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Reviews: Beach Holiday on the paradisiac island of Sainte-Marie

Beach Holiday on the paradisiac island of Sainte-Marie

After having discovered Madagascar your trip will bring you to the green Island of Sainte-Marie, where you can enjoy the wonderful sea and have contact with the hospitable Malagasy people.

star rating Trip rating 5/5 from 2 reviews
Operator rating 5/5 from 42 reviews
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This Operator Reviews

21.
Client: Janet South - from United Kingdom
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: The operator put together an independent 15-day trip for two of us, travelling south from Tana to include the major cultural experiences as well as some of the nature reserves.

Everything worked very well and we were particularly impressed by our driver, Mamy,

We would recommend this firm to anyone.
22.
Client: Griselda Cacho - from Mexico
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: My trip in Madagascar was fantastic. The service by the operator was excellent.

The places I visited were interesting and the variety of landscapes is amazing. I would have liked to spend more days in Isalo as it has a lot to offer to adventures like me. (I travelled by myself).
23.
Client: Linda Kohl - from United States
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: Our tour was "fantabulous" ("fantastic+fabulous").

Fanja (the tour operator) and our driver were more than willing to help us with our sometimes difficult requests. In addition, Fanja took great care in changing the itinerary to accomodate some of the specific requests that we had. (For example we added a day to the tour, added another national park, and requested a specific lodging at the park.)

We loved our tour: the weather was great, the culture and nature were captivating, the accomodations were very good, and the concern for our enjoyment exceptional. I would recommend the operator to anyone.
24.
Client: Judi Walton - from Ethiopia
Trip: Madagascar - VIP - Luxury Trip
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: An excellent holiday, well organised in every detail. We had a particularly good guide and driver - a very safe driver.

Enquiries by e-mail were quickly and efficiently dealt with by the company. We enjoyed everywhere we visited in Madagascar.
25.
Client: Mona Sage - from United States
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: There is so much to say - This was such a great trip!! We will agree that touring Madagascar is not for everyone and needs to really be well thought out before arriving.

Working with Manager Fanja made choosing this tour an easy one. She readily answered any questions we had before and after we committed to the tour. She greeted us at the airport and did a follow up before we left the last day. Fanja is an honest professional willing to assist in any way.

The accomodations were clean, comfortable and very roomy. The itinerary was as it was advertised. Our driver/guide, Olivier, really made our trip memorable. Olivier is honest, patient, professional, knowledgeable about every facet of Madagascar from plants, animals, geology, geography, history, people, etc. He is a safe driver always with a clean car each day and a wonderful smile. He arranged for great local guides and speaks English well. We had a wonderful experience and have nothing but praise for Fanja and Olivier. We are glad we chanced to find this operator!

It is always a concern when one chooses something through the internet - no USA connection or guarantee, but this was better that we could have ever thought. So glad you turned up in our search.

We learned so much, saw so much - are still trying to grasp it all. Thanks.
26.
Client: Alan Feigenbaum - from United States
Trip: Madagascar Budget Trip - Canoe, Train & Car
Rating: rating 4/5
Comment: I participated in the 16 day Madagascar tour including the Manakara to Fianarantsoa train trip.

It was a wonderful time for the most part but the stay at the Manakara beach bungalow was not up to par.

Other than that everything else was fine. All hotels were very clean, with hot showers, flush toilets, and good food. prices were reasonable too.

Would recommend this trip to anyone who enjoys strange flora and fauna.
 
Trip Operators Response:

Thanks for the constructive feedback as it does help us to improve services.

I am pleased that Alan had a good holiday but sorry that the Beach Bungalow was not up to standard.

Alan did mention to us about his dis-satisfaction with the Manakara Beach Bungalow, he explained it was clean but too primitive. I told him we had the same remarks from a client a short while before he arrived and we wanted to change the itinerary and book at another hotel. Unfortunately as the telephone connexion to Manakara were all out of order so we could not change the hotel at that late stage.

We no longer use Manakara Beach Bungalow.
27.
Client: Martin - from United Kingdom
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: We were provided with a wonderful trip everything worked like clockwork!

This was my third trip to Madagascar so sort of knew the score! Can highly recommend this small but well sorted operator!

This operator will give you a personal tour of this wonderous and unique Island without any peers! after 3 times a visitor they are simply superb and offer you anything you could wish!
Do your research first then give them your rough itinary and they will make your dream come true!

Cannot be faulted
Martin (UK)
28.
Client: Davide and Cristiano - from United Kingdom
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: Two of us took a tour in Madagascar for 13 days between November and December. It was a really enjoyable trip.

The driver (Aru) was really knowledgeable and friendly such as all the guides that showed the beauties of this wonderful country to us. We started from Tana and went down to Ifaty. It was really a diverse holiday between forests, chamaleons, lemurs, unforgettable landscapes, smiles of the people, wonderful beaches .

The hotels we stayed were good and the food delicious. Next year we hope to visit the North. We would suggest this trip to everyone.
29.
Client: Chris Dyt - from Australia
Trip: Madagascar Budget Trip - Canoe, Train & Car
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: My wife and I completed "The Budget Trip, train to Manakara, trekkings". Our trip was almost identical to the suggested itenary with only slight modifications to incorperate a couple of extra days in some places, and reduce time in one place. All this was easily arranged before hand via email with Mrs Fanja.

The tour operator organised a great driver for us, who spoke more than reasonable english, and who did alot more for us than just drive, such as helping organise excellent guides for walks in National Parks. He was also a wealth of information about the local customs, habits, etiquette and could suggest great places to eat.

