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Villa
Mwendawima Villa is a private beach villa located in the village of Jambiani, overlooking the most beautiful lagoon in East Africa.
The villa has 4 bedrooms, swimming pool, tropical garden and a terrace with ocean views. It accommodates up to 8 guests:
1 En-suite master bedroom with direct access to ocean view terrace
1 En-suite double bedroom with garden view (Air-conditioned)
2 double bedrooms with garden view and shared bathroom (air-conditioned)
It comes with a dedicated team that takes care of everything from daily cleaning to preparing delicious meals to organising excursions. Your stay will be personalised to cater for your needs and preferences.
Mwendawima Villa is inspired by Swahili architecture and with a focus on your comfort.
The property has a swimming pool, large se...Mwendawima Villa is a private beach villa located in the village of Jambiani, overlooking the most beautiful lagoon in East Africa.
The villa has 4 bedrooms, swimming pool, tropical garden and a terrace with ocean views. It accommodates up to 8 guests:
1 En-suite master bedroom with direct access to ocean view terrace
1 En-suite double bedroom with garden view (Air-conditioned)
2 double bedrooms with garden view and shared bathroom (air-conditioned)
It comes with a dedicated team that takes care of everything from daily cleaning to preparing delicious meals to organising excursions. Your stay will be personalised to cater for your needs and preferences.
Mwendawima Villa is inspired by Swahili architecture and with a focus on your comfort.
The property has a swimming pool, large sea view terrace with a bar, lounge, sun beds and dining areas. It comes with a well equipped kitchen, lounge and a beautiful private garden.
The daily rate includes housekeeping and breakfast, unlimited WiFi and security. At additional cost we offer excellent lunches and dinners.
Mwendawima Villa is situated in a charming fishing village of Jambiani, on the south-east coast of Zanzibar. Jambiani is known for the most dramatic lagoon, with traditional fishing, seaweed farming, snorkelling and kite surfing on your door step. There are plenty of boutique hotels and restaurants for food and drinks, but we insist you try our team's authentic cooking.
Our location is perfect for both experiencing the real Zanzibari village and taking advantage of the best day trips and activities Zanzibar has to offer.
House Rules
Pet-friendlyKid friendlySmoking allowed
Bedrooms
1 King3 Doubles
Bathrooms
1 Full bath2 Attached (ensuite)
Meet the host
Raphael R
Hosting since July 2013
Languages spoken: English
Response Rate: 100%
Response Time: Within a few hours
Interaction with guests: The staff comes in the morning to prepare breakfast. And on request to cook meals.
The rest of the day you have full privacy.
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I had the most incredible stay at this beachfront villa! The location is unbeatable, right on the beach. The villa was impeccably clean, and the decor was absolutely amazing. The best part was the chef's cooking – it was not only delicious but also exceeded all expectations. A truly memorable experience!
I would go back anytime. And the pool is larger than what's shown in the pictures!
Visited October 2023
Written 31 October 2023. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Greg
Plettenberg Bay, South Africa2 contributions
Wonderful stay with wonderful staff
A great villa right on the beach with beautiful views from the balcony. The staff are kind and accommodated our every needs. The chef never ceased to amaze us with each meal every night - his food was the highlight of our stay! Given the chance, we would definitely come back!
Visited December 2021
Written 21 December 2021. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Que F
13 contributions
BEAUTIFUL HOME AWAY FROM HOME WITH A HOME TEAM YOU CAN TRUST
First, Rapheal, the host, is easy to communicate with, and he has a special team of professionals available to support our entire stay. You will love the layout of the home, we had a total of 6 guests, comfortably. The chef and his staff prepare the MOST Delicious meals daily for less than $25 a person a day. The beach is a rock toss away and you will be mesmerized by the seabreeze every night. Finally, the host provides excellent transportation to historic Zanzibar. There is soo much to see, i recommend dedicating two days to travel down to the town. This was a great vacation home for me and my five guests. We look forward to returning and singing the praises of the 'home crew's' meals, hospitality and open space.
Visited October 2021
Written 7 December 2021. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Daniel E
2 contributions
Best place in Jambiani
Highly recommended place. Great rooms and common áreas in front of the sea. The staff and the chef cousine are amazing. Very close to local bars with live music. Quiet and beutiful.
The place to be! You won't regret it!
Visited July 2021
Written 20 July 2021. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
N A
1 contribution
Wonderful place to relax
I stayed in the villa for three nights with my family. I really liked the premises of the villa, and it is next to a calm beach. In the evening, at the perception time, the cooks an delicious, tasty three-course menu that all of us really enjoyed and we looked forward every evening.
The large, beautiful terrace invites in the evening to watch the stars and to end the wonderful day. Raphael, the owner of this villa is very friendly, helpful, and answer all your question professional and always gives you a good feeling!
Thank you a lot for the hospitality and the nice stay, we enjoyed our stay :)
Visited February 2021
Written 18 March 2021. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Maya M
1 contribution
A stay in paradise
We spent two dream weeks in Raphael's house (we were 5 adults and 2 kids). The chef Mohammed is truly the best chef on the island and his team is adorable.
The house is very pleasant to live between the interior garden and the terrace. Raphael's recommendations were perfect and we were easily able to do everything we planned with the help of Hatibu, the manager.
We definitely want to go back !!
