Staying At A Hotel In Andasibe, Madagascar
- Konrad Tillman
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Intro
Following a lovely flight onboard Emirates, and a visit to a local hospital in the capital, we headed off on the long drive out to Andasibe to prepare for the next morning to see the infamous lemurs.
During our one-night stay in Andasibe, we ended up choosing the hotel Vakona for one reason: it allows you to stay on the premises of the park to see the lemurs. It's certainly not the greatest hotel in the world for around 90$ per night, but it did the trick for a one-night stay...
The Rooms
If you plan on traveling outside of the capital of Madagascar, you'd better throw luxury out the window unless you are willing to spend thousands of dollars per night. Most hotels in the country are quite dated, and don't offer the same as what you would expect in the Hilton.
However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of the rooms here were decent enough to get a good night's sleep in. Each room isn't necessarily a room, but a bungalow that looks out over the lush green gardens.
Moving on, the bed is small and not the comfiest, but it did offer a couple of pillows, which helped to fall asleep. If work is on your mind, which you better not be, there was a small desk featuring a kettle and powdered coffee if you need to be up early.
Oh yeah, you can say goodbye to hot water...
The Facilities
Heading outside after a couple of hours of sleep, I was pleased to see a swimming pool that was being maintained. While I didn't have time to go swimming, it looked to be the perfect place to cool off from the Andasibe heat.
But in terms of exercise: you are sh*t out of luck since the hotel does not offer a gym. Hey, maybe this is the time to do some outdoor and natural exercise, huh?
Hotel Vakona does offer guides if needed to see the Lemurs and such. Simply head over to the front desk (in the dining room) and they will be happy to set you up.
Oh, last thing, you better be ready for some slow wifi. Don't expect to be streaming movies or taking Zoom calls. Not that this should be the reason you are coming to such a beautiful place...
Breakfast
Waving hello to the friendly morning staff of the hotel, they directed me towards the dining room/check-in area. After seeing the rooms, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but my gosh, this space was beautiful. Perhaps because we arrived so late at night and saw nobody was my face was shocked when we saw a whole bunch of tourists roaring to explore the day.
Breakfast was included in the package, but that was limited to an assortment of certain egg dishes, coffee, and croissants. They did have the likes of pancakes in the back, but it cost about 2$ more (gosh, imagine the costs in the US). All in all, not bad, but I wouldn't seek out meals at Hotel Vakona.
Final Thoughts
If you happen to be planning a trip to Andasibe, Madagascar, check out Hotel Vakona if you are around. On the one hand, it might not be the most luxurious lodge in the world, but it offers free breakfast, a nice swimming pool, and mosquito nets around your bed. Take away what you want, and replace it with what you need LOL.
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