It all started in 1992 when an Italian family of entrepreneurs moved to Zanzibar for what was supposed to be a sabbatical, a break from the hectic entrepreneurial lifestyle they had in northern Italy. Shortly after settling in Zanzibar they realized that there was something about this island that was truly magical and unique: the climate, the nature, its people. Their little daughter soon started speaking fluently Swahili and English. Her favourite after-school activity was to organize cultural excursions for the tourists of the hotel where they were living in. Her local friends would come by with their cow led carriage, she would hand hold the tourists to the exit of the hotel and there they go, exploring the village life and learning from one another. Her friends and her were so opposite in colour but so similar at heart.

After 8 years on the island, the family had to move back to Italy given that the international school had become short of children. While in Italy, the school diaries of the little girl were full of hand drawn palm trees, her dream of moving back to Zanzibar was clear. When offered the privilege to go to university, she decided to study tourism management, yet another way to prepare for her dream of hosting international tourists in Zanzibar and to allow them to experience all the things that made her fall in love with the island. When she was a teenager and moved to Barcelona for her university studies, her mother was busy setting the foundation for their dream: a small hotel at the beach.

Mvuvi Boutique Hotel was born and has been family owned and run with lots of love and passion since 2007.