Emerson on Hurumzi

Travelers craving escape are presented with no end of rural options, from private islands to country farmhouses and mountaintop monasteries — those in search of an urban getaway, though, have to look ever farther to find a city that’s sufficiently off the beaten path. Some stop at Prague, others Marrakech, while others settle for nothing short of Zanzibar. A two-hour ferry trip or a half-hour flight from the already rather remote Dar es Salaam will land you in the Stone Town district, the historic Zanzibar city center, a delirious mix of Islamic, Swahili and Western culture and architecture.

And once in Zanzibar it’s hard to do much better than the small, privately owned Emerson on Hurumzi. The atmosphere here is one of antique splendor, the rooms packed with eclectic traditional furnishings, each quite different in layout and features — some have balconies or verandas, others open-air bathtubs or showers, and the suites are particularly luxurious, decked out in fine fabrics and ornate tiled floors.

The Towertop restaurant is one of the city’s treasures, serving an authentic local cuisine from a stunning rooftop venue, with views of the old town’s rooftops and the Indian Ocean beyond, a sight perhaps best seen at sunset.

Though certainly a departure from the everyday, Emerson on Hurumzi is no cocoon. Even the quietest rooms admit the wild sounds of the Zanzibar night, and the morning calls to prayer. Then again, that’s half the point — if it’s silence you’re after, the world is hardly short on high-rise five-star luxury hotels.