Anjajavy le Lodge - Relais&Châteaux

The resort and the surrounding area represent entire Madagascar on a smaller scale. You see lemurs, chameleons, baobabs, a small village, beaches, a small tsingy...

What an incredible experience. This is the most gorgeous exclusive resort set in isolated splendor on the dramatic coast of north west Madagascar. We expected the best as it is a Relais Chateaux property but it was beyond all expectations. The management and staff are wonderful, the chef incredible and then there are the lemurs. They sit on the balcony of your villa, they perform in the gardens and they dance on the beach. It was magical.

We have just returned from 5 nights at Anjajavy at the end of our trip in Madagascar. I can honestly say it is one of the most perfect places to stay. The location is just stunning and the Sifakas which visited on a regular basis were just magical - we could have just sat and watched them for hours! After seeing the poverty throughout Madagascar I was concerned that such a luxurious retreat would feel uncomfortable, but seeing the great conservation efforts that the lodge is committed to soon put paid to that. In fact it should be a model of how to improve the situation on other parts of the country. We visited the giant tortoises which had recently welcomed a whole batch of new hatchlings. The staff are undoubtedly an asset to the lodge, everyone was without fail, welcoming and tried to make our stay memorable. I can't recall everyone's name but to name just a few - Rado, Lucien and Ernest who organised some great trips and experiences. (i shall try and recreate the curry from the cooking lesson now I'm home!) William by the pool who always wore a big smile. The waiting staff Francsico & Dominique (lots of others who I didn't get their names) and Sandra and Hantsa in reception who resolved any (small) issues. Finally, I have to say that the food from Fidele and his team was outstanding. I think it ranked amongst some of the best food I have ever eaten! We looked forward to our evening meals - taken in some spectacular places. Thank you for a memorable stay. If you are considering a visit here - don't hesitate!

The stay at this resort was a perfect ending to my holiday in Madagascar. here you could elect to take part in the various activities. Just turn up at the activities counter in the lobby are you are set to go with a very knowledgable and helpful guide. Needless to say the staff were extremely friendly and Tom, the resort manager made it a special effort to make you feel you were a friend more than a paying guest. Special mention must be made of the Chef, whose meals I felt were of Michelin star grade and Alpha, one of the best guides i have ever known. The villas were very comfortable and coupled with the balcony facing the bay and the sea-breeze, it was pure heaven. I will definitely recommend a short stay to anybody finishing of their holiday in Madagascar.

I can't stress enough just how good the food was. The food here was the best that I had in Madagascar. There was also a choice of what you wanted to order. The cottage was so comfortable. The air conditioning was excellent. The pool was huge and I enjoyed swimming in it. It faced the ocean. There was a wide variety of activities. I enjoyed birdwatching and seeing the sifakas.

This property advertises itself as a 4-star luxury lodge, and in several respects, it meets that label. There are about 20 detached accommodation units, referred to as villas, a good start. The villas all face a pristine beach which is configured with lounge chairs and umbrellas offering nice views of the clear blue water. There is a very, very large pool surrounded by more lounge chairs and umbrellas, offering more views of the beach. The activities folks are happy to arrange walks, sailboat time, etc. for a fee. For me, dining is the principal luxury feature of the property. The food served at lunch and dinner is very well prepared and ofttimes quite elegant. The tiny portions for three course meals might leave some wanting more, but my wife and I found it to be enough. Each dinner began with an amuse bouche, a very French touch. Also, every lunch and dinner during our 4-night stay offered a different menu, with 3 appetizer choices, 3 main course options, and 2 desserts. The wine list was mostly French, appropriate for the property, but the prices were very high for not great wines. There were 4 South Africa wines on the list, 3 red and 1 white, but they were out of the white when I tried to order it. Even the sparkling water was expensive, i.e., about 5 times the cost for the same product vs. the other 4-star properties where we stayed. Breakfast was simple- breads with a wide range of toppings, coffee or tea, a choice of two fruit juices, plain yogurt and cereals. The one French touch were the crepes. Some of the staff speaks English and French, but some servers have a very limited vocabulary in both languages. For example, when I requested cold milk (in French) I got hot milk one morning. The villas are old and eclectic. Our had a queen size bed, a round table with two chairs, and a very small table with two more chairs. There was adequate closet and shelf space, and the obligatory safe. Our villa had a second bedroom upstairs, with another queen bed, two closets and a large table area. However, access to that space was via a very scary set of steep set of split tread stairs that would never meet any US building code! (see my attached photo.) There was a mini bar, which had enough extra space to hold some sodas we brought with us, and others that we bought at meals to help cool off after walks. The bathroom offered a triangular tub, with a handheld shower that one can elevate via a rod on the wall to simulate a real shower. There was a single basin vanity, which does not scream luxury to me. Water pressure was good at the basin, merely OK in the tub, and we had adequate hot water for showers. The villas have A/C, but ours was not able to cool adequately when the afternoon temperatures are in the high 80’s to mid-90’s. So, by 5 PM it was often cooler outside than in. One can’t open windows to address this problem, because there are no screens! Another “feature” of the room is a key card lock that automatically disengages the door handl

Very nice place and excellent dinners from Chef Fidel. They have a huge challenge ahead with training the staff. There is a huge language barrier that creates a lot of frustration when asking anything. There is nothing to do because everything is an extra and very overpriced.

This is the most beautiful place on the planet! The Lemurs are a constant fascination, the beach is beautiful, the surrounding coast is a wonder to explore. The staff are the kindest and most attentive and take genuine care to make sure you enjoy your stay. The various activities are diverse and interesting but if you wanted you could go to just relax for a week. The food was amazing.