Fun and entertainment ÎLE DE UNGUJA

On the corniche, on the upper floor of a historic building, the island's best-known taarab club, DCMA, offers regular concerts almost every day to visitors who want to discover the traditional music of Zanzibar. Wednesday is Ngoma music, Thursday is Asilia taarab extravaganza and Sunday is afro-kabisa, an afrofusion-afrojazz style. The line-up changes from night to night, so each concert is unique. A must-see!

This small open-air café, located right by the sea (opposite The Africa House hotel) under a large tree that provides good shade, is interesting for the view from the small terrace tables, over a coffee or a cold drink, all at a low price. You can sip cocktails made of fresh fruit juices. The place doesn't look expensive, it's simple but correct. The seafood and fish dishes are satisfactory, but avoid the meat which is not exceptional. Good welcome from the owner.

Pajé sees new trendy places opening up every year. Mahali is one of these beach cafe-bars belonging to the eponymous hotel, with its feet in the sand and large, shaded chill-out sofas for relaxing. The menu features burgers, sandwiches, wraps, bowls and unpretentious but fresh salads. There's a great young atmosphere here, with festive music playing in the background as the sun goes down. Excellent cocktails are served with fresh tropical fruit juices. Every Saturday, the bar hosts a live concert from 7pm.

The terrace has its feet in the sand, under tall trees on Stone Town's main beach, lit by candlelight in the evening. An excellent spot for a drink, especially during afro-jazz concerts followed by jam sessions. Large canvases by Tanzanian artists decorate a room under high ceilings and around a central bar. We love this slightly dilapidated, totally arty colonial building (the late Livingstone's), with plenty of space and thick walls. On the menu, well-balanced cocktails, Swahili dishes and grilled meats.

It's secluded on the harbour jetty, and its unique position offers a marvellous panorama. Run by an admirer of Freddie Mercury, this pleasant Zanzibar-style bar-restaurant looks out over the sea as the sun sets, and offers live concerts on Fridays (traditional music) and Saturdays (rock band). Apart from the posters on the walls and a music selection that often includes Queen, there's not much to do with Freddie. Beware, the food is more than mediocre and prices are high. Recommended only for drinks.

Pajé by Night is a lively spot on weekend evenings in season, with large, cosy sofas and poufs, where excellent barmaids serve cocktails facing the sea. Underneath its calm exterior, the place quickly becomes festive after dark, especially around the bar. Well-chosen music and swimming pool. The burger restaurant is also a good choice for lunch or dinner. The place also offers double rooms, all close to the beach (800 m away), but the prices are too high for the services on offer. Yoga classes open to non-guests.

This club is a rather special complex: upstairs, an empty abandoned swimming pool with a bar and occasional taarab concerts, a laid-back atmosphere. In the basement, a club takes over when the bars close. If the music is commercial, when the hours turn, the sound is more electro afro flashy, funk and hip-hop. This is the only real club in Stone Town, frequented by a local and underworld population (prostitutes in particular), with a thunderous sound, disco balls and giant screens. Remember to take a taxi as the area is not safe at night.

It's an address that's been around forever, and it's one that's gone relatively unnoticed: this small local kiosk and café is located in the Forodhani garden, close to the seafront. All it has is an outdoor terrace sheltered by parasols, not a dining room. A green and calm setting. It serves good coffees (espresso, cappuccino...), fresh fruit juices (the avocado juice is incredible!), excellent breakfasts and light dishes (salads, burgers, wraps, bowls, etc.), at very reasonable prices. We love mixing with the local atmosphere at this address.

This new coffee shop chain has two stores in Stone Town, the first behind the fort (with a pleasant outdoor space) and the second not far away, in the touristy pedestrian alleyway of Gizenga Street. Here, it's no surprise that you can order an excellent espresso coffee, and all its possible variations: latte, cappuccino, café frappé, etc. There are also a few cakes to choose from under cloches and packets of coffee beans for sale in the stores. Here, we appreciate the wifi, the well-designed lighting and the modern furnishings.

A trendy address for fans of a good Brazilian or Tanzanian ground coffee (Kilimanjaro's famous coffee), with ground coffees from all over the world, in a variety of preparation methods from Italy and elsewhere. For those who tire of instant coffee on safari, a freshly roasted espresso awaits you. You'll also find home-made pastries for a gourmet break, and breakfast formulas that are more affordable than in hotels. It's also ideal for a connected break (wifi).

