Sambatra Beach Lodge — Hotel in Nosy Nato

Paradise on Ile aux Nattes – Sambatra Beach Lodge ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐||We spent 10 wonderful days at Sambatra Beach Lodge (end of August – early September) and couldn’t have chosen a better place. The island of Ile aux Nattes itself is a little slice of paradise, and Sambatra made our stay unforgettable.||The lodge has just six bungalows, all facing the sunset beach – waking up and ending the day with that view felt like a dream. Every night we fell asleep to the gentle sounds of waves lapping on the shore, and each morning we woke up to the soft calls and songs of exotic birds – a truly magical way to start and end each day. The weather was perfect: warm, mild temperatures around 26–27°C, with almost no rain except for the occasional light shower at night.||The food at Sambatra was excellent, and you have flexible dining options: you can eat in the lodge restaurant or, if you prefer, they can serve your meals right outside your bungalow. The fish dishes are exceptionally good, and every meal felt fresh and flavourful. One memorable moment was when we wanted some coconut water – Julie climbed a tree and provided us with a fresh coconut right there. It couldn’t get any fresher than that! Vincent also encouraged us to try other restaurants on the island – which we did – giving us a great sense of the local flavours.||Vincent is an outstanding host. He created this resort from scratch, and his passion shows in every detail. He is always there at hand, offering advice, arranging trips, and making sure everything runs smoothly. His hospitality is exceptional – I honestly wish all hosts were like him. He personally organized our transport from Sainte Marie airport by tuk-tuk and the boat ride to Ile aux Nattes. Thanks to Vincent, we experienced some incredible activities:||Whale watching – we were lucky to see three humpback whales at very close distance. We had to take two trips because we didn’t see the whales on the first trip, but it was absolutely worth it. The experience took our breath away and will remain one of our most unforgettable memories.||Snorkelling at Îlots aux Sables – crystal-clear water and amazing marine life. All our boat trips around the island were arranged by local guy Florio, Vincent’s friend. Thank you, Florio!||Day trip to Sainte Marie – we explored the island with Julie, a staff member at Sambatra who acted as our guide. We visited the local Malagasy market, enjoyed a tuk-tuk ride around the island, explored the Ikalalao jungle, took a serene boat ride through the mangrove forest, and had a relaxing massage at Princess Bora Lodge. Our visit to the Ikalalao jungle was particularly special: we went with a local guide who was extremely knowledgeable in botany and passionate about the forest. He showed us the medicinal and traditional uses of many plants, which gave us a whole new appreciation of the Malagasy flora. Along the way, we spotted colourful Sunbirds and several Chameleons perfectly camouflaged in the vegetation. Observing these creatures in their natural habitat was both fascinating and unforgettable.||Exploring the north of Ile aux Nattes – where we enjoyed seeing Black and White Ruffed Lemurs in their natural surroundings.||The island itself is stunning, covered in lush tropical vegetation and alive with the sounds of nature. Small sandy paths crisscross through the greenery, leading you past coconut palms, banana trees, and patches of vanilla and rice fields. As you explore, you’ll often come across the occasional zebu grazing quietly or chickens running around freely, adding to the island’s charm and authenticity. Even outside our bungalow, we were delighted to spot a Madagascar Day Gecko and cute Ghost crabs running across the beach to their burrows, adding a touch of wildlife right at our doorstep. Getting a little lost is part of the adventure, and it never feels worrying — there are always friendly local kids nearby who are more than happy to guide you to your destination with a smile. The whole atmosphere feels untouched, genuine, and deeply connected to traditional island life.||Nights on Ile aux Nattes were magical. With no light pollution, the sky was filled with countless stars, and walking along the beach under the glow of a full moon lighting up the sand and producing ghostly shadows of palm trees felt truly unforgettable.||A special highlight: a Malagasy Kestrel is nesting right at the lodge – a rare and wonderful sight for nature lovers. It was also very nice to meet and talk with other guests at Sambatra Beach Lodge, who came from different parts of the world. Sharing stories and experiences added another enriching layer to our stay.||On a practical note: mosquitos here are tiny, almost invisible, but not very numerous. We only got a few bites in 10 days, thanks to mosquito repellent and the bed netting provided in the bungalow.||We would also like to give our heartfelt thanks to Vincent’s amazing staff and the local people who helped us daily – Julie, Florio, Pepita, Monique, and Eve. Their kindness and support made our stay even more special. We would also like to thank cat Kinga and dog Vinnie for the amusement they provided during dinner!||Overall, Sambatra Beach Lodge is the perfect place to relax, explore, and immerse yourself in the island’s magic. Highly recommended – we would return in a heartbeat!||Thank...

What a Memorable Holiday! We spent 10 wonderful days at Sambatra Beach Lodge (end of August – early September) and couldn’t have chosen a better place. Ile aux Nattes is a little slice of paradise, and Sambatra made our stay unforgettable.

