This hotel is named after an exotic spice island off the east coast of Africa famed for its Arabic architecture.

The six suites at the Zanzibar International Hotel will transport you to the far-flung reaches of the world, with Oriental, Asian, South American and African themes.

It may seem a little unlikely, given that the hotel is located on the seafront in Hastings.

But owner Max O'Rourke is confident the town is ready for this unique accommodation experience.

Local businessman Mr O'Rourke came up with the idea when he realised there was a niche in the market for something more than just an ordinary hotel in a town whose profile is rising all the time.

Previously the owner of Pier Pressure nightclub on Hastings Pier, Mr O'Rourke has been buying property in Hastings ever since.

He said: "I had bought the house and then was refused permission to convert it from a hotel to a house.

"The council wanted to preserve some of the traditional seaside town feel by keeping as many of the hotels as it could along the seafront because we had lost so many over the years. So I let it to foreign students for three years in conjunction with the language schools."

One day Mr O'Rourke, 33, decided the time had come to bring some sparkle to the Hastings accommodation brochures.

With help from a council regeneration grant, he set about converting the rooms into sumptuous, unique suites.

He gave the hotel a suitably exotic name, Zanzibar.

Mr O'Rourke, who was born in London but has spent most of his life in Hastings, designed each room himself and oversaw the entire transformation from start to finish.

He said: "Because of my experience doing up other properties I knew exactly what I wanted done and where.

"The important thing about the rooms was to make them feel sumptuous and indulgent - somewhere you can really feel like you are getting away from it all."

The Antarctic room is perhaps the most striking, with white as the overall colour, clean, simple lines in glass and steel and a stripped pine floor. The sauna and steam room in the bathroom overlook the sea.

The South American room is full of dark wood, with a walnut floor and coloured tiles in the bathroom.

Mr O'Rourke said: "This suite is lovely. We have made it the honeymoon suite, with an oval jacuzzi in the middle of the room big enough for two with a sea view."

The Morroccan room has a mezzanine floor with a spiral staircase and a traditional Morroccan tea set with cushions and colourful fabrics to reflect the North African country.

The Japanese room has a square soap bath, which two people can sit in with water up to their necks, and a Japanese screen.

The African and Indian suites reflect the continents they emulate, with lush plants and a Masai spear in Africa and a bespoke mirrored tile design in India, as well as traditional colours and fabrics in both.

The next project for the hotel is a restaurant.

Mr O'Rourke said: "Although we officially opened this week we have had guests for about six weeks and have been full every weekend."

For more information, visit www.zanzibarhotel.co.uk or ring 01424 460109 from next week.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005