Sunshine Azure Zanzibar Beach Hotel

Sunshine is a small boutique hotel in Matemwe, with 16 rooms arranged beside the beach. Its style takes African rustic design and keeps it straightforward: local materials, open outdoor spaces, a lush garden and the sea immediately in front of you.

The setting suits divers who want the essentials close at hand without checking into a large resort. You can step from your room towards the sand, settle on the sun terrace, or take a dip in one of the outdoor pools. There is also a spa, yoga and a restaurant facing the ocean, so the day does not have to be planned down to the last minute.

Families have a practical choice here as well as couples. The Family Garden Suite and Deluxe Garden Suite are designed with family stays in mind, while the Ocean Front Suite and the Honeymoon Ocean Suite put the view and the beach at the centre of the stay.

You are in Matemwe, Tanzania, on Zanzibar's north-east coast, in a traditional fishing village rather than in Stone Town or a built-up holiday strip. The hotel has direct access to Matemwe Beach, a broad stretch of white sand. In other words, the beach is not an excursion from the hotel; it is the bit outside.

A few local restaurants give you alternatives within walking distance. Furaha Local Restaurant is about 0.2 miles away, Garden Bob Swahili Restaurant about 0.4 miles, and Bin Jabir Restaurant about 0.7 miles. Pwani Mchangani Beach is 1.6 miles away, while Kiwengwa Beach and Muyuni Beach are each about 4.6 miles away.

Abeid Amani Karume International Airport is 24 miles from the hotel, with the road journey taking around an hour by car. Zanzibar's Peace Memorial Museum is about 28 miles away. The Kichwele Forest Reserve and Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park are also among the island's points of interest.

The choice is mainly about where you want to wake up. Couples who want the sea as part of the room should look first at the Ocean Front Suite or one of the ocean-facing options. The Honeymoon Ocean Suite adds a private plunge pool, which is a rather more convincing reason to return to the room than another decorative cushion.

For a family, the Family Garden Suite gives you more usable sleeping space, while the Deluxe Garden Suite is suited to a smaller group. The room categories cover couples, families and groups of up to three, with the larger family option accommodating up to four. The card below the description gives the exact layout, bed arrangement and floor area for each category, so the useful decision here is whether you prefer garden access, partial sea views or a full ocean frontage.

Air conditioning, a fan and a mosquito net are available in the rooms. A minibar gives you somewhere to keep a cold drink, and balconies or terraces extend the living space outside. Sea views are available, while the garden rooms trade the direct outlook for a more sheltered position among the greenery. Daily housekeeping, free WiFi, a private bathroom and an electric kettle cover the less glamorous but very useful parts of a dive holiday.

The oceanfront restaurant works with local, international and Swahili fusion cooking. Its ingredients include fish, vegetables, fruit and spices sourced locally, with Zanzibar's flavours given an international turn rather than being left as a vague promise of 'local cuisine'. You eat with the white-sand coast in front of you, which is a sensible improvement on staring at a corridor wall while deciding whether you have room for dessert.

Breakfast is included and comes as a buffet with continental, Full English/Irish, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices. Special diet menus are available on request. That gives you a reasonable spread before a morning on the water, although no breakfast serving time or diver-specific early option is available here.

There is one bar on site, alongside the restaurant. Wine and champagne, fruit and children's meals are available, and themed dinner nights can add a change of pace when you are staying in. The available information does not set out a half-board or all-inclusive formula, so the hotel works best for you if you want its restaurant as the main dining address while keeping a few local alternatives within reach.

Two outdoor pools give you a choice when the sea is doing what the sea does. The main pool is available throughout the year, while the Honeymoon Ocean Suite has its own private plunge pool. Pool and beach towels, sun loungers and umbrellas are provided, so you can move from the water to the shade without turning it into an expedition.

The spa is the more useful place for a quiet afternoon. It includes a hammam, a massage room, body treatments, facials, manicures and pedicures, with full-body, couples, back, neck, head and foot massages among the options. Yoga classes are also available. After several days of carrying wet kit and pretending your shoulders are fine, a massage is at least a credible plan.

When you want to leave the grounds, the hotel can arrange cultural experiences, walking tours, local-culture classes, cooking classes, spice tours, Zanzibar excursions, Stone Town visits and Tanzanian safaris. Snorkelling and fishing take place off site. For a slower evening, board games and puzzles are available, and a small Curio Shop gives you somewhere to browse without needing another trip into town.

An airport shuttle is available on request, and the hotel can also arrange a shuttle service. The airport is about 24 miles away, with the drive taking around an hour. Free WiFi covers the hotel, and free private parking is available on site. Laundry, luggage storage, a tour desk and daily housekeeping are also available, which helps when your clothes have acquired the familiar salt-and-sand finish.

Check-in runs from 12:00 to 22:00, and check-out from 07:30 to 10:30. You need to give the hotel your expected arrival time and show photo identification at check-in. The minimum check-in age is 18; guests under 18 can check in with a parent or official guardian.

Children of any age are welcome. Cots and extra beds can be requested, subject to the room category and availability. Cash is accepted for payment. The hotel is non-smoking, pets are not allowed, and parties or events are not permitted. A later check-out can be requested.

The hotel's environmental approach starts with the building itself. Sunshine uses domestic materials and was designed around the existing fauna, flora, ocean breeze and natural ventilation, rather than working against the coastal setting. The design aims to reduce reliance on mechanical systems and makes use of the site's airflow.

The hotel also works to remove single-use plastics and keep its carbon footprint in check. Its sustainability policy is tied to practical choices: a quieter environment, materials drawn from the surrounding area and a layout that lets the natural setting do some of the work.