My husband and I spent 4 nights of our honeymoon at Villa Maroc in July 2006 and absolutely loved it. We had already spent 4 nights at one of the bigger resorts and were looking for something a little more private.

The only meals we ate were the breakfasts which were served on our private patio in front of the Villa by friendly staff members. Lunchtimes we would eat out in the local restaurants and in the evening we chose to just buy fruit which we prepared in our kitchen and enjoyed on our private roof-top underneath the stars.

A hilight for us was waking up early to watch the sunrise over the sea and watch the locals gathering seaweed (apparently a thriving business in these parts) . We found the beach directly in front of the Villa perfect for sunbathing & swimming and practically deserted.

We found the owner and her staff to be extremely pleasant and helpful, going the extra mile when needed. If you are looking for somewhere private and a little different without the trappings of the larger resorts then I would highly recommend Villa maroc.

We had a reasonable stay at Villa Maroc for a few days in March. We chose the area because it was remote and rural and it certainly was.

On the positive side:
* The place is really remote and very quite. It is definitely not part of the mainstream tourist areas and very rural and therefore offers a difference experience and view of the island.
* The villa itself and it's decor was really lovely, well layed out with lovely finishes and decor
*The food was good which was prepared by the in-house chef

On the negative side:
* There really is no place to swim in order to cool off. The sea is located some way in as the shallow waters close by is very warm (feels like you are taking a bath rather) and it s quite a walk to the cool waters and by the time you walk back again, you need to take a shower!. As the area is very warm this is quite anoying. The owner apparently wants to build a pool which will work well but currently the sea is really not suitable for swimming.
* Although it is not the owners fault, the beach was quite dirty with litter of bottles (even pieces of glass), plastics, etc which is indicative of the rural area. It is a pitty to see that the hotels in the area does not get involved with the community to clean up the beaches
* We found the advertising of Villa Maroc to be quite misleading as one gets the idea on the website that you rent the villa exclusively. Unfortunately this is not true as the owners accommodation and office is in the same building! The villa is really lovely but to have the owner coming and going all the time totally spoils the advertised privacy and exclusivity. When lunch or dinner is served on the terrace, this is directly in front of the office door and the staff keeps coming and going
* The owners is currently building another villa right next toto Villa Maroc which is very annoying and one should have been advised of this in advance. The noise really is irritating and the "quiet environment" is misleading.
* Both Villa Bahati and Villa Maroc is right next to a local school. Although this is part of the rural scene, it is actually very noisy and disturbing until lunch time.
* We felt the $30 per person for dinner was quite high and not really value for money for what you got. As there appears to be no good restaurants in the area and the owner did not want to recommend any of them, you basically had no choice but to eat at the villa. Although the food was very good, we felt the costs were too high and although the accommodation was fairly good value for money, this cost for dinner and extras "made up for it!" Most other hotels and restaurants, charged approximately $20 for a similiar dinner.
* The villa's decor is really beautiful and well layed out but we could not understand why the owner did not invest in airconditiong - the cool sea breaze really does not exist at times and we had difficulty sleeping on all of the nights. There is a fan in the room but this does not have any effect as it is placed outside the mosquito net. Quite frankly we could not sleep at night even with all the doors and windows open.
* Although we love animals, the owners had a number of dogs and a cat around the villa and after a while it gets quite irritating to have them around especially as they were barking the one night for quite some time while you are trying to get some sleep!
* Service was quite good but sometimes basic special requests are not being attended to effectively

In short we really did love the setting and the villa itself was lovely. Although the area is defintiely not a tourist trap but rather in a lovely rural area, we felt that it was sometimes too rural with the litter on the beach, the noisy school, etc which detracted from what could otherwise have been a lovely stay.

Some simple improvements to the villa could be made but we really felt mislead by the apparent "exclusivity" of the villa and we should have been informed about the building (which seems like it will continue for quite some time).

Some of the more exclusive smaller hotels on the island offers the same "away from it all experience" but with more privacy and although a bit more expensive, well worth the extra money spent. Also, the beach itself is much better in the northern areas of the island.

Although the stay was not all bad, we would not return and would rather recommend some of the smaller exclusive hotels for the same experience.

Villa Maroc is just amazing!
We stayed on three different locations on Zanzibar, and this fantastic place in the village of Jambiani was truly the most pleasant days of our vacation. We stayed 6 nights in the private villa Maroc, and it was just perfect for a couple looking for a romantic stay....
Both the exterior and the interior was lovely, and the villa had exotic details on both floors.
We had a private luxurious roof terrace overlooking the beautiful beach, and with a big stone bathtub - great for cooling down at daytime, and perfect for sharing a bottle of wine under the stars!
The staff was nothing else but excellent - they just made the stay perfect! The chef Josef served us the best food in Zanzibar every day, and there was no need to visit other restaurants in our opinion. We tried different restaurants in both Kendwa and Stone Town, but none of them could compare with our own private chef. Jason also made our stay unforgettable, best and most proffesional service ever!! - and we really enjoyed to be served the food in our own private place outside the villa, with just the two of us, the sea and candles all over - cant describe it.
Just a fantastic stay!
Thanks to the wonderful owner Sylvia, and her staff - Hope to visit you again sometime!

Tone and Mads, Norway

I have stayed in Villa Kikadini with my family last year in October and this year I came back again in August with my sister and stayed in Villa Bahati. Both times I have enjoyed this fantastic environment of the beautiful place of Jambiani village with its white beach with powder sand and the turquoise Indian Ocean right outside the beach house.

Last year my family and I experienced the amazing Villa Kikadini. It was like entering the door into a story from a Thousand and One Nights. In the evening time we rested on the sun beds in the patio under the moon light and the shining stars surrounded by beautiful candle lights. It was magnificent and very romantic! The rooms have great Zanzibar beds with mosquito nets and the house has its own big kitchen and a fantastic bathroom. The house terrace has a stunning view and it was a great space where my family and I enjoyed staying for a relaxing rest during the warmest hours during the day.

Both in Villa Kikadini and in Villa Bahati we have experienced great quality of delicious food and wine and with very friendly and service minded staff. Most of our lunches and dinners we enjoyed in the neighbour house Villa Bahati which also is run by the same owners. Most of our breakfast, lunches and dinners we had served on the spacious roof terrace. From this terrace there is a marvellous view over the turquoise ocean. There was a fantastic scene when the tide went out and we enjoyed watching the colourful Zanzibar Khanga dressed Village women working for the seaweed projects.

Mostly after breakfast we had a nice walk in the morning time for our swim in the Ocean. The water had a perfect temperature and it felt like we never wanted to get out of the crystal clear Indian Ocean. It was like heaven of peace.

This time when my sister and I enjoyed the nice Villa Bahati the owner also showed us the new Villa Maroc which is situated on the neighbour plot. It has a roof terrace with its own bath and a romantic sofa where there is a nice shade. The interior is very stylish decorated with elegant nature colours that link well with the beach environment. This will be the perfect stay for me and my husband when we are coming back to this favourite place on earth for our wedding anniversary.