Last Updated on September 11, 2023
Paje By Night in Paje, Zanzibar is one of my favourite places that I’ve stayed in on my travels! I love hotels that feel unique as well as ticking all of my requirements, especially when travelling solo! Here is my in-depth Paje By Night review, a great middle budget hotel in Paje!
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Paje By Night Zanzibar
good points
- Swimming pool & hammocks
- Great/safe for solo travels
- Lovely staff
- Yoga school
- 100m from Paje Beach (plus 24hr supermarket opposite)
- Awesome breakfast included in room rate
- Very unique room!
- Zanzibar Red Colobus monkeys often in the garden!
bad points
- My shower temperature was temperamental
- Something ate my earphones in the night…potentially a gecko…but I never saw it!
Facilities
Solo Travellers
There were several different reasons why I decided to stay at Paje By Night for 8 nights. One of the main ones was that all the reviews said it was great for solo travellers. I felt completely safe while staying there and ended up meeting a great group of people!
Paje By Night Yoga
The Rehub Yoga School is a great place for meeting others. Hotel guests get priority during busy times ($15), but it’s also open to non-guests too ($20). Sessions run morning and evening 6 days a week. Most travellers seemed to meet each other through attending the yoga sessions.
Paje By Night is listed on several yoga retreat websites, so some guests discover the hotel purely through the yoga packages. I paid in advance for one session when I made my booking, but I had the option to increase this if I wanted.
Two types of yoga are offered, Ashtanga Yoga in the morning (one day it’s on the beach) and Vinyasa Flow in the evenings. I did the Vinyasa Flow as I prefer the slower, more relaxing style of yoga.
So if you are looking for a yoga retreat in Zanzibar, Paje By Night could be a good option for you!
Massage Spa
Along with the yoga school, there’s also a massage spa with a wide range of different types of massage. Compared to similar services offered in destinations such as the UK or USA, the massages at Paje By Night are very reasonable. I paid $45 USD for a 75 minute Swedish massage which included 15 minutes for free.
Several of us had massages and we loved them. The massage therapist is very professional and so lovely that we even gave her a hug on check out day! The spa hut has open windows with just curtains, so she will assist you with getting changed. It’s best to wear a swim suit just for ease and comfort!
Gardens
I loved the garden area. There are lots of palm trees and beautiful flowers. Almost every evening between 4pm – 5pm the Zanzibar Red Colobus monkeys would appear in the tree tops (and several days they were on my balcony!). These are the same species that are found in the Jozani National Park.
The swimming pool area is brightly coloured and has a separate Jacuzzi area with a waterfall into the main pool. The water was cold but when the temperature is 30c, it’s quite refreshing!
There are sun loungers with small fold out tables around the pool. I had no problems getting one, most of the time I was the only one sat round the pool! There are no umbrellas but there was always at least a couple of beds in a shaded area.
I also enjoyed relaxing in the hammocks. There are a couple of different types in the central garden area including a hammock swing seat.
Reception & Excursions
WiFi is available throughout the property. I could pick it up in my room most of the time but the signal strength was sometimes a little patchy. (Video calls would sometimes be pixelated but the audio was fine most of the time).
There is a nice communal area next to the restaurant with sofas, tables, a TV and a book exchange.
A big shout out to Louis on reception! He was brilliant and always laughing and joking with us. I had a whole list of tours and taxis that I wanted to book during my 8 night stay and it was never any problem for them.
Considering Zanzibar operates on ‘island time’ and life is very much ‘pole pole’ (slowly slowly), all the pick ups they organised for me came 15 minutes early and were absolutely SPOTLESS. I couldn’t complain about anything they organised for me.
Tours & Activities I booked:
- 1x airport taxi
- Return taxi to The Rock restaurant
- Jozani Forest & Spice Farm combined tour
- Prison Island & Stone Town combined tour
- 1x 75 minute massage
- 1x yoga class
As I was travelling on the edge of low season, I was also able to check into my room early and keep it for the day of check out which was handy.
