As I left the airport, the sky came alive with sunrise hues—burnt orange, soft pink, and gold—spilling across the horizon. On one side, dense forest; on the other, the vast Indian Ocean, with a long, straight road cutting through the middle. And just ahead, the sun was slowly rising as I made my way to The Residence Zanzibar. Quite literally, I watched Zanzibar come to life—in a quiet, cinematic welcome to paradise.
Despite my exhaustion, I’m instantly awake as I approach the resort. After an hour’s ride, I arrive at The Residence, whose lobby is easily one of the most inviting I’ve ever seen: open, airy, and perfectly aligned with a view of the infinity pool that seems to flow straight into the white-sand beach just beyond. The only sounds are the soft hush of the waves. A glass of fresh watermelon juice in hand, I’m soon whisked away by golf cart to my garden villa—one of the 66 low-slung white bungalows scattered gracefully across the resort’s lush grounds.
First impressions
Spread over approximately 32 hectares, the resort lies in Kizimkazi, a fishing village known for its sea-faring traditions and dolphin pods. Frangipani trees leaned lazily all around, and hibiscus flowers blazed crimson against the green. Villas are nestled amid gardens and ocean frontage. They are set back enough to feel private, yet close enough so that the sound of waves is never far. There’s a subtle elegance in the architecture—contemporary in its lines, yet indebted to African, Omani, and Swahili influences.
Walking into my villa felt like stepping into someone’s idea of pure peace. The air smelled lightly floral and a little like the ocean. The room interiors were an elegant conversation between Swahili grace and contemporary restraint—high ceilings, carved wood, gauzy drapes breathing with the breeze. Inside, it was bright and open, with a dreamy canopy bed right in the centre. Big glass doors opened out to a private pool—hidden away by palms and thick greenery that make the garden villas so special and a quiet reminder that a gentle reminder that nature steals the show here. Well, almost private—except for the cheeky monkeys jumping between trees, watching from a distance.
A separate dressing area follows into the bathroom. There are freestanding bathtubs, twin sinks, rain showers framed by floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor showers that invite you to bathe in sunlight or moonlight.
The villas at The Residence Zanzibar achieve something rare: they feel at once private and open, intimate yet expansive. There’s a choreography to the space—from the way the morning sun falls on the deck to the gentle scent of frangipani by the pool—that is meant to slow you down.
Flavours that taste like memory
Zanzibar, they say, is an island of spice and story—and food here tells both. A blind tasting of local dishes would leave you reminiscing about Indian fare, making it difficult to tell certain dishes apart. At The Residence Zanzibar, there are two dining venues to choose from: the Dining Room and the Pavilion. The main restaurant, The Dining Room, is an airy, open-plan space that flows seamlessly onto the beach, offering sweeping views of the ocean.
Famished, the first morning breakfast at The Residence was an affair between indulgence and restraint—platters of tropical fruit glistening like jewels, freshly baked bread, cinnamon-dusted pastries and coffee strong enough to anchor you to the day. Food in Zanzibar is abundant, hearty, and never served in modest portions.
Lunch at the restaurant was a feast—a menu filled with dishes that play beautifully to the familiarity of the Indian palate. There’s the fragrant Zanzibari pilau, reminiscent of an Indian pulao, and sambusas—pocket-sized like samosas but filled with spiced meat. Beyond these comforting echoes of home, The Dining Room’s lunch menu is impressively diverse: think butter-poached shrimp with fresh mango salsa, marinated avocado and chilli; a classic salad niçoise with grilled tuna; catch-of-the-day carpaccio; crisp crab cakes; seared scallops; sandwiches, stir-fries, pizzas, pastas, and a tempting range of grilled fish, steaks, and other meats. Truly, something to please every palate.
For more intimate evenings dining al fresco, the Pavilion is a gorgeous place to enjoy intimate dinners under the twinkling courtyard lights. Lanterns shimmer, and it’s a space with the architecture borrowing the long arches and latticed grace of Arabian design. At the same time, the mood is pure Zanzibar—sultry, slow, humming softly with the rhythm of the ocean just beyond. You hear the low murmur of conversation, the clinking of glass and dinner feels like a slow ritual. The menu itself is a map of the Indian Ocean’s crossroads—Middle Eastern mezze platters, Indian coconut rice, Mediterranean olive oil slick on charred aubergine or North African spices threading their way through tender lamb.
It’s the kind of place made for dressing up and dining with your significant other—though I did so with my best friend, just as lovely, as the night air carried the fragrance of jasmine and frangipani.
The slow art of doing nothing
There’s an ease to life at The Residence Zanzibar that makes time feel unhurried. The days slip by quietly—sunlight filtering through palms in the morning, stretching across the pool by noon. By evening, the island seems to pause for its daily spectacle. The sunsets here are almost always magnificent, best seen from a lounger by the infinity pool, over cocktails at The Jetty, or while walking the long, pale stretch of beach that curves gently along the coast. It feels private, untouched, and deeply peaceful.
The resort sits along a mile of soft white sand on Zanzibar’s southern shore, where each villa enjoys its own corner of calm. We have spent evenings simply wandering between shade, sea, and sand—the kind of aimless day that belongs only to holidays. At low tide, the reef appears like another world. You can walk far into the lagoon, ankle-deep in warm water. Just the island, the ocean, and the feeling that there’s nowhere else you need to be!
Having your own bicycle here is a small luxury in itself—a relaxed, almost childlike way to explore the resort’s winding paths lined with palms and flowering shrubs. We often pedalled past verandas where guests sat reading in the shade, the air still except for the soft hum of wheels on sand and the sight of a lone heron poised by the water’s edge. If you’d rather take it slow, golf buggies are always just a call away.
The Residence is a cocoon, yes, but it never cuts you off from the island’s rhythm. In many ways, it reflects the spirit of Zanzibar itself — warm, open, and deeply connected. Guests can join cooking classes that celebrate local flavours, pick up a few words of Swahili, or unwind at an outdoor movie night under a sky scattered with stars.
What truly sets the place apart, though, is the warmth of its people. Every encounter — whether it’s a gardener passing by or a housekeeper tidying your villa — comes with a genuine smile and an easy, ‘How are you?’. It’s a quiet, effortless kindness that feels familiar: attentive without being intrusive, gracious without pretence. It’s this quiet sincerity that turns a beautiful stay into something that feels personal.
It’s always hard to leave a place that teaches you to slow down. Some places you travel to; others you absorb, quietly. The Residence Zanzibar belongs to the latter.
LF Review: ★★★.5
Coordinates: Mchamgamle, Kizimkazi, PO Box 2404, Zanzibar, Tanzania
