The hotel is situated on the site of an old Arab house that was purchased by UMCA missionaries in 1871 to create a girls’ school. The hotel is an excellent starting point for visiting Stone Town. The finely furnished interiors, dubbed las colores because of their pleasant blend of gentle colors (greens, yellows, oranges, grape fruit), are tastefully adorned and have ensuite bathrooms with a double basin, two al fresco showers, and a bathtub.

The wide individual wooden verandahs with views of the ocean offer the sense of living outside all year, and the air is warm.