The Mora Zanzibar

The Mora Zanzibar is not a standard beach resort with a TUI badge attached. It is TUI's first property under an entirely new luxury brand, one designed from scratch to serve a different kind of traveller than the company has historically catered for. The concept is modern, experience-led luxury: 250 generously proportioned suites on one of the quietest and most beautiful stretches of the Zanzibar coast, four restaurants that take food seriously, a wellness centre built for genuine recovery rather than token spa credit, and a philosophy that treats the guest's schedule as their own rather than fitting them into the hotel's programme.

The property sits on Muyuni Beach in Matemwe on the north-east coast of Zanzibar, a long, white-sand beach that faces east across the Indian Ocean. Mnemba Island, widely regarded as one of the finest dive and snorkel sites in the western Indian Ocean, is five minutes away by boat. This is not the busy north coast strip. There are no beach hawkers, no rows of competing sunbeds, no nightclub noise carrying from a neighbouring resort. What there is: extraordinary water, an undisturbed reef, the sight of traditional dhows on the horizon at dusk, and a hotel that has been designed to let all of that speak for itself.

The Mora opened in its current form following a comprehensive renovation of the former Emerald Zanzibar and is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, a collection of fewer than 400 properties globally that meet independently verified standards of service, design and guest experience. The hotel has earned Tripadvisor Travellers Choice status and reviews from 2025 and 2026 are outstanding across every dimension.

Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (Zanzibar Airport) is approximately 56 kilometres away, around 75 to 90 minutes by road. Transfer is typically arranged as part of a package booking with TUI.

There are dozens of all-inclusive resorts in Zanzibar. The question worth asking is what makes a guest choose this one over a property that is half the price and superficially similar.

The food is the most immediately obvious differentiator. Four restaurants covering distinct cuisines, including a Brazilian steakhouse called the Jua Grill that guests consistently describe as the best meal of the holiday and book as early as possible on arrival, represent a level of culinary ambition that most all-inclusive resorts neither attempt nor achieve. The fact that everything is included across all four venues means guests explore the full restaurant offering rather than defaulting to the buffet because the alternatives cost extra.

The scale of the resort is the second differentiator. 250 suites spread across a wide, generously landscaped property means the resort never feels crowded even when fully booked. Multiple pools, a long private beach, expansive gardens and well-separated accommodation mean there is always somewhere quiet to settle, something that smaller-seeming all-inclusive resorts with tighter layouts simply cannot replicate.

The service philosophy is the third. The Mora is built around what it calls following the mood into the moment, a genuinely guest-led approach rather than one that runs to a predetermined entertainment schedule. There are activities, classes, spa treatments and excursions available throughout the day. None of them are compulsory, none are pushed, and the hotel's own app handles everything from restaurant reservations to activity bookings so the process is smooth rather than bureaucratic. Guests who describe themselves as people who find all-inclusive resorts oppressive consistently describe The Mora as the version that converted them.

Deals & Offers

As a premium all-inclusive resort at the luxury end of the Zanzibar market, The Mora Zanzibar rewards early booking. The best room categories, particularly the pool suites and the oceanview suites, book up quickly for the peak dry season months of December through March and July through September. Early booking rates and seasonal promotions are worth watching, particularly for honeymoon and anniversary travel where room upgrade options make the most difference.

Booking a full TUI package including flights typically includes airport transfers from Zanzibar Airport and is strongly recommended for a destination of this complexity. The transfer logistics, domestic flight connections if combining with a safari, and the peace of mind of ATOL protection on a long-haul holiday at this price point all make a package the sensible choice.

For those considering combining Zanzibar with a Tanzanian safari, The Mora makes an excellent second week after a Serengeti or Ngorongoro safari, the contrast between the intensity of the bush and the absolute calm of Muyuni Beach is striking and the combination consistently delivers two completely different but equally memorable holiday experiences in a single trip.

The Mora Zanzibar has 250 suites across several categories, all individually furnished and considerably more spacious than the standard room at a conventional beach resort. All suites include a king-size bed, a private balcony or terrace, air conditioning, smart television with satellite channels, a daily-restocked minibar, tea and coffee making facilities, a bidet, free WiFi, and 24-hour room service.

