New Luxury Resort in Madagascar - Miavana
Sep 11, 2017, 10:47 am
#46
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: England
Posts: 1,361
I will be here in a few days, so if anyone wants any information on anything, let me know.
To begin with, I will give you a pleasant summary of how difficult it is to get to.
When I started looking at Miavana, I was told that they were working with Airlink to have flights available to Nosy Be twice a week as of September, but this then fell through. So this means there is only one flight a week to Nosy Be from Joburg, where you fly in on a Sunday and leave on the next Sunday. You are then also paying $5000 for helicopter transfers (vs $1400 from Diego Suarez). We only booked 4 nights, so we instead decided to do JNB > TNR, stay the night, then TNR > SVB > DIE at 6am the next day. Strangely on the way back the flight is direct from DIE > TNR.
We booked to return on the Sunday, as the flight leaves at 2:45pm, whereas every other day it's around 9am, and therefore it gave us a pleasant final day. Yet just a few days ago, I get an email from Expedia saying our flights were now at 9am. Then just 24 hours later they were changed to 11am, and our departing flight was moved to 20 minutes earlier. Air Madagascar's dedication to punctuality is not to be admired, so who knows what time we will actually arrive or leave. Even though our departure is only 4 hours earlier than expected, I still perceived it as ruining our last day, so we decided to extend by a night and do 5 nights instead. Miavana took over our flights and managed to move them for free for us.
To begin with, I will give you a pleasant summary of how difficult it is to get to.
When I started looking at Miavana, I was told that they were working with Airlink to have flights available to Nosy Be twice a week as of September, but this then fell through. So this means there is only one flight a week to Nosy Be from Joburg, where you fly in on a Sunday and leave on the next Sunday. You are then also paying $5000 for helicopter transfers (vs $1400 from Diego Suarez). We only booked 4 nights, so we instead decided to do JNB > TNR, stay the night, then TNR > SVB > DIE at 6am the next day. Strangely on the way back the flight is direct from DIE > TNR.
We booked to return on the Sunday, as the flight leaves at 2:45pm, whereas every other day it's around 9am, and therefore it gave us a pleasant final day. Yet just a few days ago, I get an email from Expedia saying our flights were now at 9am. Then just 24 hours later they were changed to 11am, and our departing flight was moved to 20 minutes earlier. Air Madagascar's dedication to punctuality is not to be admired, so who knows what time we will actually arrive or leave. Even though our departure is only 4 hours earlier than expected, I still perceived it as ruining our last day, so we decided to extend by a night and do 5 nights instead. Miavana took over our flights and managed to move them for free for us.
Sep 11, 2017, 11:28 am
#47
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
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Posts: 8,764
Yikes, that sounds irritating and ridiculously pricey. Our charter flights with Air Madagascar to Anjajavy L'Hotel worked like clockwork and weren't nearly as pricey from and to Tana. And both charter flights were nonstop.
Sep 11, 2017, 12:33 pm
#48
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Location: Southern California, USA
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There's a big puff-piece on Miavana in the latest, Jul-Aug, issue of Conde Nast Traveller (UK) magazine. Lots of photos. Apparently a UK tour operator is offering 5 nights inc flights and everything from £12,000 per person.
It looks like the sort of place that will appeal to people who don't fancy visiting Madagascar.
It looks like the sort of place that will appeal to people who don't fancy visiting Madagascar.
I don't want to jinx the stay for @MacMyDay, but I have to agree. The private island setting is lovely...but seems devoid of anything particularly Madagascarese.
A quote from that article: "Everyone I know who has been to Madagascar wants to go back. It's one of those Wild, perplexing places that burrows deep into the psych."
Unfortunately, we've been to Madagascar once. And once was more than enough for us. Oops.
Here is the activities list:
https://timeandtideafrica.com/conten...Madagascar.pdf
They apparently are planning to translocate lemurs to the island, but there is no native lemur population (or any lemur population) on the island yet. They have to transfer you via helicopter 10 minutes or by boat 25 minutes to the coast or to see lemurs--and I'll bet it takes longer than those estimates.
Makes me thrilled we stayed at Anjajavy L'Hotel where we saw lemurs constantly throughout the property and in the literally adjacent lemur preserve forests.
They do have whale watching, turtle hatching, and scuba diving, but the distance and difficulty to get there seems prohibitive for the potential pay off. You can see whales from Cape Town/Hermanus...not to mention California and Mexico. There are many places to see turtles. And I believe and would expect the diving to be superior around Nosy Be off the leeward coast.
For those who live with easy access to Madagascar looking for a luxury seaside escape and no more, I can see some appeal. Otherwise, this seems like a private island escape that could be anywhere--like so many resorts in the Maldives, but even harder to reach!
I am very curious to see what @MacMyDay thinks.
Last edited by bhrubin; Sep 11, 2017 at 12:40 pm
Sep 16, 2017, 8:16 am
#51
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: England
Posts: 1,361
It's about twice the size, yet it's still really only a plunge pool. The villas are incredibly beautiful - when you break them down they are almost identical to North Island regarding their layout and features. It's amazing the architect kept it so similar between a property they built over 10 years ago, but that is not much of a complaint, as North and Miavana are amongst the best villas I've ever stayed in.