The lodge has six bungalows, all facing the sunset beach – waking up and ending the day with that view felt like a dream. Every night we fell asleep to the sound of waves, and each morning we woke up to the songs of exotic birds – simply magical. Weather was mild (26–27°C), with almost no rain.

The food was excellent, and you can dine in the restaurant or right outside your bungalow. The fish dishes are outstanding, and one day when we wanted coconut water, Julie climbed a tree and brought us one fresh on the spot – it doesn’t get any fresher! Vincent also encouraged us to try other restaurants on the island, which we did.

Vincent is an outstanding host who created this resort from scratch. He is always there at hand with advice and help, and I wish all hosts were like him. He even organized our transport from Sainte Marie airport by tuk-tuk and the boat ride to Ile aux Nattes. Thanks to him, we enjoyed amazing activities:

Whale watching – we took two trips as we saw nothing the first time, but the second time we were rewarded with three humpback whales at very close distance. Breath-taking and unforgettable.

Snorkelling at Îlots aux Sables – clear water and great marine life. All our boat trips were arranged by local guy Florio, Vincent’s friend – thank you, Florio!

Day trip to Sainte Marie – with Julie as our guide. We visited the Malagasy market, explored Ikalalao jungle with a brilliant local guide, saw chameleons and sunbirds, rode through mangroves by boat, enjoyed a massage at Princess Bora, and toured by tuk-tuk.

Exploring north of Ile aux Nattes – where we saw Black and White Ruffed Lemurs.

The island itself is stunning, full of vegetation with sandy paths crisscrossing coconut palms, vanilla, and rice fields. You’ll meet zebus, free-running chickens, geckos, and even ghost crabs near the bungalows. Getting lost is part of the adventure, but local kids are always happy to guide you with a smile.

Nights were magical: no light pollution, countless stars, and moonlit beaches with ghostly palm tree shadows. A Malagasy Kestrel nests at the lodge, which was a special highlight for nature lovers.

It was also nice to meet other guests from around the world, sharing stories and experiences over dinner, often with cat Kinga and dog Vinnie providing entertainment.

On a practical note: mosquitos are tiny and almost invisible, but not numerous. We used repellent and bed nets and got only a few bites in 10 days.

Huge thanks to Vincent’s wonderful staff – Julie, Florio, Pepita, Monique, and Eve – for their daily kindness and care.

Sambatra Beach Lodge is the perfect place to relax, explore, and experience the island’s magic. Highly recommended – we’d return in a heartbeat!

Thank...

It’s where the magic happens!

Me and a group of friends arrived here after touring mainland Madagascar for several days and were very much ready for some serious chilling. Île Aux Nattes seemed like the perfect place for us to do so. I decided to pick Sambatra Beach Lodge as our base after reading all the fabulous reviews, I was reassured with my choice by the very efficient replies to my emails from Vincent who never hesitated to answer any of my questions, however silly they had been. It truly is a special place, one of those places that leaves a lasting impression on you.

Sambatra is situated about 15 minutes pirogue ride away from Sainte Marie on the paradise island of Île Aux Nattes, nice and easy and the views are to die for! Once you get there, you’ll never want to leave. Vincent created something really special by making a communal dining area, so you can meet other guests during meal times and exchange your stories, it makes it feel very homely. We really enjoyed it!

The bungalows are situated on the beach, literally five steps away from the magnificent Indian Ocean, they are basic, but spacious, clean and very comfortable, there are sun loungers on your porch, I could just lay there all day watching the world go by, staring at the ocean listening to the waves hit the shore, you also get some stunning sunsets there, so all in all, it makes it for a perfect relaxing spot.

The food is excellent, it being a tiny island makes it pretty tough having a variety, but Emile does a great job and the flavours that he puts together are excellent, haven’t had a bad meal there and it mostly was amazing, one of my favourites being the octopus in coconut sauce with rice. So yum.

There is no wifi at Sambatra and I found it a huge blessing. So lovely to just be able to chat to people without them staring at their mobile phones, please do not change it.

The island itself has plenty to offer too if you’re feeling energetic, so speak to Vincent, he will recommend spots to explore. I can definitely recommend going up the hill to see the lighthouse, the view from the top is to die for and the walk through the gorgeous landscapes and the village makes it that bit more rewarding. Bring some sweets for the kiddies living in the village, you will make their day. Also, make sure you ask Florian to take you around the island on his pirogue, well worth it, the colour of the water is insane!

Vincent, Jackson, Lina, Emile, Florian and the rest of the team - thank you so so much, you all made it an unforgettable trip for us all. I will for certain be back and will be bringing more friends along. Also, once again, a massive thank you for throwing me the best birthday party I could wish for, you really made my day and I felt very special.

Vincent - you really created something special there, keep up the excellent work! I’m hoping to...