Eastern Madagascar - Madagascar - page 350

SLEEPING
Chez Sika BUNGALOW €
( 032 04 607 74; [e-mail]; d Ar30,000) Wow. If you are looking for inex-
pensive accommodation, look no further: this one outperforms places two or three times its
cost. The hotel is like an open park beneath the palms, with an absolutely gorgeous loca-
tion on a fringing reef. For Ar50,000, the family bungalow is the best value anywhere on
Sainte Marie, with two large rooms, a thatched porch, a hammock with dreamy views, and
the clever use of pirogues as shelving. Only breakfast is served, but there is a kitchen for
guests (and plenty of other hotels nearby). Best of all, management has not crafted a sys-
tem for extracting as much money from you as possible. They actually lend you snorkel
equipment, and spearfishing trips are free. A refreshing choice from every perspective.
Analatsara BUNGALOW €€€
( 57 906 11, 032 02 127 70; [e-mail]) The owner of Analatsara has
crafted a high-quality mini-resort basically for the love of sharing it. For Ar120,000 per
person you get an open bar, laundry, half-board, and a double bed with loft. A six-person
house with housekeeper, chef, and 24-hour electricity is €600 per week. The standout op-
tion is the treehouse, replete with trapdoor entry.
Le Petit Traversé BUNGALOW €€€
( 57 905 62, 032 42 360 52; www.madxperience.com ; tr Ar105,000) This is one of the
island's wonderfully personable offerings. The ongoing project of castaway South African
OckieSnyman,itisuniquelyaimedatanEnglish-speaking audience(noFrenchisspoken),
and feels more like a community than a hotel, including family-style dining, and music and
movies at night. The menu changes constantly, from lasagne to fish and chips, with seafood
a recurring theme, and also pizza, made in an oven built into the prow of a beached boat.
Ockie's aquarium bar is another creative first, and there is a glass-bottomed boat forthcom-
ing. It's not cheap, but not easily forgotten, either. Beware the wandering lemurs!
Meva Paradis BUNGALOW €€
( 032 02 207 80; www.mevaparadis.com ; d with breakfast Ar70,000; mains from
Ar16,000) There's nothing remarkable about these ensuite bungalows, all of which have
cold water, but they are sitting on a great stretch of beach.