As well as being a boutique hotel in the heart of old Stone Town, this place serves all sorts of coffees, including the spice coffee and the delicious local vanilla caffe latte It sources its coffee directly from the Utengule farm where the Bourbon variety is harvested near the Zambian border. The house also makes fresh juices, lemonades, lassis and smoothies, homemade cakes with exotic fruits... You can enjoy these marvels perched on a rooftop nicely furnished with fabrics and sofas and open on small perched balconies.

Located in the heart of the old town and on the waterfront, the Tatu is an establishment spread over three levels, tatu means "three" in Kiswahili. The atmosphere is very lively in the evening until the early hours of the morning, especially at weekends. You have to pay to get to the^third floor. Between hip-hop, funk, bongo flava, new Nigerian and Latin sounds, but also reggae, Jamaican and African dancehall, the sound is damn good. Everyone dances, in a stifling heat despite the fans and the sea breeze (because you are on the terrace).

If you're looking for a Swahili break in the heart of the old town, Café Africa offers all the Zanzibari coffees bought from a small cooperative on the island and flavored with spices, which you'll find on the stalls: coffee with dried mango, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, banana, vanilla... and the same goes for the teas. Smoothies, avocado toast, cheesecakes... The café also sells little African zodiac dolls, made by mothers in difficulty via the NGO Vassalam (www.vassalam.org). The room is beautifully decorated.

Africa House is one of the oldest hotels on the island, since it was already hosting the English Club in 1888, marking the beginnings of local tourism. A magnificent Swahili building well located on the waterfront, the rooms are unfortunately not maintained and renovated enough, and they remain expensive, and its restaurant is not recommendable. On the other hand, you can have a drink on its large terrace at sunset, facing the sea, and then appreciate its old-fashioned charm. Take a look at its library which has a collection of old books in English.

It's the only real club in Pajé, and indeed on the south-east coast of Zanzibar! Why Not Club is located on the premises of Jambo Jambo, where the big Friday night party takes place, but is aimed at those who like electro clubs to extend the evening beyond midnight, with open-air parties turning off the sound early so as not to disturb the neighbors. Here, you're in the acoustically isolated club until late at night! The international DJs who play here are listed on the Resident Advisor website, proof of the quality of the programming.

Finally an electro club in Zanzibar! It was born in Pajé, where the "fun & cool" atmosphere is blossoming in new places. B4, the latest addition, is a bar-club that pushes sound between the palm trees, with its feet in the sand. What a setting! Even better: it's a kitesurfing club during the day and a boumboum and good cocktails with fresh fruit in the evening. Especially on Saturdays, an international DJ (from Berlin, London, Paris...) plays behind the decks attracting Europeans on a hike, Masai, Tanzanian mainlanders and locals who come to pound the sand together in front of the bass.

Jambo New Bungalow, north of Pajé, is a cheap (and recommendable) hotel that has built a huge makuti hut for its toes-in-the-sand bar, right on the beach. This is where a big party is held every Friday, mixing African hip-hop, the latest Latino and mainstream international hits until the morning. Nothing trendy here, but a nice party where Swahilis and Maasais mingle with tourists. Good atmosphere, festive, conducive to discussions. Good fresh fruit cocktails served along a friendly bar.

We wouldn't recommend staying at the hotel, especially at weekends when there are hectic pool parties and BBQ evenings punctuated by the beats of Stone Town DJs distilling excellent Naija music and South African and Tanzanian amapiano. You can dance the night away (watch your bags, it's very tight) and throw yourself in the pool until the early hours of the morning - everyone's there, locals and tourists alike. Other themed evenings are organized on Saturdays (happy hour, white night). The crowd is very young.

The Red Monkeys is a lodge located at the southern end of Jambiani, towards Makudunchi. Every Sunday, a famous Jam Session is held here, where all the island's musicians and often a guest band take turns singing and playing to an audience of regulars, locals and tourists. The atmosphere is often funk, soul and jazz, and the bar is charming, set in the trees overlooking the beach. Swahili barbecue is on the menu.