Zanzibar or Kenya coast? For low-key, relaxed beach time

It depends upon which country you will finish in - but my suggestion would be Zanzibar - but then I admit I am biased - I love the place. A week is just about the right amount of time - 2 days in Stone Town - a half day spice tour; a boat to Prison Island and then 3 days either out on the East Coast (Paje) or up at the northern end.

thank you Mike, so have you been to both the coast of Kenya and Zanzibar? Basically, I'm trying to get the idea of the subjective "feel" of the two destinations. Which one is more island-y, laid-back, relaxed..

Sorry - no I have not been to the Kenyan coast - but I suggest that if Zanzibar is not the go - try Lamu - although it is a bit further to travel.

I went to both Zanzibar and Mombasa on the Kenyan coast in January. Mombasa was really quiet, there were no tourists around and the hotels were mostly empty so you could get a good deal. But saying that it meant that there were a lot of tour touts and beach boys hanging around trying to sell tours and souvenirs on the beach, which can get a bit annoying. Zanzibar on the other hand was packed full of tourists but mostly in Stone Town. I know that on the Northern beaches on the island you can easily find a secluded place to relax. So I think if you want something on par with Thailands Islands go to Zanzibar just avoid Stone Town if you want quiet!

thanks everyone for replies. I'm leaning towards Zanzibar at the moment, BUT... two themes keep cropping up in travellers' blogs and trip reports.

One, Zanzibar is really, really crowded. I mean, population density seems huge, and satelite view on google maps seems to agree. Are the beaches really crowded?

Tides - I'm told that as the water is really shallow for a long distance away from the shore, at low tide it gets very smelly and muddy. Also, in general, could someone please compare the quality of beaches in Zanzibar and/or Kenya against the best beaches in Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Phillipines, etc), Carribean etc?

thanks!

P

If you think Zanzibar will be too crowded (also it seems to have become very expensive) consider Mafia Island, a little further south.

And for gloriously white sand beaches with palm trees and hardly anyone else on them, recently me and my bloke were the only people on the beach at Lindi, and - apart from a few fishermen - the only ones on the beach at Kilwa Masoko.