Visited December 2019
Written 15 January 2020. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Nicole M
Munich, Germany13 contributions
Stay here if in Zanzibar
We had 6 glorious days in this paradise. House was perfect. The absolute best part of this experience was the chef and staff, Mohammed and team. This is the best chef you could ever experience - each dinner was beautifully tailored for us and delicious. Staff were unbelievably helpful, friendly and the accomodations were fantastic. I can't recommend this villa and the staff enough, especially Mohammed. It was very clean, comfortable and had every convenience you could need. The beach is footsteps away and the water was gorgeous. Activities were fine but we were really there to relax and spend time together. The owner looked after all the details and accommodated us when our incoming flight was late. This week was perfect!
Visited July 2019
Written 8 July 2019. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ansamsoon
Santa Clara, CA22 contributions
Good food but Terrible experience
Good: Raphael responded quickly, the chef Mohammed's meals were absolutely wonderful, the housekeeping staff was very efficient and friendly.
Bad: The heat was unbearable inside the home from sunrise to sunset in November. As there is no air conditioning, more and faster fans are needed.
Ugly: The first day we asked the manager Kim to arrange activities on Raphael's recommendation. Turned out to be a scam, we were taken to a different place/copycat outfit and overcharged. When we refused to pay the ridiculous charge, Kim and his brother had us stopped by the local police and forced to pay $180. Raphael later informed us Kim had done this to earlier customers too and he will be changed.
Visited November 2018
Written 30 December 2018. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
raphaelr126
Hi Asila,
- Glad you enjoyed the house, the service, the cuisine and the staff.
- It clearly states in my add that it is an open-air villa and A/C not needed due to the constant sea breeze. Yes you can have a few unusually hot days a year however most guests don’t find it a problem. I am sorry the heat was unbearable for you..
- The tour organised by the manager was not a scam. You expected an official “blue safari” tour. But all excursions are done by locals tour guides who don’t have branded uniforms. You decided not to take the tour and of course you were NOT charged for it. You then on your own initiative decided to use the services of the driver to give you a tour of the whole island plus another activity. My manager wasn’t even present then. So you negotiated with the driver directly. At the end of the day you left without paying him for his services. He then got the police involved to get his money.
I am really sorry it ended at the police station, However all of this would have been avoided through simple communication with the driver about his pay. If you felt the price was too high, you should have raised this with the driver before getting in the car and taking a day tour of the island. Kim, the manager, should have been more involved in resolving the issue for you, however you were not scammed and certainly it wasn’t an attempt on anyone’s behalf to illegally get you money.
I really wish you sought my advice while still in Zanzibar, instead of simply trying to leave without paying.
Kind regards, Raphael
Written 1 January 2019. This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lana70travel
Potsdam, Germany73 contributions
Lovely house, wonderful people
Wunderschön eingerichtetes Haus in zweiter Reihe am Beach mit eingeschränktem Meerblick von der großen Terrasse. Das Team um Manager Kim und Koch Mohammed ist wirklich wundervoll. Gute Insidertips zu Aktivitäten, lokale Spezialitäten und Seafood at its best. Don't go anywhere else.
Wir waren mit zwei Teenagern dort und jeder hatte sein eigenes geräumiges Zimmer. Mit kleinen Kindern hätte ich einen Pool vermisst. Ansonsten kann man dort wirklich richtig entspannen und sich wohlfühlen. Das Meer ist herrlich warm und der Strand sehr sauber.
Ein Wort noch zu Jambiani. Hier handelt es sich um eine Siedlung mit den weitverbreiteten halbfertigen Häusern und einfachen Hütten, man ist halt in Afrika. Nur direkt am Strand gibt es nette kleine Hotels und Bars. Das hat insgesamt wenig Charme. Wer das nicht mag oder unbeschwerte Strandidylle bevorzugt, der sollte eher in ein Resort gehen.
Visited October 2018
Written 7 November 2018. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
TJW655
Shoreview, MN28 contributions
Great beach house stay post 8 day safari
We were a family of 5 adults that stayed here for 4 nights after an 8 day safari. From the start, Raphael responded quickly and answered our questions. We were even preemptively given a discount for the disruption of construction sounds nearby. The house is beautiful, well maintained, with space for each of us to chill our on our own or hang out as a group. Mohammed and the house staff was what made our stay top notch. We had our privacy yet came back to a clean house each day and the meals were awesome. We enjoyed daily breakfast and nightly dinners and could not have been more pleased. We enjoyed the local bars, beach, and hit the pool at Coral Rock daily. Monday night we hit the Red Monkey for Crazy Monday with live music and a huge crowd of locals. Just a side note, make sure to hit a cash machine in Stone Town or the next town over before you arrive as there was not one local and credit cards not accepted.
Visited July 2018
Written 5 September 2018. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Mwendawima Villa is situated in a charming fishing village of Jambiani, on the south-east coast of Zanzibar. Jambiani is known for the most dramatic lagoon, with traditional fishing, seaweed farming, snorkelling and kite surfing on your door step. There are plenty of boutique hotels and restaurants for food and drinks and we insist you try our team's authentic cooking.
Our location is perfect for both experiencing the real Zanzibari village and taking
Getting around
Many activities and restaurants are walking distance from the villa. Our manager offers taxi services. It is also possible to rent cars and scooters.
Access
Car not needed
How to get there
We offer airport transfer at €35.
Please ask if you wish to hire a car. Location: South Jambiani, ask for Mwendawima Villa (near Uhuru and Coral Rock)
Activities nearby
Fishing spots available
Things to know
Check in / out timings
Check in after 1 pm • Check out by 10 am
Cancellation policy
100% refund within 24 hours after booking (provided the stay is at least 60 days away).
50% refund* if you cancel at least 8 weeks before check-in
25% refund* if you cancel at least 4 weeks before check-in
No refund available once booking is confirmed
About this property
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