Jafferji has been renovated and is even better than last time when we were in Stonetown. We love all colors and decorations and the colonial style of the hotel. The breakfast on the rooftop is good and the staff is superfriendly. Also, the rooms are super large with all you need.
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We did stay back in 2021 and I can see a lot of people had a different experience to us. However, we had a lovely stay at this hotel, the man at the front desk was so friendly and welcoming, the rooms were beautiful and unique and the breakfast was on the rooftop.
One thing to note is that you can't drive right up to the hotel and will need to walk, but I think this is common for Stone Town.
1/5 BIG THIEVES - STAY AS FAR AS YOU CAN FROM THIS SCAM HOTEL
We stayed in this hotel as part of our honeymoon trip to Zanzibar. Unfortunately I hadn't read the reviews of this hotel and now I regret it. On the last Day before departing they stole 800 euros from my bag while I was Having breakfast with my husband. I realised it at night while I was packing, went down to the receptionist and asked him to call the police. He said He didn't know the number and tried to discourage us from going to the police. We googled the nearest police station and reported the incident. The next morning the operational manager showed us on camera the person entering our room right after we went out and aknowledged the unpleasant situation we had got ourselves into. And then our torment began. He went with us to the police and admitted that the same person had been caught stealing at least 4 times but was never fired. That manager, the general manager and even the owner all they did from that time on was either to ignore us (that was the owner) or buy time (that was the general manager) or even promise us that they would call a board and collect the money stolen to give it to us (that was the operational manager) that never happened. Thank God we had the support of the local tour company who reported the incident to the comission of tourism and even the ministry of tourism. This is how far the issue has gone and still no apologies from the owner. The operational manager was put to jail after Our statement at the police station and still no action taken from the part of the owner. They are all in this together working on an organised plan to steal money from their clients. Please read the other reviews in google and Booking and tripadvisor and you will find out how many more cases similar to ours have been reported. Now the issue has reached the tourist police and hopefully working on giving us the justice we deserve. It always happens on the last Day because tourists have no time to react so as not to miss their flight. They were unlucky with us because we continue Our holiday on the island and had time to react. It is such a beaitiful island with kind people but unfortunately you can find frauds beverywhere in the world
I stayed here for two nights in the first week of June, 2022. It looked nice online and I was not disappointed when I arrived. The room looked great. However, I was disappointed with two things. First, the internet in the room was really bad. They said they would fix it but they never really did. Secondly, the breakfast was a bit meagre. Fruits, eggs and bread were served but all in very small portions. Price-quality wise, I would not recommend the hotel. I liked the hotel’s interior though and the beautiful roof top terrace is a big plus as well. But you can find this in other hotels in Stone Town as well. Im going to try another hotel next time I visit Zanzibar.
My stay was overall great, the staff were really friendly , the room are beautifully decorated every room has a different history , very well designed they also have a roof top restaurant where you get a beach view!
We recently stayed in Jafferji House for 2 nights and had a mixed experience.
Pros:
Well situated if your goal is to explore Stonetown
Cool, very interesting and unique building, and decor
Breakfast was nice, in a high level semi open air location.
Great spiced coffee.
Rooms are interestingly and well decorated, liked the door locks etc.
Air conditioning is unbelievably good (ice cold room) when it works (see below).
Cons:
Make sure the air con is working. We were here for two nights and the first room we recieved (Massai) the air conditioning did not work (we kind of felt that this was known as we were given the room). As a result the room was damp. We survived the first night with no sleep in swealtering heat, but asked to be changed for the second night. The staff responded well and we were moved without question / complaint which we appreciated. The difference between the two rooms was significant and we were pleased with the second. Honestly I would have checked out and found another hotel had we not been able to move as Massai room was not usable.
Aside from the Air con, we did also feel that the Massai room had not been cleaned at all. Hairs in the bed, mould on the pillow (probably damp related). My wife cleaned the toilet on arrival.
Our second room (Out of Africa) was much better but we still feel the cleaning might have been a bit better in the bathrooms. The shower had dirt in the bathtub for example.
Showerheads in both rooms need some maintenance as they throw water out of the shower (and on to the electric socket in the second room) quite a bit.
In summary if we had the out of Africa room for the entire stay i think i would be giving a fairly good review but given that 50% of our stay was in an unusable room its why i am leaving the rating i am.
