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Sunshine Marine Lodge

3.5 star property
Soak up sun on white sand beaches or indulge in water sports like boat tours and snorkeling. Relax afterwards with refreshing cocktails by the pool.

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Photo gallery for Sunshine Marine Lodge

Exterior - Sunshine Marine Lodge (Matemwe)
Family Suite with Partial Ocean View | Balcony view - Sunshine Marine Lodge (Matemwe)
Free daily buffet breakfast - Sunshine Marine Lodge (Matemwe)
Exterior - Sunshine Marine Lodge (Matemwe)
3 outdoor pools, pool umbrellas, sun loungers - Sunshine Marine Lodge (Matemwe)
Sunshine Marine Lodge offers the ultimate tropical getaway. Unwind by the poolside bar, relax at the spa with a body treatment, or enjoy scuba diving and snorkeling activities. With 3 outdoor pools, a garden library and free in-room WiFi you'll feel right at home.

Reviews

9.2 out of 10
Wonderful

Popular amenities

  • Pool
  • Breakfast included
  • Spa
  • Parking included
  • Free WiFi
  • Restaurant

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 3 of 3 rooms

View all photos for Partial Ocean Front Suite

Down comforters, minibar, in-room safe, desk

Partial Ocean Front Suite

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • Ocean view
  • 40 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed and 1 Large Twin Bed OR 2 Twin Beds and 1 Large Twin Bed
  • Free WiFi

View all photos for Deluxe Garden Suite

Garden view

Deluxe Garden Suite

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(3 reviews)
  • Garden view
  • 30 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Twin Bed
  • Free WiFi

View all photos for Family Garden Suite

Family Garden Suite | Down comforters, minibar, in-room safe, desk

Family Garden Suite

  • Garden view
  • 50 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Double Bed and 2 Twin Beds
  • Free WiFi

About the neighborhood

Located in Matemwe, Sunshine Marine Lodge is near the beach. The area's natural beauty can be seen at Kiwengwa Beach and Kendwa Beach. Mnemba Island is another place to visit that comes recommended. Water skiing and fishing offer great chances to get out on the surrounding water, or you can seek out an adventure with ecotours nearby. Visit our Matemwe travel guide
Map
Off Mnemba Island Road, Muyuni, Matemwe, 4749

What's nearby

  • Muyuni Beach
    Muyuni Beach
    15 min drive - 5.3 miles
  • Kiwengwa Beach
    Kiwengwa Beach
    30 min drive - 12.0 miles
  • Panorama of Zanzibar shore with sandy beach,luxury resort and thatch stilt house restaurant at sunset. Summer travel in Zanzibar, Africa,Tanzania.
    Kendwa Beach
    42 min drive - 14.8 miles
  • Kigomani Beach
    11 min drive - 3.5 miles
  • Mapenzi Beach
    26 min drive - 10.2 miles

Getting around

  • Zanzibar Intl. Airport (ZNZ)
    90 min drive

Restaurants

  • Mzee Husa Restaurant
    18 min drive
  • Zanziblue
    18 min drive
  • Sunshine Marine Lodge
    6 min walk
  • Jua Grill
    6 min drive
  • Twende Tukale Kolekole
    15 min drive

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Exterior
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Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • 24-hour roundtrip airport shuttle on request for a surcharge
  • Free beach shuttle
  • Free extended parking on site

Food and drink

  • Free buffet breakfast available daily 7:30 AM to 10:30 AM
  • A bar/lounge
  • A coffee shop/cafe
  • A poolside bar
  • A restaurant
  • Coffee and tea in common areas
  • Couples/private dining
  • Free daily manager's reception

Things to do

  • 3 outdoor pools
  • Boat tours
  • Children's pool
  • Library
  • Scuba diving
  • Snorkeling

Family friendly

  • 3 outdoor pools
  • Children's pool
  • Laundry facilities

Conveniences

  • Gift shop/newsstand
  • Laundry facilities
  • Limited-hour front desk
  • Luggage storage
  • Safe at front desk

Guest services

  • Change of bedsheets (on request)
  • Change of towels on request
  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Multilingual staff
  • Porter/bellhop
  • Proposal/romance packages
  • Tour and ticket assistance
  • Wedding services

