Nungwi:
Baobab Beach Bungalows 024/223 6315 or 0747/429391,
www.baobabbeachbungalows.com. At the south end of the western shore next to a beautiful little cove and nice stretch of sand, this contains fifty decent if unexciting rooms, most set well back from the beach on an uninteresting lawn – check them out before paying, as some can be smelly. The cheapest, in rows of bungalows at the back, have verandahs. Next up are lodge rooms, in thatch-roofed two-storey buildings containing four rooms each, all with satellite TV, whilst the spacious deluxe rooms at the front have sea-view verandahs, a/c and fridges. All have good bathrooms and ceiling fans. There's also Internet access, and the superbly positioned Sunset Restaurant (and bar). $40–150
Cholo's 0748/705502,
fox708@yahoo.com. Run by a friendly bunch of Rastas, this is Nungwi's most chilled-out set-up, right on the beach (not on a small cliff like places to the south). Accommodation is in just three small, open-fronted bandas (security doesn't seem to be a problem) and there's a great "Mad Max"-style bar, with good food. The music goes on till late, so it's not ideal for early risers. $10-20
Jambo Brothers Bungalows 0747/498380. One of Nungwi's oldest hotels, with a lovely nearby beach, but the reception staff are rather frosty and there's a lingering weariness throughout. The rooms too are tired, with cracked toilet seats and holey nets. Still, it's cheap, and most rooms have limited sea views. $20-40
Langi Langi Beach Bungalows 024/224 0470,
langi_langi@hotmail.com. The "beach" bit is actually across the road past their restaurant, but the fourteen rooms in semi-detached bungalows have clean modern bathrooms, a/c, fans and balconies, and the management are friendly. $40-70
Mnarani Beach Cottages 024/224 0494,
www.mnaranibeach.com. There's always a warm welcome at this small, intimate and efficiently run mini-resort on the quieter eastern flank of the peninsula, set beside a wonderful cove-like beach in lush gardens full of labelled plants and trees. The twelve smallish makuti-thatched cottages have private bathrooms, a/c and sea views. Larger, and better for families, are four two-storey apartments with kitchens and open-air upstairs bedrooms. There are sun loungers and hammocks on the beach, a bar nestled among coconut palms, and a wonderful restaurant specializing in seafood – dine on a terrace or, at night, on the beach. Snorkelling equipment is available and they have a motorized dhow for cruises and fishing. Good value. $70–150
Nungwi Inn Hotel 024/224 0091. An unexceptional place on the west side where you'll have to haggle to get a decent price, with a jumble of small cottages scattered around a dishevelled "lawn" doubling as a car park. Still, the rooms are well kept, have good bathrooms, and the beds even have cotton sheets. One or two rooms have limited sea views, and there's a basic restaurant. $40-70
Nungwi Village Beach Resort 022/215 2187 (Dar es Salaam),
www.nungwivillage.com. Facing a broad and formerly picturesque stretch of beach, this is now fronted by an unsightly concrete sea wall, against which the waves collide at high tide. This design malfunction aside, it's a pretty good place: the staff are friendly and helpful, and the rooms – all with a/c – are reasonable, standard ones in a courtyard at the back, and – at almost twice the price – sea-view ones in a number of two-storey thatched buildings by the beach, in front of a garden with hammocks slung between palm trees. The restaurant and bar are both good. $40–150
Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel 024/223 3767 or 024/223 2512,
www.rasnungwi.com. Nungwi's only proper resort (it's the only place with a swimming pool), this 32-room complex is set on a palm-dotted outcrop beside a lovely stretch of sand. Prices depend on room size and proximity to the beach – at these prices, you might as well cough up the extra for a sea-view chalet. All rooms have a/c, fans and balconies, and are attractively decorated. The hotel also boasts several bars and restaurants (occasional live music, and seafood buffets twice a week), Internet access and plenty of water sports. Closed April to mid-June. Half-board. over $250
Sazani Beach Hotel 0747/491747,
www.sazanibeach.com. A small, relaxed place on a lovely east coast beach, miles from the western tourist hub. There are ten well-equipped, en-suite rooms (they call them "snuggeries") in the colourful gardens, most with sea views from their verandahs. There's also a good beachside bar and restaurant. Half-board. $100-150
Smiles Beach Hotel 024/224 0472,
smilesbeachhotel@zanzinet.com. An amusing foray into kitsch, with four two-storey Toytown houses with red tin roofs and external spiral staircases facing the sea (the beach lies beyond an unsightly seawall, as with Nungwi Village next door). The sixteen rooms, including triples, have a/c, sea views, phone, satellite TV and spotless bathrooms. There's a restaurant by the ocean, a boat for snorkelling or sunset cruises ($10 including drinks), and the staff are helpful and friendly. Closed April & May. $70-100
Union Beach Bungalows 0747/454706. Next to Jambo Brothers Bungalows and similarly run-down but more welcoming, with ten basic twin-bed rooms, and a small restaurant (no alcohol). The scatter of rocks on the beach are a clumsy attempt to stop beach erosion. $20-40
Kendwa:
Les Toits de Palme 0747/418548. Kendwa's cheapest, with eight or nine basic, palm-thatched beach bandas (four of which are for guests) sharing a bathroom, plus six rooms in three small and spartan en-suite bungalows on the coral bluff, facing the sea. Cheap meals available (Tsh2500–3500). $20-40
White Sands Beach Hotel 0747/480987,
www.zanzibar-white-sands-hotel.com. A nicely relaxing, unpretentious and well-run place with stylishly decorated if rather bare rooms. There are three kinds, all on top of the coral bluff behind the beach: small and cosy ones in thatched cottages at the back with "cold" water, slightly bigger cottages with hot water, and – the biggest – four rooms in two cottages at the front with huge double beds and good views. There are hammocks slung between tamarisk trees on the beach, and a beautifully designed beach restaurant and bar. $40–100
Sunset Bungalows 0747/414647,
info@sunsetbungalows.com. Six two-room bungalows facing each other at the back of the sandy beach (no real sea views though as they're side-on), and more atop the coral bluff. The rooms, decorated with colourful kangas, are small but have enough space for four-poster beds. Triples cost just $5–10 more. Bar and restaurant on the beach. $40-70
Kendwa Rocks 0747/415475 or 0747/415527,
www.kendwarocks.com. Mellow Rastafarian-run place for a quiet and affordable getaway, with a range of accommodation including cheap "dorms" in very basic palm-thatch bandas, the best being the two at the back of a sandy clearing behind the beach. Also in the clearing are eight coconut wood bungalows on stilts, whilst on the coral headland at the back are slightly more expensive stone bungalows (some triples too) with the benefit of fans, reproduction antiques, four-posters with box nets and verandahs, but not all with sea views. The bar and restaurant is on the beach. "Dorms" $20-40, bungalows. $40-70
Amaan Kendwa Beach Resort 0747/492552,
amaankendwa@hotmail.com. Thirty-eight rooms, most in large two-room cottages sharing terraces in a scrubby garden on the coral cliff above the beach. Although the hotel claims that most rooms have sea views, only ten in the front row (also with a/c) are worth spending the extra $15 on. Good beach restaurant and bar (the Titanic), Internet access ($2/hr) and a forex with bad rates except for dollars cash. $40–100