New 505-room resort opens in Zanzibar
Yesterday
Source: RIU Hotels & Resorts
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RIU Hotels & Resorts has opened Riu Palace Swahili, its third hotel in Tanzania, in Nungwi, northern Zanzibar. The 505-room, adults-only property is RIU’s first Elite Club hotel in Zanzibar.
The Elite Club area of the property comprises 76 rooms, including 52 with private pools and 24 with sea views. Elite Club guests have access to an Elite Club restaurant, a reserved beach area with Balinese beds, drinks service, an Elite Club lounge with branded drinks, separate check-in and aromatherapy items in rooms.
Riu Palace Swahili operates on a 24-hour, all-inclusive basis. Dining venues include the Karibu main restaurant and speciality restaurants Krystal (fusion), Duomo (Italian), Helios (Mediterranean) and a steakhouse as well as Pepe’s Food fast-food kiosk. The hotel has six bars: Lounge Bar, Daiquiri, Masai Plaza, Konyagi pool bar, Madafu swim-up bar and Capuchino cake and ice-cream shop. Facilities include two infinity pools.
The hotel offers a daytime activity programme and evening live music and shows. Renova Spa includes a swimming pool, steam bath and treatments. Guests can also use water sports at neighbouring Riu Jambo, including kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding.
The opening also introduces RIU Party in Tanzania with events every Friday at Riu Jambo accessible to guests from RIU’s three hotels on the island.
RIU Hotels & Resorts has opened Riu Palace Swahili, its third hotel in Tanzania, in Nungwi, northern Zanzibar. The 505-room, adults-only property i…
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RIU opens Riu Palace Swahili: its first Elite Club hotel in Zanzibar
Palma de Mallorca, 2 February 2026 .-
RIU Hotels & Resorts has just opened its new jewel in the Indian Ocean:
Riu Palace Swahili. Located in the premier area of Nungwi, in the north of Zanzibar, this 5-star hotel becomes the chain’s third hotel in Tanzania. The
Adults Only hotel marks two significant milestones for the company in this region, taking standards of luxury and fun to another level: the introduction of the exclusive
Elite Club service and the anticipated opening event of
RIU Party, which will be held each week at Riu Jambo following this opening.
Riu Palace Swahili has a total of
505 rooms that stand out for their modern and elegant style. They have all been designed to offer the utmost comfort, with all the amenities needed to guarantee a premium stay in line with the standards of the Riu Palace range.
RIU’s exclusive Elite Club service takes the chain’s luxury offering in the region even higher. This area has a total of 76 rooms, of which
52 have a private swimming pool and
24 enjoy the best sea views. Elite Club guests enjoy
premium benefits including the Elite Club Restaurant, their own reserved area on the beach with Balinese beds, a drinks service and access to the
Elite Club Lounge with branded drinks, as well as a separate check-in area and aromatherapy items in their room.
With the opening of Riu Palace Swahili, RIU introduces RIU Party in Tanzania, accessible for guests from the chain’s three hotels on the island. These celebrations will take place every Friday at Riu Jambo.
In line with the standards of the Riu Palace range, the hotel offers the renowned
24-hour All Inclusive service. This fine culinary experience is one of the pillars of this new hotel, designed for guests to enjoy the environment while dining thanks to its extensive terraces. The resort has the
main Karibu restaurant, as well as specialty restaurants: the sophisticated
Krystal for fusion cuisine, the
Italian Duomo, the
Mediterranean Helios and a
classic Steakhouse. The offer is topped off with
Pepe’s Food fast-food kiosk.
The hotel also has six bars with different concepts: the
Lounge Bar, the
Daiquiri bar, the
Masai Plaza bar, the
Konyagi pool bar, the aquatic
Madafu and the cake/ice cream shop
Capuchino. The hotel also has two impressive infinity pools, visually designed to merge with the turquoise waters of Nungwi.
Riu Palace Swahili offers a full daytime activity programme and evening shows with live music every day. Those who love well-being have Renova Spa, with a relaxing swimming pool, steam bath and a wide array of treatments. Thanks to its location, guests can also access water sports at neighbouring Riu Jambo, such as kayaking or stand-up paddle surf, guaranteeing a fully active experience during their stay.
With this new opening, RIU Hotels & Resorts reaffirms its commitment to Zanzibar, where the chain has been present since 2018 and where it now boasts three hotels: Riu Palace Swahili, Riu Palace Zanzibar and Riu Jambo. RIU has added to its complementary and quality offer in the Nungwi area, consolidating its presence in one of its most powerful and attractive destinations on the African continent.
For further information please visit:
www.riu.com
About RIU: The international RIU chain was founded in Mallorca by the Riu family in 1953 as a small holiday firm and is still owned by the family's third generation. The company specializes in holiday resorts and over 74% of its establishments offer its acclaimed All Inclusive by RIU service. With the inauguration of its first city hotel in 2010, RIU is expanding its range of products with its own line of city hotels called RIU Plaza. RIU Hotels & Resorts now has 101 hotels in 22 countries. In 2025, the chain welcomed 6,8 million guests and provided jobs for a total of 38.955 employees. RIU is currently the world's 40th ranked chain, one of the Caribbean's most popular, and the third largest in Spain in number of rooms.
For further information: Communications Department // Tel: +34 971 74 30 30 //
prensa@riu.com
The chain has added its third hotel in Tanzania and completes its expansion in the Nungwi area along with Riu Jambo and Riu Palace Zanzibar The new Adults Only hotel introduces the exclusive Elite Club service with 76 rooms, including 52 villas with private swimming pools The opening marks the...
www.riu.com
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