For the life of me I cannot understand why Chanty Beach Lodge has such rave reviews. We have just returned from there and I want to warn prospective travellers to the lodge to be very careful for the following reasons:
1. Money and an expensive watch were taken from my daughter's bag under very strange circumstances and despite assurances from the owner of the place that the lodge was very safe and secure.
2.On our third night there I requested lobster for dinner and said very clearly that if they couldn't get any lobster then I would eat elsewhere. I was told that they would do a lobster dinner, but guess what? There was no lobster for dinner. VERY, VERY dishonest people run the place and you really don't need that on holiday especially if you pay good, hard earned cash.
3. Much to our consternation, they also organised the services of a drunken driver who our lives at unnessary risk.
4. They made travel arrangements for us with a charlaton who made our trip to the mainland an absolute nightmare. I would not wish such a trip on anyone especially not on a family travelling with two young daughters. When we called the owner to tell him what was going on, his rep[onse was he could do nothing and it was up to us to sort ourselves out.

I was due for some relaxation, and I decided to choose Madagascar as my holiday destination, and within it, Nosy Bé.
I was travelling on my own, and I was looking for some peace and tranquility, and that is exactly what I found at Chanty Beach.
From the moment I arrived on the island and was picked up by the driver until the time I was boarding the aircraft leaving Nosy Bé again, I felt most welcomed and cared for by the hosts Christian and Chantal. They made my stay at their place a most comfortable one and were more than helpful in arranging trips around the island and catering for breakfast and dinner as well.
Being on half-board basis, you have however not to fear to starve around noon, as there's just a few 100 metres along the beach some other restaurants catering for your needs, or if you're on travel around the island, no need to fear either. The Malagasy people are friendly and try to assist you with every need you have.
If you are looking for a 5-star holiday resort with all entertainment facilities close-by, you might want to go somewhere else, because here you find warm-hearted and friendly hosts willing to help you explore the island, but all will happen in peace and tranquility. There's no "hustle and bustle" and loud nightlife going on at or near the accommodation premises, except the sounds of nature at night and the calm and soothing waves of the ocean running up the beach just about 30 metres away from your bed...
Whether you lie in bed already or are still sitting on your open terrace looking upon the ocean sipping on some cold drink from your minibar, it feels exactly like a holiday should feel like...

The owners of Chanty Beach are charming, friendly and kind. However, the small hotel is not really for travellers who require the basics normally found in average hotels. These include access to the internet, TV and perhaps easy access to transport. The hotel in my view is also very isolated and the beach area although better than most along that coastline was not very inviting. I was there on half-board but didn't really like the dry and sometimes inedible continental breakfast. My advice is if you stay at this hotel, bring some snacks with you, tea, coffee, noodle soup etc. Suppers are generally lovely but if you're alone, the whole thing can get boring. Restaurants to the south of Chanty Beach are reasonable (Sambatra) but also dicey at times. Sambatra for some reason allows cats to roam in the restaurant, which I found appalling and unclean. One one occasion the rice served was off. I did not eat at Vanila Hotel, but it looked nice and they had a pool and some basic amenities. A lovely place to visit and to stay a while is Chez Loulou (further north) - I loved the location of the restaurant, the service and the atmosphere. Back to Chanty Beach, the rooms are sizeable but are in definite need of an upgrade. Bedding is too small for the double bed for instance. The one upside of Chanty Beach was its access to people who are willing to give fragrant massages. I had several of these while I was there and the lovely person who gave the massage was professional, thorough and the price paid reasonable. If you travel to Nosy Be be sure to meet the friendly local people, they are what makes the island. I can't say much for the landscape and beaches though, I've seen a lot better in Zanzibar.

Despite the unstable political situation since the beginning of the year, my husband and myself took advantage of the lull in Madagascar’s tourism to make the most this charming tropical island, discovering a quiet, safe hideaway.
“Bon jour! ...Um, how do you say ‘full body massage’ in French?”
Darn, despite our five-week crash course in French we had clearly still not learnt all the important bits. At least we didn’t have to worry about obnoxious tourists, long queues and exorbitant prices. Since the coup that shook Madagascar at the beginning of the year the constant flow of tourists from Italy and France had all but ceased. It is important to note, that at no time did we feel threatened or unsafe- the Malagasy people went out of their way to welcome us and make our stay in their beautiful country a memorable one. Another great advantage is that no visas are required until December 2009.
We’d been planning our holiday to Madagascar since our last trip in May 2008, which we thoroughly enjoyed and realized that there were still too many little islands that we had not explored.
The next day we flew to Nosy Be which is a tiny island off the north coast of Madagascar. We disembarked from the airplane into 35deg heat! Definitely time to whip out the sunscreen and sunglasses.
We were met at the airport by a taxi which took us to Chanty Beach Hotel Villa. Just a few metres from the beach this resort is a quiet hideaway with lovely shady gardens and warm German/Malagasy hospitality (They offer both self-catering chalets and B&B).
For lunch, we found ourselves repeatedly drawn to the Sambatra B&B - a way further along the beach, which offered the most amazing seafood, and great service. If you have an afternoon to spare when not consuming large amounts of calamari, prawns and fish, catch the ferry to Sakatia Passions – only ten minutes away this is simply a little piece of paradise with fabulous snorkeling in clear blue water.
Christian and his lovely wife Chantal were great in preparing the most delicious evening meals served right on their beach resturant! Christian's knowlege of the island and its people was most entertaining, giving us a good insight on what to expect of these wonderful people. Our accomodation was comfortabl- an airconditioned room, en suite bathroom- clean and spacious! Off the veranda was a small kitchenette, not that we ever used it too cook as there were more than enough eating spots along this bay. There was howerver a fully equippped bar fridge - with enough 3horses beer to keep your thirst quenched!
Each afternoon we enjoyed the the best full body massages under the trees of Chanty Beaches lush gardens- at very reasonable prices! A definate must to ensure you get rid of any stress and to ensure a truly relaxing holiday.
We thoroughly enjoyed Chantly Beach, a lovely small Villa with great hospitality.