Ile Ste Marie is truly an island paradise just off the east coast of Northern Madagascar. Here white, palm-fringed beaches are lapped by the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Princesse Bora Lodge is located on one such beach and is a great place to relax. The hotel is set in a vast palm tree grove right next to a pristine white sand beach and a flowing lagoon.
The comfort and luxury villas are pleasantly furnished with dark wood floors and shutters and an en-suite bathroom with shower. Each has its own private deck with chairs, hammock and footbath. In addition, the luxury villas which are closer to the sea, are larger and have a mezzanine area with twin beds, ideal for two children.
The executive beach villas all face straight onto the beach and have luxurious sunken baths in the stylish open-plan bathroom as well as a double shower and a private terrace with steps down to the beach.
A tarmac road leads from the small airport to the resort but peters out into a dirt road almost immediately afterwards. Herein lies the beauty of Ile Ste Marie. If you want to see Madagascan life as it is really lived the island represents an (almost) untouched outpost, left behind the mainland in a slow-paced time warp. Get into low gear as soon as you arrive by travelling to the lodge in their zebu chariot!
Princesse Bora Lodge offers a wealth of activities to help guests experience the island, by bike, boat or quad. Between July and September, this is an excellent place to view the humpback whale migration as these majestic creatures leave the arctic waters far to the south to breed and calf in the warm Indian Ocean.