Jungle Bungalow Room Review
When I reserved the Jungle Bungalow I wasn’t too sure what to expect as there wasn’t many photos of it online! It’s listed on the website as:
“The Jungle Bungalows, as its name suggests, is a very rustic refuge from the wild African sun made of wood, coral walls and intertwined palm leaves. It’s suitable for young travellers and backpackers looking for a cheap accommodation.”
It seemed to have all the same facilities as the other bungalows on offer (there are 19 altogether) with the addition of it being a 2 STOREY room with a balcony. Yet it was the same price as the Standard Bungalow.
I’ve only ever had a 2 storey room once before during my travels (in Iceland) and part of me wanted that novelty again! I LOVED my room. Downstairs there was a wardrobe and safe, 2 twin beds (with mosquito net) and the bathroom (VERY large shower).
Upstairs has a double bed (with a tent mosquito net), air con, a desk and the balcony. (I loved spending my evenings sat on my balcony!).
Zanzibar wildlife!
Even though it’s described as ‘very rustic’ I wouldn’t say it’s THAT rustic, it’s certainly not a hut and seemed solid. There was the odd mosquito but the rooms are sprayed every evening.
I saw 2 spiders on the ceiling and then something ate the memory foam part of both of my earphones. I did ask Louis on checkout what it could have been (it had left teeth marks in the plastic) and he said it could only have been a gecko.
The only time I saw a gecko though was outside on the balcony and on the wall outside of my front door, never inside my room…and I was doing bug check whenever I entered rooms!
Bathroom
Despite not being able to get the temperature of the shower to warm up (but then to be fair I never asked for help), the shower was pretty cool (literally)! As well as having a rain head style top, it also had a setting where water would come out along the side (shoulder to knee for my height). Shower gel, shampoo and bars of soap are in the bathroom.
Drinking water
Each day housekeeping filled up a thermos flask of drinkable water. For me travelling by myself, this was plenty. But you can get it refilled at the bar for 2000 shillings. They are trying to be a more eco conscious hotel but cutting out single use plastic. I took a refillable bottle and filled it up from the flask.
Breakfast & Restaurant
They also ask you to choose your breakfast the day before, ready for the following morning. This is to cut down on waste. I took a photo of the menu on my phone for ease.
There were 4 choices that you could tweak to your liking (different style of eggs etc). They all came with tea/coffee and fresh juice. I tried 3 of the options:
- Paje By Night: Toast with jam and butter, cake of the day, sausages, grilled vegetables and herb omelette.
- Vegan Breakfast (I’m not a vegan): Raw vegetables, cashews and dates, fresh fruit, avocado toast
- Yogi Breakfast (my favourite): Yoghurt with muesli and honey, fresh fruit, Nutella crepe (or I would swap the crepe for a herb omelette).
It was a good sized portion and I enjoyed everything I ate.
The restaurant and bar also served a range of drinks, beers, cocktails etc and a mostly Italian food menu. Anything purchased could be charged to the room bill however I used to pay cash, just so I could keep track of my budget.
I had spaghetti one night and had no complaints. On a Friday nights they have live music and during my stay they had candle lit dining set up around the pool.
Related reading: Paje Restaurants | 10 Best Places To Eat In Paje Zanzibar
Paje By Kite/On The Beach
Paje By Night is 100m from the beach, access via a sandy ‘alleyway’ (it’s fairly high trafficked, I felt safe walking along it by myself). You can not see the sea/beach from the property. However 200m away is Paje By Kite and the Beach House.
Paje By Kite is their kite surfing school but Paje By Night On The Beach has bean bag sun loungers, deck chairs, a hammock, a toilet and a ‘bar’ selling drinks, food and ice cream.
You can also charge things to your room which is handy if you don’t want to carry cash. I had the Bruschetta which was really good, plus an avocado and lemon ice cream milkshake.
Although, as a hotel guest there was no pressure to purchase anything. A few times I would just take my hotel beach towel and sit on the bean bags and read, people watch the beach and go for a swim in the sea (on the days when the lagoon actually had water in it!). Having this area made up for the hotel itself being set back from the beach.
Book A Stay At Paje By Night
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