We got to Zanzibar on Dec 28th 2011. Spent the first 5 days at the Serena Inn and the last 5 days at the Diamond Dreams of Zanzibar.
The Serena Inn was quite nice. Not a 5 star as it would be in New York, but nonetheless it was totally ok. It's right at the ocean in East-Africa...things are different ...and the staff is so friendly as all Zanzibarians seem to be.
For New Year there was a great party at the hotel and guests and the entire staff danced their heart out...it was a great vibe and great food...and we even won a trivia contest.
Stone Town is charming and it looks like they are cleaning up quite a bit.
It appeared absolutely save and people were nice and not very pushy in trying to sell anything.
Serena Inn regular food got a bit tired after a few days, but there are plenty of restaurants in town. and all is Hakuna Matata (no problem)

Met a smart young man with a great smile and promised that I would recommend him here as a guide and local help for everything.

Contact
Abdi Kassu <[--]>
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To stay at the Serena inn by mid january 2012, we had reserved directly from their website, and fully prepaid the entire stay, months before our arrival. This rate is cancellable but the hotel immediately charged the whole stay as soon as we reserved. And it costs well more than 300 USD per night all inclusive in this luxurious ressort. At this price, you can expect highly professionnal service, that starts with a warm welcome, all time attention from attentive and polite staff, exquisitely design and equiped with all the latest amenities room. Stonetown is somewhere by the middle of the west coast of Zanzibar island and the Serena Inn is by the beach, exactly on the westernmost tip of stonetown facing Tanzania.
We like :
-1001 nights dream sultan palace like buiding (to our modest opinion as we’ve ever been in a sultan palace before) with antique furniture, that makes you feel you’re somewhere in an enchanted dream. And our standard room is more than enough for this enchantment. Very comfortable bed. Nice bathroom and our room 36 has an incredible large balcony facing the sea. WiFi included, slow but reliable.
-The pool area is great and while groups are visiting, you can have it to yourself. Which is most of the time
-Great breakfast scene included and the hotel also offers several options from fine dining to eat on the run by the pool at very reasonable price. All dishes are nicely prepared, in quantity and in qualily, and prefectly served by devoted and trained staff. Love the service from Mwasiti.
-Access to the hotel is 24/7 secured and the area looks pretty safe at any time. Sure we don’t run around at 2AM wearing expensive jewels and flashing our money out, not even at home. And historic stonetown starts at the entrance of the hotel.

We don’t like :
-Nothing so far

Tips :
-Ask to be met at the airport, the Serena will pick you up for 20 USD one way, or so (we don’t really remember)
-There is a travel desk at the hotel and you can ask ANY-THING ; from last minute excursion to buying ferry ticket back to Dar. For this last service, it’ll cost you a few more dollars but will save you so so much hassles if you try to do it yourself at the pier. We tried and ran away from hordes of touts.
-The king money is the US dollar, although euros are also widely accepted, and every little thing is quoted in USD.
-Touts are everywhere in stonetown. Always decline an offer or a service with a smile, it will stop there. Even if you have to do this 20 times per minute, it is just a game. Agressive or improper gestures often lead to misunderstanding and may result in escalade of threats. We saw this many many times.

So, it is expensive and there may be more choices in Zanzibar/stonetown, but we had great times at the Serena Inn where luxury met charm and gave us a memorable stay. Remember, the Serena is not a beach resort as such, you need to shuttle to their private beach.

It is hard to imagine a better location than that of the Zanzibar Serena Inn in Stone Town, right on the ocean and within walking distance of the center of Stone Town. However, I had not realized that this hotel had no elevators, and there are a lot of stairs if they put you on the third floor! They only give you one key for the room, with all the issues that raises. The shower was terrible with sudden spurts of air, then scalding hot water, then frigid cold water, then nothing, and back again; you have to learn to duck quickly when you hear the air noise! They do offer internet for a price, but I could hardly get service so I gave up. My daughter found out that it only worked reasonably near the bar. Forget about taking a nap before dinner as they play on the drums at the bar and it will get into your bedroom (even when you are the furthest away as we were). At the restaurant, they started changing the menu and reducing the size of the portions when they discovered we were on full board rather than paying separately for our meals. There is no way this hotel belongs in a three star or better category!!!

Zanzibar Serena Inn was the final stop on our honeymoon and was a great place to both relax and use as a base to explore many parts of Zanzibar. First of all, the location in Stone Town is ideal. Room was great- loved the ocean views from the balcony. The staff was outstanding. They arranged several great itineraries for us-- spice tour, day trip to Chumbe Island, sunset dhow cruise, and more. Private beach at Mangapwani was lovely and worth the trip. I would recommend dinner at the excellent Terrace restaurant- atmosphere and seafood could not be beat.