Is Mr Kahawa Worth a Vist?
I don’t often stay in hotels. As an experiential traveller, I generally prefer AirBnBs, or home stays, so I can get more of a local experience. But, every once in a while, I like to indulge in a hotel or some other form of luxury accommodation.
For my Zanzibar trip, I was arriving ON New Year’s Eve, and so I decided I’d invest in a hotel experience for my first few nights on the island.
After conducting substantial research, I settled upon Mr Kahawa.
My accommodation criteria
I wanted to be on the East coast so I could watch the sun rise over the first day of a new year, and Paje is the only place on the East Coast that has fireworks, so I knew that I wanted to start my Zanzibar exploration in Paje.
It was also important to me to be in beach front accommodation, as that’s the safest option for a female travelling solo. Because I wanted to watch the sun rise, I knew I’d be walking about when it was still dark and it’s not advised to walk alone outside of daylight hours.
I also wanted breakfast included and, whilst I was prepared to invest financially in a nice place, I didn’t want anywhere that was horrendously expensive.
Mr Kahawa seemed to fit the bill, at around £90 a night, including breakfast (please note that I travelled there in early 2023 and at the time of writing the room I stayed in is now around £145 per night, for one person and including breakfast. Their cheapest room is just over £65 per night for one person, including breakfast).
I particularly liked that, rather than paying more as a solo traveller, at Mr Kahawa solo guests pay less for a room than couples or families.
I stayed in their Deluxe Pool View Suite, but Mr Kahawa also offers villas and deluxe ocean view lofts.
Communication
I initially booked via Booking.com and shortly after booking I received a message from Mr Kahawa confirming my stay, and providing check-in information.
They offered me airport transfers at $50 one way, or $90 return but I didn’t take them up on this as I’d gotten a local taxi recommendation that was much cheaper.
A few days later, once I’d booked my other Zanzibar accommodations, I emailed to ask if I could extend my stay by one more night (no availability was showing on either Booking.com or their website) and a lady called Georgina replied within 24 hours to assure me that I could, and that I would be able to pay for this upon arrival.
A couple of days before my stay, I received an email offering me online check-in, to save time upon arrival.
I’ll add here that their website is very comprehensive, providing a lot of information. It’s also easy to navigate.
Arrival
Check in at Mr Kahawa is from 2:30pm. I arrived around 12:30pm.
My taxi driver dropped me off at the gate and then helped me to carry my backpack along a sweeping drive to an outdoor reception area well shaded with vegetation and with comfortable seats. I was greeted warmly by Georgina, who remembered me from our email exchange, and handed me a pastel coloured kikoi to use as a towel on the beach.
I wasn’t yet able to check in, so Georgina suggested I spend some time at their café/ restaurant on the beach.
To access Mr Kahawa’s café/ restaurant area, I had to walk a short distance past the accommodation and swimming pool. It borders their kitesurfing school and has several levels, across two sections, leading down to the beach.
There’s an indoor seating area, a terrace, and then two levels of outdoor seating, one of which is on the sand.
I ordered a juice and people-watched until my check-in time came.
On the day I had to change rooms, to extend my stay, I also had to wait between check out and check in. I think reception would have looked after my bags but I recall staying with them.
Rooms
My room at Mr Kahawa was spacious and tastefully-decorated with wooden furniture and Swahili prints.
It had a large, four-poster, bed hung with mosquito nets, a desk with tea station – and a jug of drinking water that was refillable at the restaurant. The bed was SUPER comfortable and the perfect size to be a starfish!
There was also a large, open, wardrobe area with safe, and an ensuite bathroom featuring a rainfall shower.
All bedding, toiletries and towels were provided.
The room also had both air con and a ceiling fan, plus WiFi of a decent speed.
For the price, it was really good value.
I personally wasn’t keen on the pool view, simply because it was quite noisy during daytime (I’m super noise sensitive and like to nap in the day) but the whole hotel complex is lush with greenery and aesthetically pleasing.
Most importantly, I felt very safe here.
Breakfast
Breakfast at Mr Kahawa is a combination of self-service buffet and menu with waitress service.
The menu has a good combination of sweet and savoury offerings which are cooked to order. I was also offered tea or coffee, and fresh juice.
The buffet has a wide range of fresh fruits, yogurts, nut butters, pastries and Swahili-style food like chapati and beans.
It was high quality and plentiful and is served in the outdoor restaurant that borders the pool, but you could choose to sit at a table that affords you a sea view.
The Restaurant
I only ate at the restaurant once, as I prefer local spots, and on the occasion I did eat there I chose Swahili-style food off their menu – it was a beef and banana dish. Now, Swahili cuisine is probably my favourite but this particular dish just didn’t do it for me. The white wine I had with it, however, was very nice.
The restaurant at Mr Kahawa, being beachfront, is a lovely location to spend the evening and I particularly enjoyed the Afrobeats music that was played. The wait staff were all friendly and helpful.
Most of the menu items were Western foods and the prices were in line with that; it’s not a cheap place to eat.
The Café
The café is the same area as the restaurant but open all day and definitely had a digital nomad vibe; there were several customers working on laptops as well as those who were clearly tourists and/ or guests.
Mr Kahawa actually means ‘Mr Coffee’ and so it’s an apt name for a café!
I didn’t get to spend much time there but if I’m ever back in Paje, and not staying there, it would absolutely be a place I’d go for coffee or a juice…most likely with my laptop, as it has great WiFi.
Location
Mr Kahawa is perfectly situated, right on the beach. It’s in a great location to explore both the beach and the village.
It’s also fairly close to a Western-style supermarket, and other restaurants and bars (I highly recommend Africana’s BBQ, which is only a couple of minutes’ walk away).
What else you should know
Mr Kahawa also has a kitesurfing centre and can host activities such as paddle boarding and Yoga, as well as organise excursions for guests. I didn’t try any of these, as when I travel I am more about collecting gaining an understanding of local life.
Verdict: should you stay at Mr Kahawa?
If you have a mid-range budget and are looking for decent accommodation on the East coast of Zanzibar then Mr Kahawa is a good choice. I’d also recommend it as a cafe if you’re ever staying in Paje.
It wouldn’t be my choice of restaurant, especially as a non guest, but if I ever return to Zanzibar I wouldn’t hesitate to return to Mr Kahawa.
You can check it out for yourself here.
Please note this is my honest opinion and I did not receive any form of compensation for this review.