Emerson Spice

Emerson Spice is a restored merchant’s house in Stone Town, Zanzibar, set around a central courtyard that lets light into the building. The hotel has eleven rooms, each individually designed with Art Deco and traditional Zanzibari elements. You sleep under high ceilings, with the calls to prayer from Stone Town’s mosques filtering through the windows.

The rooftop Tea House serves seafood, with a five-course tasting menu prepared daily by local chefs. Dinner begins at seven; you can arrive earlier for drinks and the sunset. The Secret Garden, set in the ruins of an adjacent building, serves lunch and dinner from an à la carte menu. Live music plays here on Wednesday and Friday nights.

The courtyard is the centre of the hotel, with rooms opening onto it and the rooftop accessible by a narrow staircase. Stone Town’s streets are a short walk away, and the hotel is close to the harbour and the Old Fort.

The building was a merchant’s house before it became a hotel, and the restoration kept the original structure intact. The rooftop dining room looks out over Stone Town, and the courtyard is shaded by the building’s walls.