Sep 17, 2017, 1:05 pm
#54
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: England
Posts: 1,361
Why thank you, sir. The whale spotting was quite extraordinary (between the island and mainland we spotted more than 10 whales), more so for the fact that we were not even looking for them. We were actually on our way to see the black lemur, of which there are apparently less than 500 in the entire world remaining. An amazing experience.
Sep 20, 2017, 3:03 am
#55
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: England
Posts: 1,361
I have published a 7000 (not a typo) word review on my blog.
http://thegoodthebadandtheluxurious....na-madagascar/
To summarise, as no sane person would bother reading it: I cannot recommend Miavana. We had a great time, and I'm glad we went, but it almost reminds me of DSI's level of lies from Ani Villas - the difference here being that all of the staff were wonderful, and we did not leave with bad feelings.
Let me summarise what you get for $5000/n (going up to $6000/n come January): one of the best villas I've ever stayed in, very good food, very good service. That's the pros.
The cons are vast.
There is no usable Internet connection. Nor any phone signal. I don't mean "it's rather slow", I mean it does not work around 90% of the time, then suddenly a load of messages come in, then it dies again. I was told it works between 2am, as another guest found it out, and it did...most of the time. I run my own business and cannot be out of touch for 5 days, so it was a real struggle.
You have only French speaking TV channels, with no movies. You have a very poor and boring selection of activities to do, excluding the lemur excursion and whale watching, which were excellent. You have 2 choices for starters and mains, with very little flexibility available due to procurement issues. You have one of the worst airliners in the world to contend with to get there, with horror stories galore regarding changing and cancellation o flights.
You have no privacy in your villa, as the front is all glass and if anyone approaches they can see you. You have no privacy on the beach, as anyone walking by could see in. You have no temperature control in the villa, and worse of all, it is somewhat open, so you have wind rushing throughout, with no option to close it off. Of course, you have mosquitos galore - so they took some lessons from North Island.
The front door broke. The power went off. The temperature control they do have by the bed broke. It was like a snagging activity.
The island is not private. It was already inhabited and will continue to be so. The website says 14 villas, yet only 8 are finished. The welcome brochure talks of cycle routes around the island, yet the only path goes from villa 1 to 8.
As with so many places I stay, I can still enjoy myself and at Miavana we both did, but it is arrogance on a new level to charge these prices.
You may wonder why I'm not more angry, but it is because the staff are so great and so aware of the issues, most of which they cannot fix themselves and the owners are responsible. I wish the staff all the best, as they were amazing and the evening drinks with the management team was great fun, but I wish the owners a thousand mosquito bites.
http://thegoodthebadandtheluxurious....na-madagascar/
To summarise, as no sane person would bother reading it: I cannot recommend Miavana. We had a great time, and I'm glad we went, but it almost reminds me of DSI's level of lies from Ani Villas - the difference here being that all of the staff were wonderful, and we did not leave with bad feelings.
Let me summarise what you get for $5000/n (going up to $6000/n come January): one of the best villas I've ever stayed in, very good food, very good service. That's the pros.
The cons are vast.
There is no usable Internet connection. Nor any phone signal. I don't mean "it's rather slow", I mean it does not work around 90% of the time, then suddenly a load of messages come in, then it dies again. I was told it works between 2am, as another guest found it out, and it did...most of the time. I run my own business and cannot be out of touch for 5 days, so it was a real struggle.
You have only French speaking TV channels, with no movies. You have a very poor and boring selection of activities to do, excluding the lemur excursion and whale watching, which were excellent. You have 2 choices for starters and mains, with very little flexibility available due to procurement issues. You have one of the worst airliners in the world to contend with to get there, with horror stories galore regarding changing and cancellation o flights.
You have no privacy in your villa, as the front is all glass and if anyone approaches they can see you. You have no privacy on the beach, as anyone walking by could see in. You have no temperature control in the villa, and worse of all, it is somewhat open, so you have wind rushing throughout, with no option to close it off. Of course, you have mosquitos galore - so they took some lessons from North Island.
The front door broke. The power went off. The temperature control they do have by the bed broke. It was like a snagging activity.
The island is not private. It was already inhabited and will continue to be so. The website says 14 villas, yet only 8 are finished. The welcome brochure talks of cycle routes around the island, yet the only path goes from villa 1 to 8.
As with so many places I stay, I can still enjoy myself and at Miavana we both did, but it is arrogance on a new level to charge these prices.
You may wonder why I'm not more angry, but it is because the staff are so great and so aware of the issues, most of which they cannot fix themselves and the owners are responsible. I wish the staff all the best, as they were amazing and the evening drinks with the management team was great fun, but I wish the owners a thousand mosquito bites.
Sep 20, 2017, 3:36 am
#56
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
@MacMyDay, i was waving good bye to you from California. Could you not see me? Perhaps I deserved only a Golden Globe.