Junior Suite

The entry-level suite at The Mora and already a significant step above what most luxury resorts offer as their standard room. Generous floor space, a well-appointed bathroom and a balcony or terrace with either garden views, partial sea views or uninterrupted views across the Indian Ocean. The sunsets from an east-facing room at The Mora are a genuinely memorable part of the stay.

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Superior Junior Suite

A meaningful upgrade on the ocean view category, with the addition of a private jacuzzi, ideal for a honeymoon or anniversary trip where the terrace becomes a genuinely private outdoor living space. The bathroom is particularly well-regarded in guest reviews.

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Family Room

The family and group option at The Mora, offering separate sleeping area with genuine privacy. Well-suited to families with older children or a couple looking for extra space. Terrace space is more generous in this category.

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Swimming Pools

The Mora has three outdoor pools and a children's pool, designed and positioned across the property so there is genuinely always somewhere to swim without competing for space. The infinity pool is the architectural centrepiece with views across the Indian Ocean. The pool areas are spread through the gardens rather than concentrated in a single resort-style pool complex, which gives the property its characteristic sense of space and calm.

Beach

Muyuni Beach is a long stretch of white sand on the north-east coast of Zanzibar, considerably quieter than the north coast beaches. The hotel provides sun loungers, parasols and beach towels. Snorkelling equipment is available for guests at no additional charge. The beach faces east, which means spectacular sunrise views and the warm morning light that makes the colour of the Indian Ocean at this latitude particularly vivid.

Spa & Gym

The wellness centre at The Mora is called The Pause, which is a good description of what it is for. A full-service spa with treatment rooms for singles and couples, offering a range of massages including Swedish, Thai, deep tissue and Ayurvedic treatments, reflexology, thalassotherapy and body wraps. There is a sauna, hot tub and dedicated relaxation areas. Spa treatments are included within the all-inclusive concept at The Mora, which is unusual at this level and represents genuine value. Holistic wellness workshops and one-on-one fitness sessions are available throughout the day through the hotel's app. The spa is consistently cited in reviews as one of the highlights of the stay.

A 24-hour gym with cardio and resistance equipment, plus a programme of group fitness classes including yoga, pilates and aqua aerobics. Fitness instructors are available for individual sessions throughout the day.

Kids' Club

The Mora has a dedicated children's programme and a kids club with a specifically designed range of activities. The resort welcomes families and has a children's pool alongside the adult pools. One child up to the age of 12 can stay free when sharing the parent or guardian's room using existing beds. The family-friendly credentials are genuine rather than incidental, though the resort's character and the nature of the all-inclusive concept mean it attracts more couples and honeymooners than families.

All Inclusive

The food at The Mora Zanzibar is the single most-praised aspect of the hotel in guest reviews, an unusual distinction for an all-inclusive resort where food is so frequently the weakest element. The four-restaurant offering gives genuine variety across a stay of seven or fourteen nights, and the quality across all four venues is consistently high.

Restaurants

Buffet Restaurant

The main restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a broad international buffet that draws on Swahili, Tanzanian, Mediterranean, Asian and international cuisine. The buffet concept is elevated here, live cooking stations, fresh seafood, daily changing menus reflecting local produce, rather than the generic spread that the word buffet tends to conjure. Dietary requirements including vegetarian, vegan, halal and gluten-free are all accommodated.

The Jua Grill

The hotel's Brazilian-style steakhouse is the restaurant that guests most frequently mention by name and most consistently describe as exceptional. The Jua Grill is included in the all-inclusive package but requires a reservation, which can be made through the hotel app. Book on the first morning of arrival. Tables are in demand throughout the week and the later in the stay a reservation is left, the fewer options will be available.

Additional Restaurants

The Mediterranean restaurant is a more intimate dining experience with a focused menu of Mediterranean dishes using fresh local ingredients alongside imported European produce. The terrace setting is particularly well-suited to evening dining on a warm Zanzibar night. A further dining and snacking venue gives the all-day food coverage that a properly designed all-inclusive needs.

