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Situated: Ankarana, Between Ankify and Diego SuarezVery near to the eastern entrance of the Ankarana Park Opened in September 2008. Languages: English, French, Spanish, MalagasyRooms: Six with hot water and privative toilets(4 double and 2 twin rooms)
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Family
Location
Mahamasina At the gates of the Parc Naturel de l'Ankarana, Antanatsimanaja Madagascar
We had the best time staying here! The owner is so kind, caring and really helpful. The rooms are comfortable with mosquito nets, mesh on the windows and hot water showers. The wifi was also really fast. The food was EXCELLENT. I am vegetarian and the owner was more than accommodating. Honestly the best food we have had in Madagascar so far! Great location for Ankarana and also Red Tsingy.
A small, but really worth mentioning bonus is the stars! There is little light pollution around and you can see so much in the sky. We spent about an hour each night staring up at the stars.
A huge thank you to the owner for such a wonderful stay!
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Date of stay: May 2024
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed for 2 nights in order to visit nearby Ankarana National Park and although the accommodation is basic it is exactly as advertised and provides all that you need. The room was clean and comfortable and came with a good mosquito net which enabled us to leave windows (all with mosquito mesh) open in order to improve airflow.
Where this hotel excels however is in the friendliness of staff and the quality of food served. The owner/manager who looked after us was superb. He was very friendly, approachable and had a great manner. All the meals we had were exceptional too and at a very reasonable price. The included breakfast was also filling and consisted of a nice mix of eggs, bread, fruit and crepes.
We wouldn't hesitate to stay at Relais de Ankarana again if we return to this part of Madagascar.
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Date of stay: November 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed two nights on this fantastic hotel. Walking distance from the national park. Food supported our vegetarian preference, tasty and good pricing.
What made this experience really good was the staff of the hotel. We had some very interesting and friendly talks in the evening. The owner of the hotel also helped us with transport from the hotel to Ankify through contacts and driving us himself. Above and beyond support and help, we appreciated this a lot.
The national park was nice and we experienced many different plants and animals:z
Hotel facilities as expected, electricity was available all night even if battery and solar powered. WiFi at the restaurant also works well.
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Date of stay: March 2025Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Compared to the Ankarana Nature Reserve, this hotel has a great location, but that is also the only plus. Our stay (Hut no. 3) was near the generator which caused a lot of noise, almost no hot water for showering and the shower was just like the room not really clean. Little to nothing to do in the area and owners were not exactly accommodating. We found this one of the least nice hotels in Madagascar and in the high temperatures we really missed an air conditioning or fan. No electricity during the day but only from 6 to 10 pm and even that was not always the case. No air conditioning at night and going to the toilet in the dark caused quite a few problems. Ankarana Lodge which is next door and which has 24/7 electricity and a swimming pool would have been a much better choice. A gluten-free breakfast was requested in advance and on arrival we verified this to be safe, according to the owner that was all arranged and no problem. What outlines our surprise that the gluten-free breakfast consisted only of fruit. We asked if we could get a little more rice, but that was not possible in the morning. After much insistence they came to bring an omelette, which unfortunately was still half raw and which made one of us quite ill. A bit of a shame that they promised to provide a gluten-free breakfast beforehand and that only a few bananas and mango are served. Unfortunately, the owners thought this was normal and they did not understand that this is not a decent breakfast. At dinner there was no choice and they only had one menu, which we thought was very simple and quite expensive. We paid the same amount for a little rice with vegetables and a dessert than for the same dish with chicken pieces (Ariary 43,000 per person, which is about € 9.00) and we felt a bit cheated. All in all, we do not think a stay in Relais 'l Ankarana is recommended.
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Date of stay: October 2024
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â In verband met 24/7 electriciteit, airco en zwembad zouden wij de voorkeur aan Ankarana Lodge...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a fantastic experience in this location. We slept two nights in a lovely and spacious bungalow equipped with fan and bed net. There is a big restaurant area with WiFi. The facility is a family business with very helpful staff, they can speak both good French and English. Ankarana reserve is five minutes walk from the place, there you can find guides to access the park and you can choose the circuit you prefer. We saw lemures, snakes, cameleons, many birds and insects.
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Date of stay: March 2025
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed 2 nights here. Staff were warm and welcoming and provided excellent service. Very tasty local food , provision of early breakfast and packed lunch much appreciated. Comfortable room, big bed with mosquito nets and good shower. No WiFi. Good location for visiting Red Tsingy and Tsingy of Ankarana East NP.