Outdoors

  • Barbecue grill
  • Beach towels
  • Garden
  • Pool loungers
  • Pool umbrellas
  • Terrace

Spa

  • Aromatherapy
  • Body scrubs
  • Deep-tissue massages
  • Facials
  • Manicures/pedicures
  • Swedish massages
  • Treatment room

Accessibility

  • No elevator

More

  • 7 buildings
  • At least 80% of food locally-sourced
  • At least 80% organic food
  • Built in 2013
  • Comprehensive food waste policy
  • Comprehensive recycling policy
  • Humane treatment of captive wild animals
  • Locally-owned and organized tours and activities
  • Mosquito nets
  • No plastic drinking straws
  • Smoking not allowed
  • Traditional architecture
  • Vegan dining options
  • Vegetarian breakfast available
  • Vegetarian dining options

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided
  • Down comforter

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Private bathroom
  • Rainfall showerhead
  • Shower
  • Towels provided

Food and drink

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Electric kettle
  • Free bottled water
  • Minibar

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Ceiling fan
  • Desk
  • LED lighting
  • Portable fan
  • Safe
  • Water-efficient showers

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM
Early check-in subject to availability
Early check-in fee: 60 percent of room rate
Late check-in subject to availability

Check-out

Check-out before 10 AM
Late check-out subject to availability
A late check-out fee will be charged

Special check-in instructions

This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply); to arrange pick-up, guests must contact the property 48 hours prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
The property charges 5 percent for credit card payments
The front desk is open daily from 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions; front desk staffed during limited hours
To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 24 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation
Guests should be aware that 3 cats and 1 dog reside at this property
For any questions, please contact the property using the information on the booking confirmation
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Property payment types

Important information

Fees

You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:

  • Christmas Eve (December 24) Gala Dinner per adult: USD 80
  • Christmas Eve (December 24) Gala Dinner per child: USD 40 (from 2 to 11 years old)
  • New Year's Eve (December 31) Gala Dinner per adult: USD 80
  • New Year's Eve (December 31) Gala Dinner per child: USD 40 (from 2 to 11 years old)
  • A tax is imposed by the city: USD 4.00 per person, per night
  • An effective city/local tax rate of 12.00 percent will be charged

We have included all charges provided to us by the property.

Optional extras

  • Airport shuttle fee: USD 60 per vehicle (one-way, maximum occupancy 4)
  • Airport shuttle fee per child: USD 60 (one-way), (up to 12 years old)
  • Early check-in fee: 60 percent of room rate (subject to availability)
  • Late check-out is available for a fee (subject to availability)
  • Credit card charges are subject to a surcharge of 5 percent

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation
Guests must contact this property in advance to reserve cribs/infant beds and rollaway/extra beds
This property accepts credit cards and cash
Cashless transactions are available
Noise-free guestrooms cannot be guaranteed
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a security system, and a first aid kit
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios, terraces which may not be suitable for children; if you have concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm they can accommodate you in a suitable room

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
Reservations are required for massage services and spa treatments; reservations can be made by contacting the property prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
Children under 12 years old are not allowed in the swimming pool without adult supervision

Frequently asked questions

Does Sunshine Marine Lodge have a pool?

Yes, this property has 3 outdoor pools and a children's pool.

Is Sunshine Marine Lodge pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking?

Self parking and extended parking are free at this property.

What time is check-in at Sunshine Marine Lodge?

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM. A 60% fee applies for early check-in (subject to availability). Late check-in is available during limited hours.

What time is check-out at Sunshine Marine Lodge?

Check-out is at 10 AM. Late check-out is available for a fee (subject to availability).

Does Sunshine Marine Lodge provide a shuttle to the airport?

Yes, there's an airport shuttle that runs on request. A fee of USD 60 per vehicle applies.

Where is Sunshine Marine Lodge located?

Situated in Matemwe, this beach hotel is 10.1 mi (16.3 km) from Kiwengwa Beach and 10.8 mi (17.3 km) from Kendwa Beach.

