Hotel Verde

Just outside the historic old town of Stone Town stands Hotel Verde, and according to the hotel the airport is about 15 minutes away by car. The Executive rooms have their own balcony overlooking the garden or the sea, and the Penthouse suites have floor-to-ceiling windows and a private roof garden with a whirlpool. You can eat in the Tanzanite restaurant, on the terrace over burgers, pizza and grills, or over coffee and cake in the Vanilla Lounge. By day you’re tempted by the Azam Water Park, which the hotel says is the only one on Zanzibar, and by the marina, with jet skis, speedboats and trips to the islands and out fishing. There’s plenty going on when it comes to the environment: solar panels generate electricity, grey water is collected and organic waste is composted. Even the treadmills, bikes and cross-trainers in the gym generate electricity, so your sweat counts as renewable energy here.