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Date of stay: September 2022
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Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A place to rest well and visit the tsingy. We enjoyed the quiet of the place and the host's welcome. And the meal was very good. Enjoyed place with family, friends and couple. I highly recommend this place. Experience to live without hesitation
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Date of stay: May 2024
Value
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Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed here 2 nights during our trip around Madagascar. unfortunately it was by some way the poorest of our accommodations. The rooms were basic twins rather than double. the bathroom was functional with a hand held shower. There was hot water occasionally although it never seemed to be available when we needed a shower. Very few of the staff spoke English and we had a particularly difficult encounter trying to ask if there was any lunch available after a long track around the Tsingy. eventually managed to agree that nothing was on offer so walked back down to the park entrance for something to eat at a rather dodgy "restaurant". Dinner was basic. Not sure if there were any better places in the area and if you want to visit the park you may have little choice.
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Date of stay: October 2013
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Unlike the other reviewers we had a miserable time here due mostly to the greed and rudeness of the owner (wife). We had the audacity to bring water to the hotel/restaurant at the suggestion of our guide because the hotel does not supply any water in the rooms. She tried to charge us for the water specifically because we did not buy it from her. She made a big show of it at dinner in front of the other guests which was incredibly embarrassing. So we had dinner without drinking our water because I refused to pay twice for the same bottle of water. Other than that terrible experience I agree with many of the other reviewers. We are used to basic accommodations such as these but be prepared for an uncomfortable bed, lots of noise (wind banging the structure, dogs, cats , chickens and staff), no privacy curtains on the windows, a door lock which is a joke, did I mention no drinking water provided?, no hot water in the morning, no fan and lots of ants. Also an added bonus was the smoke that kept blowing into our room the entire stay from nearby grass fires - granted this was hopefully an infrequent problem. On the plus side it was near the road (and all those trucks) and the park. If your travel company tries to put you here insist on other options such as the Ankarana Lodge. I will put up with a lot (I have traveled to over 80 countries ) but will not accept disrespect. By the way our guide said he knew that other guests (from "other" countries) had brought their own beverages to the hotel in the past with no incident. And yes I am an American, proud of it and will happily share my traveling experiences and credentials. This "relais" needs to learn how to deal with customers a little more effectively and not chase every penny. This may be a poor country but everyone else we met was kind and friendly- why not her? Or maybe the question is why us?
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Date of stay: September 2013
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
During our stay for 3 days in Ankarana we stayed in two separate hotels, since both of them were fully booked on different days. This gives me the opportunity to compare the two hotels. The two hotels are Le Relais de l’Ankarana (RA) and Ankarana Lodge (AL).
Price: RA was half the price of AL Rooms: Both are spacious, and both have plenty of windows that can be opened with screens. Plus both have musquito nets. Pool: RA has no pool, AL does and has some chairs and umbrellas next to it. Bar: Both hotels have a bar area AC: RA has no AC, AL does although only between 6-10 pm and it hardly had any effect. Both hotels had a fan. Restaurant: Both have a restaurant, but the scenery of AL is very pretty whilst RA is basic. Food: The quality of the food at RA was way better compared to AL Hospitality: The people at RA are way friendlier than at AL. It is like they care more about you being there. Location: RA is right next to the main road and very close to the National Park. AL is 400 meters of the road but has it own tsingy which you can visit with a guide. But note, do not take the night tour through the tsingy ar AL. It is way too dangerous. Day tours are fun.
Both options were good. However we felt more at home at Relais de l’Ankarana because of the hospitality and the great food. But if you like a pool then the lodge is the place to go. Anyway, considering Madagascar standards, you really cannot go wrong with either of the two. But the price difference is too big.
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Date of stay: October 2018
Value
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Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ciao,scusa se rispondo solo ora , ma non guardo sempre le mail...io ho prenotato attraverso l'agenzia Mirendra tour che mi ha organizzato tutto il viaggio nel grande Nord.
Province of Turin, Italy115 contributions97 helpful votes
Avendo visto il posto posso assicurare che non hanno internet e probabilmente nemmeno un telefono. L’unico modo per pernottare qui è affidarsi a un tour organizzato oppure recarsi direttamente una volta sul luogo.
There are more places to choose from in the Antanatsimanaja area.
LOCATION
MadagascarAntsiranana ProvinceAntanatsimanaja
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
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