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Reviews

Sunshine Marine Lodge Reviews

9.2

Wonderful

9.8

Cleanliness

8.8

Location

9.6

Staff & service

9.6

Property conditions & facilities
Rating 10 - Excellent. 62 out of 89 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 20 out of 89 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 4 out of 89 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 89 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 89 reviews

Reviews

Verified

10/10 Excellent

Erica

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely stay- great quiet spot with amazing views and friendly and attentive staff. Great scuba diving!
Stayed 6 nights in Oct 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Carolina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fantastic stay in this beautiful boutique hotel in Matemwe! Plus: Amazing ocean view room, great food, amazing staff (everyone is so kind and so nice!), fantastic diving team (be aware that Zanzibar doesn't have big sealife, but the small ones and the sites are beautiful), very relaxing stay, great service overall Cons: the only cons (but I knew that already and this was part of the reasons why I chose this hotel!) is that the hotel is very isolated so if you are looking for a lot to do, this is not the place for you!
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2026
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Dina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Peaceful oasis

We had an amazing stay at Sunshine Marine Lodge. The staff were all incredibly helpful and friendly. The reception team helped with arranging tours and activities - we especially loved the tour of Stone Town! The hotel also offers transfer services from the airport, which was really convenient. The resort itself is beautiful and peaceful. The food was also great, especially the fresh fruit at breakfast and the daily specials for lunch and dinner. Cannot recommend this stay enough!
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Dorte

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Perfect relaxing holiday

Relaxing holiday. All staff smiling, very friendly and service minded. Excellent team. The food was excellent, perhaps a bit expensive, but very tasty and beautifully served. Special thanks to the waiter Daniel who was really making a difference. We tried yoga and the yoga instructor Anna was really good, Stayed in the ocean view bungalow. The only thing which I recommend is a new madras as it was a bit used.
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2025
Verified

8/10 Good

George

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The propertynwas beautiful, the room was spacioua and incredible balcony. The distance from town and expense to get there and back ( over an hour $160 rtn)was the only drawback.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2024
Verified

8/10 Good

Uta

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Extremly isolated. No possibility to eat outside (without Taxi). Daily power cuts, some of which lasted a long time. No air conditioning and no WLAN during this time. Bar and restaurant also affected. The staff are very keen to maintain European standards, but are overzealous. Every plate is cleared away in a hurry, regardless of whether your partner is still eating or whether you want to keep your plate to have a snack. Hotel pool was not cleaned separately in the morning. As a result, there were lots of dead insects floating in the pool.
Stayed 5 nights in Apr 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff at Sunshine went above and beyond the call of duty to make our stay there wonderful. We especially would like to acknowledge Hamida, Rosemary and Daniel. Everyone there was great and always had a smile waiting for you. Service was top notch and their restaurant deserves a michelin star.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Kamil

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We enjoyed all in this property. Thank You and see You again!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2026
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Samantha

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
We had a gorgeous sea view room for our 2 night stay. Bed is comfortable, balcony seats very comfortable: good shower etc. place is spotless with attentive housekeeping. Great stay if you’re looking to dive around Mnemba as the diving centre with lovely staff is in the resort. Menu is a bit limited for vegetarians and they ran out of quite a few ingredients (avocado, limes) so it wasn’t the best food we had and the area around the hotel is pretty quiet.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2026
Verified

10/10 Excellent

james

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Leon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Awesome quiet place!
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Ada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The place is very nice Food is Amazing great for a cupples retret! You will anjoy your stay if its a relaxing mode!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2022
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Mette

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Peaceful location

Beautiful and very peaceful stay. Friendly staff. Snorkeling trips organized every day. Bus to small nearby beach several times a day. Nice variety in food menu that changes every day. Would definitely stay here again.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Julie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Honeymoon

Awesome time at the Sunshine! Great food, impecable service, a peaceful place to enjoy Zanzibar. The hotel is beautiful and offers many services (spa, free yoga classes, diving school inside the hotel). We had an amazing time and we wished to have stayed longer. Everyone at the Sunshine helped us to enjoy this moment so Kudos to everyone!!
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2022
Verified

