Palm Beach Inn

A budget guesthouse on an endless sandy beach, with live music, excellent seafood and simple rooms

Take a look at Bwejuu beach in southeast Zanzibar. To us it’s an idyllic spot to sunbathe and snorkel. To the locals it’s a place to collect seaweed or to park your fishing outrigger. At sunset it turns into a football pitch for the kids’ daily kickabout. It's a charming, colourful place - like Nungwi without the bars and beers - where travellers of all ages can mix with locals and relax.

Occasionally, though, it comes alive to African music, performed by local musicians including the grandmother of taarab, Bi Kidude. The sounds come from family-run Palm Beach Inn, a coconut’s throw from the water’s edge. Mama Naila and her team take care of the food - some of the tastiest seafood on the island - while young Mahfudh looks after the music-making and guests. Their joint efforts create that very rare thing - a budget hotel that can make you feel like a lord. Freshly picked blooms dot your path to breakfast; lobster, octopus, parrot fish and crab come in on the high tide for dinner; and when you fall into bed you find a fragrant frangipani flower on your pillow. It’s very simple but very imaginative.

Highs

• Some of the best (and best value) seafood we tasted on Zanzibar
• The live music showcases a wide range of East African musical talent
• The cosmopolitan feel - backpackers, families and diplomats hang out together
• The proximity to the beach - it's sand all the way, and you barely need shoes
• The inn is green and organic. Most things come from the village and a lot goes back in, including all the running costs for a special school

Lows

• You can’t swim at low tide on the east coast, though the hotel has a pool overlooking the beach
• The bedrooms are pretty simple (but spotless)
• It's a budget option, so don't expect top-dollar facilities; restaurant service can be a little slow