Extraordinary Africa>Madagascar>Mantadia Lodge
Mantadia Lodge is part of a new breed of luxury lodges bringing a level of style we’ve seen more in hip Capetonian hotels than in the Madagascan forest. It’s set high on a ridge overlooking Andasibe, with some of the best views in the area.
What’s Mantadia Lodge really like?
Mantadia’s 23 bungalows and suites are set amongst pretty, tranquil gardens, and the whole lodge has a really peaceful feel to it. Décor has plenty of bare wood and natural, muted tones, and the beds are platform beds than can be adapted to double or twins with the mattresses placed on top. Although the style is fairly minimalist, we found them rather cosy. All rooms have air conditioning (hot and cold, you need both in this part of the world), wifi and tv. Though to be honest, as each room has a terrace, we’d rather switch off the tv and head outside to enjoy the view! Mantadia Suites are a little larger than the bungalows with a separate sitting area, and the family suite has two connected rooms, one with a queen bed and the other with twin beds.
The main restaurant is chic and modern, with a contemporary natural décor. Food we found was reasonable if not spectacular, though this was beaten by the setting- the terrace is a lovely spot for lunch. We’d recommend patience when ordering meals- many of the staff are from Andasibe village, so despite the slick décor, service probably isn’t quite the speed you might find in a glossy Tana hotel!
There’s a small spa offering a range of treatments (for us a massage is always extremely welcome after a hard day of hiking) and we’ll give a special mention to the infinity pool which is one of the most striking we’ve seen in Madagascar. It’s unheated so may not be tempting in the depths of winter, but on a steamy summer afternoon it’s delightful.
Giving back at Mantadia Lodge:
The lodge encourages a zero plastic policy, grey water is treated and filtered and used on the beautiful gardens, and Mantadia Lodge prioritises supporting the local community. 80% of the staff are employed from Andasibe village and 80% of the hotel purchases are made within 30km of the lodge.
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