Sharazad Oasis Retreat

This is a small hotel and resort with 17 rooms, laid out over a single floor. That keeps the setting easy to navigate when your legs have done enough work for one day, while the garden and outdoor furniture give you places to sit without turning the whole stay into a programme of organised activities.

The hotel suits adults and older families particularly well. Children aged 0 to 11 are not permitted here, and every minor staying at the property must be accompanied by an adult. For a quieter island break, that rule matters more than any glossy description.

There is a restaurant, free Wi-Fi, a spa and a fitness area, with concierge support for excursions and transfers. The practical side is covered too: parking, luggage storage, laundry, dry cleaning and a safe are available.

You are in Jambiani, Tanzania, on Zanzibar’s south-east coast. The hotel sits 3 km from the town centre, so this is not a doorstep address for village errands; it is a base where you can organise your day around the property and planned outings.

The address is Jambiani PO Box 43, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The hotel offers an airport transfer service and can arrange excursions, which is useful when arriving with dive luggage or when the day’s plan involves a boat, an island, a waterfall or a market rather than a leisurely walk from the front gate.

Parking is available for guests with their own vehicle. Wi-Fi is available throughout the property, giving you somewhere to sort the next day’s plans once the salt has been rinsed away.

The room choice is really about how many of you are sharing and whether the view matters. Couples can choose between double accommodation with a sea view, while groups of three or four have family-suite, studio or bungalow options. The larger categories make more sense when you want everyone under one roof rather than splitting a small travelling party between rooms.

The double sea-view options are the natural choice for two people who want the room itself to feel like part of the island stay. The family and quadruple categories are more about usable sleeping capacity and a private bathroom than about adding unnecessary hotel theatre.

The room facilities include private bathrooms, towels and toiletries, with a safe and telephone in the more fully equipped categories. The hotel has one floor, which keeps stairs out of the equation.

You have two named dining venues rather than one anonymous restaurant. The View – Restaurant & Pool Bar serves breakfast, lunch and dinner on a terrace. The Door – Restaurant & Cafe covers the same three meals, giving you another setting when the table deserves a change of scenery.

Breakfast starts at 7:30am and runs until 10:30am. Lunch and dinner service runs from 12:30pm to 10pm, so there is a sensible gap between breakfast and the main daytime and evening service. That matters for divers: you can eat before an early departure without relying on a heroic interpretation of the word “breakfast”.

The meal plan depends on the room rate chosen. In other words, check what your booking includes rather than assuming that every meal is built into the stay. Tea and coffee are available for guests, and The View carries “Pool Bar” in its name.

The Sharazad Pure Spa & Beauty is the obvious place to slow the day down. Its treatment menu includes massages, facials, a hammam, sauna, jacuzzi, mud baths and body wraps. That is a fairly serious list for anyone whose idea of recovery involves lying still and allowing somebody else to take responsibility for the afternoon.

Yoga is available for a gentler reset, while the fitness facilities cover guests who would rather keep moving. The hotel also organises or arranges activities beyond the property, including boat trips, island outings, waterfalls, markets, wildlife observation, cultural excursions and snorkelling.

For something more active on the water, kitesurfing is available. The hotel can also help organise excursions, so you can keep the day flexible instead of turning every non-diving morning into a logistical exercise.

Check-in runs from 2pm to 10pm, with check-out by 10:30am. An airport transfer service is available through the hotel, and excursion arrangements can be handled on site. If you are driving, parking is available; if your luggage needs attention between outings, luggage storage, laundry and dry cleaning are also available.

Visa and Mastercard are accepted. The property uses Type D and Type G sockets with 230-volt electricity at 50 Hz, so check your adaptor before travelling rather than discovering the problem beside the bed with a flat phone.

The hotel also has a concierge service, currency exchange, ticket assistance, a souvenir shop, newspapers and conference facilities. Smoking areas are available. Pets are not permitted.

No specific environmental certification or sustainability programme is attached to the hotel’s description. The useful point here is therefore practical rather than decorative: you can arrange boat trips, island visits, wildlife outings and cultural excursions from the property, while the hotel itself provides the garden, spa and dining base for the rest of the day.