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Salome's Garden |
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This beautiful early 19th Century is the last of the Royal country houses of Zanzibar still standing. The house is truelly magnificent and has been completely restored and refurbished in 1997 and is now a luxury guesthouse or used for full house rentals. The house has only four bedrooms sleeping a maximum of 10 and is managed like a private house rather than as a Hotel.
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The house situated at Bububu, 4 miles to the North of Stone Town, the capital of Zanzibar, is surrounded by 18 acres of walled private orchards and tropical gardens full of bougainvillaea which run down to the beach.
25 minutes by mini-bus from the airport. Please note that Salome’s Garden is a private house not a Hotel so only our drivers know it. To get back to the house ask any taxi for Bububu, Imani Beach Lodge which is directly opposite the walled garden of the property. If not ask for Fuji beach and follow the sign to Imani Beach Lodge after you have turned off the main Road at Bububu Police Station. There is always staff in the house, so you can get in at any time of day or night.
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The house is situated on two floors and has high ceilings throughout. All the rooms and bathrooms are very large. The house is designed for eight but can sleep a maximum of ten in four rooms. The property probably built in the mid 1800’s has a long history and has been leased by House of Wonders from the Royal family of Al Busaid who once ruled the island. In the 1860’s, the house is also believed to have been the last residence of Princess Salme, the daughter from the liaison between Sultan Seyyid Said Busaid and a Circassian Concubine (see "memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar"). Two large terraces have been tastefully added to the house in the first half of the 1900's.
The ground floor Terrace: Raised some 4ft above garden with table and chairs.
Kitchen : Fully equipped with fridge freezer, gas cooker, mixer, double sink and ample cupboard and preparation areas. Staff quarters: On the back of the house on the ground floor is a staff room and bathroom
The first floor Terrace : massive with spectacular views large dining table and lounge chairs. Storage room: Household equipment.
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Central atrium : Some 7 metres high and elegantly furnished. Three bedrooms lead off the central attrium, these are Princess Salome which runs the length of the house and nine double windows look out over the sea below, Princess Bi Khole overlooking the orchard and Sultan Bargash with its terrace looking towards Stonetown.
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Food : Whilst most guests tend to eat out some of the time in the many excellent restaurants in town, the house has a fully equipped kitchen, a barbecue and tableware for 12 people. Our cook is there to help with preparation of food and has considerable experience having worked as a professional cook, for a number of years. We suggest that guests participate in the shopping at the market and assist with the preparation of food. With the exception of breakfast, food is at the expense of guests.
Water and electricity: There are five hot water tanks, one for each bathroom and one for the kitchen and a feeder tank in the roof to give good pressure. In case of power cuts the house has a large generator.
Furnishings: The whole house is furnished throughout with Zanzibari antiques, original colonial furniture, Persian carpets and kilims, lamps and shades from India and Turkey, the and traditional tiles from the Arab world in the bathrooms. The beds are all traditional Zanzibari four poster beds with mosquito nets with the colonial fans inside the netted area for maximum ventilation. The fans are rarely needed however given that all the rooms benefit from the sea breeze that blows through the house.
Telephone: Most of the GSM mobile phones work in Zanzibar.
The beach and the surrounding neighbourhood : The gardens run directly down to a white sand beach. At low tide the bottom is coral but then the small stream to the left is only ankle deep and within 100 metres of the house the sand runs all the way out. There are a couple of little guest houses along the beach and at the Fuji Beach on Saturday and Sunday nights there is the only beach discotheque on the island. It is fun and finishes punctually at midnight.
For more information please click here. |
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