As famous as its popular rooftop restaurant’s view, the Emerson Spice hotel has become an institution over the years in Zanzibar, with a consistent flow of returning guests — even with owner Emerson Skeen’s passing in 2014.

Finding the hotel amid the winding alleyways can be a bit of a challenge if it is your first time, but spending the night in one of the beautifully themed rooms is as unique as visiting the island itself. Emerson decorated each of the rooms after different inspirations he encountered, such as the “Camille” room, inspired by Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor in the film’ La Dame aux Camelias. While the rooms may be specifically styled, they still have an overarching Zanzibari theme: large wooden bed frames with a definite “Arabic romance” feel in the rich fabrics, glass windows, and decorative outlays. Rooms vary in size, depending on which side of the building you are facing, with some having lovely private verandahs and others having enormously palatial bathtubs filled with the scent of cinnamon and cloves.

The aforementioned restaurant has a lovely locally inspired set menu, great cocktails and the perfect sunset view, widely photographed and well worth the climb. Dinner is by reservation only, so make sure you reserve a seat at the few rooftop tables a day in advance. Be aware though that the stairs are steep and plentiful and there is no elevator, so pack light and if possible opt for the rooms higher up or facing the front of the hotel, so that you are able to open your curtains and not have a direct view into the neighbor’s lounge.

Service at the Emerson Spice is always with a massive smile; taking some time out in the downstairs coffee house, away from the wrenching heat of the midday sun with the throngs of town life passing you by, is inspirational for the traveller in you.