Accommodation in Zanzibar Archipelago: Echo Beach Hotel
View of pool area and beach at Echo Beach Hotel, Zanzibar
Our Rating: Medium
Echo Beach Hotel
Zanzibar Island
Echo Beach Hotel sits amongst five acres of gardens on Bwejuu, one of the prettiest beaches on Zanzibar.
The lodge is owned and run by Sue and Andrew Page, an English couple who spent 14 years running a hotel in France, before being seduced by the hot weather and white sand beaches of Zanzibar.
The lodge has nine air-conditioned rooms in seven cottages built amongst the coconut palms. The cottages are all traditionally designed with cool whitewashed walls and makuti thatched roofs. Outside each bedroom is a shady verandah or balcony where guests can enjoy a cool drink and watch the world go by. Inside the rooms all have ensuite bathrooms and are decorated with bright, jewel-coloured drapes, and a mixture of antique and locally made wooden furniture.
Andrew oversees the kitchen, where meals are cooked according to the daily catch of the fishermen and whatever food is freshest in the market.
Food is a mixture of traditional Swahili recipes using the wonderful coconut and fresh fish of the island, and modern international cooking. The restaurant itself is light and airy, and meals are either taken here, or on the beach, or tucked away on one of the private balconies of the rooms.
Most people come to the lodge to relax and snooze beside the swimming pool, but for the active Sue and Andrew are more than happy to help organise excursions including dhow trips, spice tours, and diving.
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