LUX Marijani, Zanzibar, Tanzania

After the intensity and history of Stone Town, we were ready for something slower, quieter and more beach‑focused. LUX Marijani, located on the northeast coast of Zanzibar, offered exactly that, a modern beachfront resort designed for unwinding rather than sightseeing. We spent five nights here at the tail end of our Tanzania journey, using it as a place to decompress, spend quality time with mom and fully embrace the local pole pole way of life.

First Impressions

LUX Marijani felt contemporary and open from the moment we arrived. The architecture was clean and modern, with low rise buildings, beautiful architecture and plenty of natural light. The resort was spread out enough that it never felt crowded, even when occupancy was high. Check-in was warm and friendly, though unhurried, which served as our first reminder that Zanzibar operates on its own timeline.

The rooms were spacious, stylish and comfortable, with large beds, good (in most of our rooms) air conditioning and thoughtful design touches like balconies. While everything looked great at first glance, it became clear over time that details were not always paid close attention to, especially given our reference points were our many visits to Thailand. Minor maintenance issues, uneven finishes and small oversights did not ruin the stay, but they did stand out given how well some things were done at the resort.

Life at the Pace of Pole Pole

If there was one thing that defined LUX Marijani, it was pace. Service was consistently friendly and well intentioned, but very slow. Meals regularly took one to two hours to arrive after ordering, and drinks often took 30 minutes or more. We quickly adapted by ordering our next round as soon as the first arrived and by treating mealtimes as long, social events rather than something to rush through.

Food quality was generally good, but dishes often arrived lukewarm, likely a side effect of the relaxed service rhythm. The head chef came over to say hi to our family on one of the first dinners and things changed for the better after. I assume he instructed his team to ensure we had a top-notch experience and we really felt the difference.

Once we stopped fighting the pace and leaned into it, the experience became far more enjoyable. This was not a resort for people who valued efficiency or tight schedules. It was a place to let go of urgency entirely.

The Beach and the Sea

The beach itself was beautiful, with soft white sand, warm water and long stretches that were perfect for walking. That said, this part of Zanzibar’s coastline was heavily affected by seaweed, which washed ashore daily. The coast was also very shallow which meant that the tide would pull the sea away for most of the day, leaving behind only seaweed and white sand. This was not a fault of the hotel. It was a natural and well-known characteristic of the northeast coast, but it did impact swimming and the classic postcard beach experience. I still prefer the beaches in Koh Samui, but I readily admit I’ve only seen a small part of Zanzibar’s famed east coast.

Despite that, we enjoyed long walks along the shoreline during the day and never felt uncomfortable. The Zanzibar sun was super intense with my skin getting burned during even short walks. SPF50 is a must and I wish I had been more disciplined to use it; most afternoons, the UV index was 11+! Beach vendors were present but respectful, and a simple no thank you with a smile was always enough to be left alone.

Facilities and Atmosphere

LUX Marijani was very much about relaxation rather than activity. The pool area was calm and inviting, the evenings were low-key and the overall vibe leaned toward quiet luxury rather than entertainment. One noticeable weak spot was the gym, which was very small and minimally equipped. It was fine for light workouts, but disappointing for anyone serious about training.

Evening dining was pleasant, though the sound system during dinner service had uneven audio quality, which occasionally disrupted the otherwise tranquil atmosphere. These were small things, but they added up when staying several nights. Speaking of the sound system, the hotel’s primary customers appeared to be Italian and every night, they would take over the microphone and turn the after-dinner party into an Italian Karaoke event! It was quite entertaining!

Who This Resort Is For

LUX Marijani is best suited for travellers who want to fully slow down and disconnect, are comfortable with very relaxed service and value space, calm and beachfront walks over nightlife or activities. It worked well for my family given that we had just come from several hectic days in Dar and Stone Town, but I think we could have stayed for three days which would have been ideal.

Epic Sunset

With so many nights at the resort, we were starting to get restless of the same environment. For the final night, we decided to try and finally see a famed Zanzibar sunset. Unfortunately, our resort was on the east coast, so we googled “Zanzibar sunset” and it came back with a recommendation to visit Le Saint Tropez Beach Bar. We booked a large van and headed over with about one hour before sunset. There was tight security leaving our resort and when entering Le Saint Tropez.

All that effort was rewarded with a stunning sunset, great music and interesting entertainment. The food here was excellent and there was no pole pole with everything arriving hot and on time! I also loved seeing locals at this venue as this was the first time we got to see Zanzibarians enjoying luxury on their island. Park Hyatt and LUX were both primarily filled with foreign visitors.

The sunset dinner was the perfect way to end our Tanzanian adventure.  

Final Thoughts

Despite its flaws, LUX Marijani gave us exactly what we needed at the end of our trip. It provided space to breathe, time to reflect and a gentle landing before heading home. The combination of modern comfort, friendly staff and an unhurried atmosphere made it a fitting conclusion to our Tanzania journey.

Would I return? Possibly, but with adjusted expectations and a mindset firmly set to pole pole. Zanzibar, like much of East Africa, rewarded patience, and LUX Marijani served as a reminder that sometimes the best travel experiences happened when we stopped trying to control the clock. If I were to go back, I would go for the all-inclusive package again since there wasn’t much else to do besides eat and drink. I would also try to arrange some outings beyond the hotel’s near proximity.

I don’t think I can end this post without mentioning something that was eating away at me while staying at the resort. I felt conflicted with what I had seen on the drive from Stone Town to the east coast. Stone Town was quite developed, with everyone looking happy and secure. However, on the drive to the east coast, I witnessed what appeared to be extreme poverty.

Further research with the World Bank provided data points that roughly 25% of Zanzibar’s population lives below the poverty line. This became very apparent when we wanted to leave the resort to walk around the neighbourhood and the resort became very concerned at our idea. They strongly recommended we either stay at the resort or hire a car to take us to a specific destination, which is what we ultimately did.

I’ve travelled to many places where the wealth discrepancy was high (Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and Myanmar as examples), but none of those places made me feel as conflicted as I did in Zanzibar’s east coast. I just hope that the large amounts of money we spent in Tanzania will make its way to the local population and I hope that tourism is making their lives better rather than worse.

This post concludes the series on Tanzania. I’m working on some gear reviews and hope to be posting them in the coming weeks and months. I’m finally going to review Fujinon’s series of “God Lenses”, the GF110 f/2, GF45 f/2.8 and GF250 f/4. I’ll also be sharing a photographer’s review of the new Macbook Air M5. I can’t wait to share the reviews with you.

Gear Used

Since this trip was going to include multiple stops including Bangkok, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and potentially a safari, I packed quite a bit of equipment. Fortunately, this all fit easily in my trusty 12 years old the Rimowa Original Cabin luggage and Peak Design 20L Everyday Backpack.

• Fujifilm GFX100S II
• Fujinon GF55 f/1.7
• Fujinon GF32-64 f/4
• Fujinon GF110 f/2
• Canon EF 100-400 USM II with Fringer adapter
• Fujifilm X100VI

All images were edited and processed in Capture One Pro Mobile using an Apple Pencil Pro and Apple 11″ iPad Pro M4.