The Residence Zanzibar
Kizimkazi, Zanzibar
Location
Kizimkazi, SW corner
The resort occupies a forested 79-acre beachfront estate at Kizimkazi, the south-west corner of Unguja, with around a kilometre of coastline, about an hour from Stone Town — famous for the dolphins offshore.
Transfer
A Zanzibar transfer
Around an hour from Stone Town and Zanzibar International Airport — all road transfers, no bush-plane.
Villas
66 private-pool villas
Sixty-six stand-alone villas, each with a private pool, terrace and garden, a separate living room and a big bathroom with a soaking tub and indoor and outdoor showers — from Garden to Ocean-Front, Prestige and Presidential.
Best For
Who it suits
Couples, honeymooners and families after all-villa seclusion — 66 private-pool villas on a large estate, with Kizimkazi dolphins and Jozani Forest nearby — and a pool-focused stay over all-day sea-swimming.
Board Basis
Bed & breakfast
Bed and breakfast, with half-board options and under-eights free on half board — The Dining Room, the colonial Library Bar and private in-villa dining.
About the Resort
66 private-pool villas, total seclusion
The Residence Zanzibar is the island's secluded all-villa retreat — 66 stand-alone villas, each with its own private pool, spread across a forested 79-acre beachfront estate at Kizimkazi, the south-west corner of Unguja. Space and privacy are the point: every villa has a pool, a terrace and garden, a separate living room and a big bathroom, with free bikes to roam the estate and a butler on request. Kizimkazi is famous for the dolphins offshore, and the Jozani Forest and its Red Colobus monkeys are nearby, with complimentary kayaks, hobie cats and snorkelling, and a large glass-walled spa using local flora and spice. One honest note on the setting: this south-west beach is shallow and tide-dependent, so the resort is pool-focused, which the 66 private pools and the glass-walled infinity pool more than answer. Dining runs from the old-Persia Dining Room to the colonial Library Bar and private in-villa meals. Around an hour from Stone Town, it suits couples and families after seclusion over all-day sea-swimming.
Accommodation
Villas
66 stand-alone villas, each with a private pool, terrace and garden, a separate living room and a big bathroom with a soaking tub and indoor and outdoor showers, plus free bikes and a butler on request — Garden, Ocean-Front, Prestige and Presidential.
Entry
Garden Pool Villa
Sleeps two to three. A king villa with a private pool in a garden setting.
Private poolGarden outlook
Sea
Ocean-Front Pool Villa
Sleeps two to three. A king villa with a private pool, facing the sea.
Private poolOcean view
Family
Two-Bedroom Villa
Sleeps four. A private pool and family layout, over the garden or sea.
Private poolTwo-bedroom
Signature
Presidential Villa
Sleeps two to four. A larger pool and private garden, over the sea — the signature villa.
Larger poolOcean view
Food & Drink
Dining
Dining runs to The Dining Room, in old-Persia style with a copper bar, the colonial Dr Livingstone-themed Library Bar, and meals on the jetty and by the pool, with private in-villa dining.
Signature
The Dining Room
The Dining Room, in old-Persia style with a copper bar.
Bar
The Library Bar
The Library Bar, on a colonial Dr Livingstone theme.
Beach
Jetty & poolside
Dining on the jetty and by the pool, with private in-villa meals.
Wellbeing
The spa
A large glass-walled spa runs treatments across six rooms, using local flora and spice, with a gym and yoga, a glass-walled infinity pool, and — the heart of the resort — a private pool on every one of the 66 villas.
The spa
A large glass-walled spa with six treatment rooms, using local flora and spice.
An infinity pool
A glass-walled infinity pool.
Private villa pools
A private pool on every one of the 66 villas.
Activities & Experiences
Signature Experiences
Seclusion, a private pool of your own, and the wildlife of the south-west. Retreat to your villa, sail out to the Kizimkazi dolphins, walk Jozani Forest, and take to the water.
All-villa seclusion
All-villa seclusion — 66 stand-alone pool villas on a large, private estate.
Kizimkazi dolphins
Kizimkazi dolphin safaris, from the village famous for them.
Jozani Forest
Jozani Forest and its Red Colobus monkeys nearby.
Water sports
Complimentary water sports — kayaks, hobie cats and snorkelling.
The garden spa
The garden spa, with yoga.
Getting There
Location & transfers
By road
From the airport
Around an hour from Stone Town and Zanzibar International Airport.
On the SW coast
Kizimkazi
At Kizimkazi, the south-west corner of Unguja, on a 79-acre estate.
Guest Reviews
What Our Clients Say
★★★★★
“The most extraordinary place I have ever stayed. Nothing prepares you for the depth of the silence, the beauty of the reef, or the sheer generosity of the experience.”
✓ Verified via feefo
★★★★★
“We’ve stayed here three times now. The house reef has no equal. The stargazing was, genuinely, one of the most moving experiences of my adult life.”
✓ Verified via feefo
★★★★★
“I had stayed at Four Seasons, One&Only and Velaa before visiting The Residence Zanzibar. They are all magnificent. But this is different in a way that is hard to articulate.”
✓ Verified via feefo
Good to Know
Good to know
Board basis
- Bed and breakfast, with half-board options — under-eights stay free on half board.
Made for couples
- A secluded, private retreat for couples, with two-bedroom villas and a kids' club for families.
The beach
- On the south-west coast, where the beach is shallow and tide-dependent — the resort is pool-focused, with a private pool on every villa and an infinity pool.
Getting there
- Around an hour from Stone Town and the airport.
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Dates, party size, villa preference and budget.
Destination
Dates & party
Date flexibility
Adults
2
Children
0
Budget & accommodation
Budget per person (flights + hotel)
£4,500
£500£50,000+
Villa preference
Flights
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