Bars

Multiple bars including a beach bar and a rooftop terrace are available throughout the day and into the evening. A gala dinner is held every Saturday evening. Afternoon tea with coffee and cakes is available at selected bars on a set schedule.

Diving and Snorkelling at Mnemba Atoll

Five minutes by boat from The Mora, Mnemba Island and its surrounding atoll is the primary reason serious divers choose the Matemwe area over the north coast. The house reef is within swimming distance of the beach. Mnemba itself is a private island with restricted access, but the waters around it are one of the finest marine environments in the western Indian Ocean, green turtles, bottlenose dolphins, reef sharks, rays, barracuda and extraordinary coral formations that are remarkably intact by Indian Ocean standards. Snorkelling equipment is provided by the hotel. Guided dive trips and dive courses can be arranged at additional cost.

Dhow Sailing at Sunset

The traditional wooden sailing dhow is the iconic vessel of the Zanzibari coast and an evening sunset sail is one of those experiences that is impossible to overstate. The combination of the dhow's lateen sail, the light on the water as the sun drops toward the horizon, and the silhouette of Mnemba Island in the distance is one of the most beautiful things available from this stretch of the coast. The hotel can arrange private dhow excursions.

Stone Town

Stone Town, the UNESCO World Heritage Site old quarter of Zanzibar City, is around 75 to 90 minutes from Matemwe by road and worth a full day. The House of Wonders, the Old Fort, the former slave market memorial, the Sultan's Palace and the Forodhani Night Market are the headline attractions, but the experience of simply walking the alleyways and getting pleasantly lost for an afternoon is equally valuable. The carved wooden doors that adorn virtually every historic building in Stone Town are some of the finest examples of Indian Ocean architectural craftsmanship anywhere in the world. Book a guide for context, Stone Town's layers of history are considerably richer with someone who knows them.

Spice Tour

The interior of Zanzibar is planted with the spice gardens that gave the island its nickname. A half-day guided spice tour visits a working plantation and walks through cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper and the island's many other spice crops, with a demonstration of traditional uses and typically a lunch of Zanzibari cuisine cooked from what has just been encountered. An experience that regularly surprises guests who expected a tourist-facing attraction and find themselves genuinely engaged.

Prison Island Tortoise Sanctuary

A short boat trip from Stone Town brings guests to Prison Island, home to a colony of Aldabra giant tortoises, some over 100 years old, that have long since made their peace with human visitors and are comfortable being fed and handled. The island also has a small beach, the ruins of former quarantine buildings and an easy afternoon feel that makes it a particularly good excursion for families.

Dolphin Spotting at Kizimkazi

The village of Kizimkazi on the southern tip of Zanzibar is where boat trips to snorkel with spinner and bottlenose dolphins depart each morning. The experience depends on conditions and the dolphins are wild rather than trained, so encounters are genuine but not guaranteed. The success rate is high and the experience of swimming alongside wild dolphins in open Indian Ocean water is one of those things that is difficult to describe and impossible to forget.

Combine with a Tanzanian Safari

Zanzibar and Tanzania's national parks are genuinely greater together than either is alone. The Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park offer some of the most extraordinary wildlife experiences on earth, and the contrast with a week at The Mora on Muyuni Beach produces a twin-centre holiday that covers everything from the great migration to snorkelling on an Indian Ocean reef. Domestic flights between Dar es Salaam or Kilimanjaro Airport and Zanzibar take around 20 minutes. Most major long-haul tour operators including TUI can build this as a seamlessly packaged itinerary.

Book direct via the TUI website to secure a ABTA and ATOL protected package holiday with flights, accommodation and transfers. It's best to contact TUI first, but if you do need to contact the hotel directly, you can do so by email. You can also find more photos, videos and reviews on social media.

Address

The Mora Zanzibar, Muyuni Beach, Matemwe, Zanzibar, Tanzania

Getting Here

Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) is approximately 56 kilometres from the hotel, around 75 to 90 minutes by road. The hotel arranges a paid airport transfer and booking this in advance through TUI or the hotel directly ensures a smooth arrival. For guests combining with a Tanzanian safari, domestic flights from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar take approximately 20 minutes.