As the sun dips toward the Indian Ocean, it is a perfect time to retire to the balconies and terraces of the many old merchant mansions in Stone Town that have been repurposed into guesthouses.

Zanzibar boasts some of the most stunning beaches in the world with aquamarine waters lap over the white coral sand. Photos by Steve Hubrecht / for China Daily

This storied island's distinctive Swahili culture blends African, Arab, Persian, Indian and colonial European influences. Steve Hubrecht savors the exotic culture - and awesome beaches - that beckon today.

The exceptionally narrow lanes of Stone Town, the old part of Zanzibar's principal town, wind in all directions. It is impossible not to get lost, but it is also impossible not to enjoy getting lost. Traditional whitewashed coral limestone buildings loom over the maze-like warren of streets. Swahili women wrapped in beautifully patterned, vibrantly colored kanga clothes float down the alleys. Troops of children dressed in white march to Quranic classes in small madrassas. Old men sit on cement baraza benches, sipping nutmeg and cinnamon-laced tea, playing bao (a traditional game) or dominoes.

As the sun dips toward the Indian Ocean the Muslim call to prayer (muezzin) echoes across the town, a perfect time to retire to the balconies and terraces of the many old merchant mansions in Stone Town that have been repurposed into guesthouses.

Zanzibar - the name alone is enough to elicit exotic daydreams. The reality does its best to match and, in many cases, surpasses those dreams.

The islands (Zanzibar is technically an archipelago, rather than a single island) off the coast of Tanzania boast some of the most stunning beaches in the world: Aquamarine waters lap postcard-perfect white coral sand, fringed by coconut palms and cooled by breezes that carry the scent of the islands' many spice plantations.

Zanzibar has long been a meeting point and melting pot of African, Asian and European empires. The islands' distinctive Swahili culture is a heady blend of mainland African, Arab, Persian, Indian and colonial European influences.

The sultans of Oman controlled Zanzibar from the 1600s to the late 1800s and during this time the islands became the most economically important part of Africa, principally on the back of the horrific slave trade and the lucrative spice trade. The slave trade decreased when abolitionist Britain made Zanzibar a protectorate, but growing spices remained (and still remains) big business.

These days a spice tour is a must-do for visitors to Zanzibar. Local guides take you into the islands' lush, green interior, giving you a thorough firsthand look at how cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, lemongrass, mint, pepper vines, turmeric and countless other spices and fruits are cultivated.