10/10 Excellent

sarah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The best part of the hotel is the staff—warm, friendly, wonderful and willing to go ABOVE AND BEYOND to make our stay wonderful. The location is far away from hustle and bustle of beaches like Nungwi. No one is trying to sell you anything here. The view from the pools is lovely and the dramatic rise and fall of the tide made for fun little adventures. The dive shop was handy and lovely. The snorkeling and diving at Mnemba were just 20 minute away and great. To note: there isn’t a swimmable beach in front of the hotel. For this, you wait until low tide and walk north to Muyuni or bike there…well worth it for the sandbar, starfish, and swimming. We are so thankful to Sunshine Marine Lodge team for sharing their beautiful space and smiles with us!
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023
Verified

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Would never choose again

At first glance it looks as if this hotel is a quite calm luxurious hotel. But after staying here for 5days I would not say that luxury is the correct word. All in all we had 5 cockroaches (apart from other critters) in our room at different times. After the first night we told the reception and got the reply that they would try to fix it but that they really can’t because the hotel is located in a very green area. They sprayed a lot of bug spray in our room hoping that it would solve the issue at hand. Well, it didn’t. The door to the room had a glitch of maybe 3-4 cm at the bottom, that was the critter highway 1 to our room, the doors to the terrace where the same, a huge whole that just was another entrance for bugs of all sorts to enter our room. The room also had the bathroom window (not really a window, patterned holes in the wall with insect nets for coverage.) that was straight towards the stairs that other guest used to get to their rooms. So whenever you needed to go, you had to check so there wasn’t anyone outside that could peek in or just hear the sounds that can happen during a visit to the restroom. Furthermore the hotel did not comunicate well, as an example, we were away on a trip all morning and back at the hotel at 12:30, a lot of time for the staff to clean. But they came and wanted to clean the room exactly when we got back and needed to change clothes. They had so much time to do this, but chose the worst possible time.
Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Giuliano

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Ottimo
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Agathe

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Les piscines sont agréables et chaudes. Le spa est niché dans une cabane en hauteur. Les jardins sont extrêmement bien entretenus et agréables. La petite terrasse privative devant notre chambre géniale.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2026
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Kasper

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fantastiske og autentiske omgivelser. Hyggelig pool område med bar og restaurant lige ved siden af. Vi fik et hyggeligt og flot værelse med altan ud til vandet. Personalet var yderst høflige og søde. Desværre havde de ikke altid det hele på lager som de viste på deres menukort men vi blev mætte hver dag med godt og tilberedt mad. Kan klart anbefalde stedet for dem som bare har brug for at koble af og slappe af i autentiske omgivelser.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Rene

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Es war ein wunderbarer Aufenthalt in der Sunshine Marine Lodge. Das Zimmer war sehr geräumig und sauber und der direkte Blick aufs Meer grandios. Das Personal sehr aufmerksam. Das Frühstück hat unsere Wünsche erfüllt. Wir waren auch 2x im Hotel zum Dinner. Das Essen war wirklich sehr gut, das einzige was wir nicht so toll fanden, waren die doch im Vergleich teuren Preise. Das ist Schade.
Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

luna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Tout était parfait
Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Heike

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Man kann die sunshine marine lodge nur weiterempfehlen, man bekommt jeden Tag Wasser a und Kaffee - und Teebeutel, Wasserkocher vorhanden. Die Betten werden abends Mückensicher gemacht, das Menü für den ganzen Tag bekommt man aufs Handy mit den Ebbe und Flutdaten außerdem die Tagestemperaturen, fanden wir sehr gut!
Stayed 8 nights in Jun 2023
Verified

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Le séjour était top. L’inconvénient est la literie. Le matelas est très dure et pas de climatisation dans la chambre c’est compliqué.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2021
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Simon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Like paradise

Amazing. Great service, nice lodge and exceptionel location. Like paradise :)
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2021
Verified

6/10 Okay

Agnès

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Bel hôtel mais

Très bel hôtel et accueil charmant mais il est complètement isolé , pas de plage . Une voiture est obligatoire, Sinon obligées de manger au restaurant ou les prix sont prohibitifs . La journée est calme , voir trop calme et la nuit bruyante . Il n’y a pas de fenêtres , uniquement des persiennes , donc la nuit bruits des autres touristes et des singes
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2021