Chanty Beach Lodge — Hotel in Nosy Be

After having toured trough the east and north of Madagascar for 2 weeks, we were looking for some relaxation days at Nosy Be.||||The Chanty Beach hotel is the northern-most of a few hotels lying opposite Nosy Sakatia on the island's west coast. We had a roomy bungalow with a small kitchen (which we did not use, except for the fridge) and a large patio with a table & chairs plus a couch where it was very enjoyable to sit and look into the lush green garden and the sea beyond. The room had a double bed with mosquito net, a safe, and both a fan and an air condition (we didn't need them, since we could leave the windows and the door open to keep the room quite cool at night. The en suite bathroom with shower was also quite large (though it looked a bit dated), we had hot water with good water pressure. There is electricity throughout the day.||||The garden is lush and very well kept, as is the beach. Since the beach area is quite narrow and there is a risk of getting bitten by sandflies, we only went there for swimming in the very swallow warm water, but generally lay on the provided deck chairs in the garden. ||||The German host Christian is very friendly and tries to assist whenever possible. The other staff members are very friendly and accommodating, too. Dinner at the small open-air restaurant was always tasty - but be sure to bring a huge appetite, as only a 3-course meal is offered which is hugely filling. ||||The hotel has quite a remote feel, since there is no TV (we didn't miss that) and no town, not even a Malagasy village, nearby (this I did really miss since it left little options for activities without booking a tour of sorts or driving ~30 minutes to Hellville, and it made me feel far from "the real Madagascar"). ||||Concerning dining, there are a few other options (mainly hotel restaurants) which can be reached by walking down the beach (try to time your hunger not to coincide with high tide to avoid wet feet ;-). I can highly recommend the Sambatra restaurant where they do a scrumptious fish with vanilla sauce and the atmosphere is very laid back.||||We were the first customers to be able to use wireless internet there, so if you bring any wifi enabled device you can go online at Chanty Beach.||||If you like riding, there is a small ranch (which has 3 or 4 well-kept horses) just behind the hotel. Taking a ride with them includes the possibility to ride without saddle in the ocean, which is a fun experience.||||One more thing to note is that a landing for small boats is right next to the hotel, which means a certain noise (and occasionally smell) level from motors, but also gives the place a...

The owners of Chanty Beach are charming, friendly and kind. However, the small hotel is not really for travellers who require the basics normally found in average hotels. These include access to the internet, TV and perhaps easy access to transport. The hotel in my view is also very isolated and the beach area although better than most along that coastline was not very inviting. I was there on half-board but didn't really like the dry and sometimes inedible continental breakfast. My advice is if you stay at this hotel, bring some snacks with you, tea, coffee, noodle soup etc. Suppers are generally lovely but if you're alone, the whole thing can get boring. Restaurants to the south of Chanty Beach are reasonable (Sambatra) but also dicey at times. Sambatra for some reason allows cats to roam in the restaurant, which I found appalling and unclean. One one occasion the rice served was off. I did not eat at Vanila Hotel, but it looked nice and they had a pool and some basic amenities. A lovely place to visit and to stay a while is Chez Loulou (further north) - I loved the location of the restaurant, the service and the atmosphere. Back to Chanty Beach, the rooms are sizeable but are in definite need of an upgrade. Bedding is too small for the double bed for instance. The one upside of Chanty Beach was its access to people who are willing to give fragrant massages. I had several of these while I was there and the lovely person who gave the massage was professional, thorough and the price paid reasonable. If you travel to Nosy Be be sure to meet the friendly local people, they are what makes the island. I can't say much for the landscape and beaches though, I've seen a lot better...

I was due for some relaxation, and I decided to choose Madagascar as my holiday destination, and within it, Nosy Bé.||I was travelling on my own, and I was looking for some peace and tranquility, and that is exactly what I found at Chanty Beach.||From the moment I arrived on the island and was picked up by the driver until the time I was boarding the aircraft leaving Nosy Bé again, I felt most welcomed and cared for by the hosts Christian and Chantal. They made my stay at their place a most comfortable one and were more than helpful in arranging trips around the island and catering for breakfast and dinner as well.||Being on half-board basis, you have however not to fear to starve around noon, as there's just a few 100 metres along the beach some other restaurants catering for your needs, or if you're on travel around the island, no need to fear either. The Malagasy people are friendly and try to assist you with every need you have.||If you are looking for a 5-star holiday resort with all entertainment facilities close-by, you might want to go somewhere else, because here you find warm-hearted and friendly hosts willing to help you explore the island, but all will happen in peace and tranquility. There's no "hustle and bustle" and loud nightlife going on at or near the accommodation premises, except the sounds of nature at night and the calm and soothing waves of the ocean running up the beach just about 30 metres away from your bed...||Whether you lie in bed already or are still sitting on your open terrace looking upon the ocean sipping on some cold drink from your minibar, it feels exactly like a holiday should...