Stone Town was built by Indian and Arab traders in the 18th and 19th centuries. It reminded me very much of an Arab Medina with its warren of alleyways, its minarets, mansions, latticed balconies and beautifully carved doors.
The streets are too narrow for cars but they are full of pedestrians, bikes and motorbikes. Contrary to what guidebooks made me believe, it was not difficult to find my way. The old city is quite small and compact, and sooner rather than later you will find yourself at the sea front or in Creek Road, the boundary between the old (tourist part) city and the residential area full of grey, concrete apartment buildings.
I was rather disappointed with Stone Town. All guidebooks praise it as one of the best kept secrets in the world. I had high expectations also because it was declared a World Heritage Site. Now that I have been to Stone Town I know that Fez in Morocco, or Aleppo in Syria are far more mysterious and exotic.
True to say there are some beautifully restored old houses. The Emerson’s and Greens Hotel on Hurumzi Street is one of them. It was an old Zanzibari Mansion, a mixture of Arab and Indian influences. The rooms are luxurious, have high ceilings. You will sleep in a traditional Zanzibar four poster called Semandari. The rooftop restaurant is a great place to enjoy the sunset while you eat a multi-course dinner. Room prices start at $150.
All together we stayed in Stone Town for over a week. In the end I was a bit fed up with the eternal ‘Jambo’ hello in Swahili. When we first arrived it sounded friendly but soon we realised that ’Jambo’ was equivalent to ‘spend your money on any of my services’, because stopping and saying ‘jambo’ in return will inevitably land you up in a restaurant, shop or transport.
There are not enough things to see in Stone Town to justify a stay longer than about three days. This is a recognised fact because otherwise why would tourists be shown an alleyway where big spiders have their webs?