Yikes. Thanks for the review...and stinging critique. Perhaps you might check with me before planning your next adventure to remote luxury. So sorry you had to endure all that. But your socks were asking for it.
On the offhand chance you fancy a return to your favorite Hotel Carlton in Tana, I definitely recommend Anajajavy L'Hotel for you or anyone wanting to get a true sense of place in Madagascar--as well as to enjoy the lemurs. It's only one reasonably priced charter flight away from Tana, it's adjacent to a large lemur preserve with many types of lemurs, food and wine are excellent, service is friendly and excellent, and the air con was superb even in the high heat of December--even for me. The wifi, in the other hand, wasn't good at all. The lodging was lovely, if a bit on the rustic side--but then, it was Madagascar, so we should be hoping for that. But then we didn't pay an arm and a leg for such extravagance in such a remote location, either. Maybe a few fingers.
Did I also mention that we had no mosquitoes at all at Anjajavy L'Hotel? Also, no prostitutes. Though I did offer.
Yikes. Thanks for the review...and stinging critique. Perhaps you might check with me before planning your next adventure to remote luxury. So sorry you had to endure all that. But your socks were asking for it.
On the offhand chance you fancy a return to your favorite Hotel Carlton in Tana, I definitely recommend Anajajavy L'Hotel for you or anyone wanting to get a true sense of place in Madagascar--as well as to enjoy the lemurs. It's only one reasonably priced charter flight away from Tana, it's adjacent to a large lemur preserve with many types of lemurs, food and wine are excellent, service is friendly and excellent, and the air con was superb even in the high heat of December--even for me. The wifi, in the other hand, wasn't good at all. The lodging was lovely, if a bit on the rustic side--but then, it was Madagascar, so we should be hoping for that. But then we didn't pay an arm and a leg for such extravagance in such a remote location, either. Maybe a few fingers.
Did I also mention that we had no mosquitoes at all at Anjajavy L'Hotel? Also, no prostitutes. Though I did offer.
Last edited by bhrubin; Sep 20, 2017 at 3:56 am
Sep 20, 2017, 3:54 am
#57
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 1,644
The lack of internet and phone are no big deal for us - in fact, the opposite, not because I have to be connected all the time, I don't, but because sometimes it's nice to be completely out of touch with the world. Also, I HATE seeing people glued to their phones/tablets etc in such a stunning place.
I also never switch on a TV at a resort hotel and always liked Aman's policy of not having TVs in rooms. I never watch movies, not even if it's pouring with rain, and movies are my background. I do tend to read a lot of books and, back in the day, I used to write them as well.
The privacy issue isn't a big deal, either.
The price is a big deal. That Miavana pricing is obscene for all sorts of reasons.
I have just ploughed through Macmyday's 7000-word piece on this hotel. Heck, the review is twice as long as Boris Johnson's manifesto on life after the EU published a few days ago and causing a real rumpus - possibly more of a rumpus than a hotel review.
Now I think all of us here are grateful to Macmyday's input. But can I say this? His lengthy description of the problems of getting to Miavana, the cost of getting there and the very big hassle factor make me think that this child of the digital era is scared stiff of the world and has no adventurous spirit. I'm sure he wishes he could be teleported from home to suite or villa. The capital of Madagascar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a bracing mix of cultures and architecture. Macmyday doesn't care about this sort of thing, anymore than he cared about Fiji when he went to Laucala. Each to his own and I fully respect his attitude to the world he lives in. But he's missing a lot, I think. We might call it context. Or perspective. Or just Life.
I also never switch on a TV at a resort hotel and always liked Aman's policy of not having TVs in rooms. I never watch movies, not even if it's pouring with rain, and movies are my background. I do tend to read a lot of books and, back in the day, I used to write them as well.
The privacy issue isn't a big deal, either.
The price is a big deal. That Miavana pricing is obscene for all sorts of reasons.
I have just ploughed through Macmyday's 7000-word piece on this hotel. Heck, the review is twice as long as Boris Johnson's manifesto on life after the EU published a few days ago and causing a real rumpus - possibly more of a rumpus than a hotel review.
Now I think all of us here are grateful to Macmyday's input. But can I say this? His lengthy description of the problems of getting to Miavana, the cost of getting there and the very big hassle factor make me think that this child of the digital era is scared stiff of the world and has no adventurous spirit. I'm sure he wishes he could be teleported from home to suite or villa. The capital of Madagascar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a bracing mix of cultures and architecture. Macmyday doesn't care about this sort of thing, anymore than he cared about Fiji when he went to Laucala. Each to his own and I fully respect his attitude to the world he lives in. But he's missing a lot, I think. We might call it context. Or perspective. Or just Life.
Last edited by Pausanias; Sep 20, 2017 at 6:51 am
Sep 20, 2017, 9:07 am
#60
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
I have published a 7000 (not a typo) word review on my blog.
http://thegoodthebadandtheluxurious....na-madagascar/
http://thegoodthebadandtheluxurious....na-madagascar/