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Accommodation
BOOK YOUR STAY ONLINE
For more accommodation reviews by Lonely Planet authors, check out ho-
tels.lonelyplanet.com. You'll find independent reviews, as well as recommenda-
tions on the best places to stay. Best of all, you can book online.
Listings in this topic quote full board when the accommodation rate includes three meals a
day, and half-board when it includes breakfast and dinner.
Accommodation in Madagascar is cheap compared to Europe or North America, but not
as cheap as you might perhaps expect.
Madagascar's winter months (July to September) are the busiest; it's a good idea to book
ahead at this time of year, particularly in popular destinations such as Nosy Be, Ile Sainte
Marie or Parc National des Tsingy de Bemaraha.
Few hotels have official low-/high-season prices, although many offer discounts at quiet
periods, notably during the rainy season.
Hotels in this topic have been classified as budget, midrange or top end.
The top-end category is the most heterogeneous, with some luxury resorts costing as
much as €500 (Ar1.4 million) per night for a double room with full board.
Prices for top-end hotels are often quoted in euros, but you will generally have to pay in
ariary, at the day's exchange rate.
The
vignette
(tourist tax) of Ar500 to Ar4000 per night is included in prices quoted in this
book.
CAMPING & GÎTES D'ETAPE
Camping is possible, mostly in national parks.
Facilities vary, from showers, toilets and well-equipped cooking areas, to nothing more
than a cleared area of bush and a long-drop toilet.
Tents are often available for hire, although you'll need your own sleeping bag.
Some national parks also have basic hostels known as
gîtes d'étape.
HOMESTAYS
In rural areas you can sometimes arrange homestays by politely asking around a village for
a place to sleep. Pay a fair fee - about Ar20,000 per couple is appropriate.