The accomodation ranged, from quite/very luxurious in some locations, to clean and comfortable mid range places, through to only two places where whilst clean, the beds were pretty uncomfortable. This was mainly due to a lack of other options in those places (and the scenery outside was excellent).

Really "Budget Trip" is a bit of a misnomer, you stay at pretty much the same places that other trips do (in fact where most tour operators put tourists). We chose the trip because of the extra time in National Parks, and the train trip to Manakara which was just fantastic.

Having someone who knows the different towns and hotels pre book for you makes a big difference, especially in peak season where the limited accomodation must pack out. Having a driver is really the only way to do it if you want to move around at any sort of pace and still be able to stop where you wish.

Really I cant fault the operator, they communicated very well, organised a great tour, driver and accomodation. Minor hiccups (outside of their control) were dealt with quickly and with no effort from us. I'd heartily recommend them.

Chris Dyt
Perth, WA
Australia
30.
Client: Colleen Fry-Preston - from United States
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: I couldn 't possibly say enough good about the office manager and driver we were priviledged to get to know (Fanja and Hon goo (sorry for spelling)- both were very, very helpful and skillful at their jobs, you could'nt ask for better ambassadors to promote tourism in Madagascar.
31.
Client: Markus & Jana Niederöst - from Switzerland
Trip: Barge Trip on the river of Tsiribihina and Trekking in the Tsingy of Bemaraha
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: The operator did a great job and we would recommend to book with them.

They adapted their standard program to our wishes. Contact with the manager was always pleasant and easy. It was a pleasure to travel with their guides/drivers who are competent and helpful. Just great!

Our Madagascar trip was a great experience: beautiful landscape, nice people, interesting culture. Some highlights were: The 4-day canoe trip on the Tsiribihina River with our guide and boatman, picknicks under mango trees and camping on the banks of the river; the Tsingy of Bemaraha with their marvellous and unique lime stone formations; relaxing on the seaside in Morondava; the flight to Toliara; several national parks where we saw various kinds of lemurs, geckos and more; the train trip from Fianarantsoa to Manakara; and and and...
32.
Client: Mary & Trevor Mowbray - from New Zealand
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: A great welcome and orientation tour from the tour company manager. She went to a lot of trouble to make our stay in Madagascar successful, even extending substantial assistance before and after the actual tour.

For the tour itself we had a comfortable vehicle and a pleasant driver. He adapted the city tour route to go beyond what we had already seen.

The best part were the expeditions into the national parks and animal reserves (one of those was an 'extra') where we had specialist guides. People should be careful to note which meals are included in the tour. The hotels were not always the same as those listed in the original programme; the accommodation varied but was always comfortable and the one at Ifaty Beach was very good.

The roads were better than we had been led to believe and although long distances were covered there was always something of interest.
33.
Client: Gavin Anderson - from United Kingdom
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: We found the operator very reliable.

Everything went to plan and staff were very responsive to our needs both in planning the trip and on the holiday itself.

No hesitation in recommending them.
34.
Client: John Fordham - from United Kingdom
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: Our Tour was both exciting and educational.

We visited parks such as Perinet and Isalo, saw loads of lemurs of different species, and establishments such as a winery and a paper manufacturer. A hugely enjoyable experience.

The Tour was very well organized and our English-speaking driver was both friendly and knowledgeable.

We would recommend this Tour to any small group thinking of visiting Madagascar for the first time.
35.
Client: Bärbel Chambalu - from Austria
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: Our trip to Madagascar was a great success. We can warmly recommend this operator to anybody planning to visit the country.

Our trip from Antananarivo to Tulear and Tolonaro (Fort Dauphin) was extremely well organized as regards sights, accommodation and food.

Our tour was scheduled it according to our needs on account of our age - 77 and 68. We did not want to race around but preferred a slower pace. Also the driver/guide Olivier whom she had assigned to us was reliable, knowledgeable with a very pleasant personality. This made the trip very harmonious.

I will come back and consult your website should we plan another trip to Africa.
36.
Client: Steve Wilson - from United Kingdom
Trip: customised itinerary
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: From the outset we were provided with the best service possible.

As well as tailor making an itinerary to our specification, they were immaculately organised, flexible and went out of their way to ensure all our requirements were catered for. And with the reasonable price and best accommodation, we felt we got great value for money.

But perhaps the best thing about our tour was the kindness and generosity of the staff -
Fanja and Hangu - with whom we hope to stay in contact.

Without wanting to sound like I'm on commission, we couldn't fault them.

EXCELLENT
37.
Client: Paul Egerton - from United Kingdom
Trip: customised itinerary
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: Thank you for your enquiry and I am pleased to give some feedback on our holiday.

We used the operator to build a customised itinerary in Madagascar. They were first class in their attention to our specified requirements.

We were provided with a car and driver who was excellent and contributed to our holiday very significantly with his knowledge of local customs and history - it helped us to gain a much greater insight into the country than we could have done otherwise.

At all times planned events happened when they were supposed to, Hotels were booked
according to our requirements and overall we were looked after extremely well.

Also there was flexibility in our arrangements so that if we wished we could deviate from plan - this was always accomodated with no fuss.

I would have no hesitation in recommending this operator to any of our UK friends, particularly if a customised tour is required but at a moderate cost.

Thanks to Africa Guide for providing the initial contact and we will use you again as we are thinking of a visit to South Africa next year.
38.
Client: Dr’s Mahreen and Farrokh Pakzad - from United Kingdom
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: About six months ago we enquired about travelling to Madagascar and you referred us to this operator.

We are writing to thank you for a great recommendation!

We spent 12 days of our 3 week long honey moon in Madagascar in September, which was singly one of the best experiences of our lives. Its needless to say that we found Madagascar to be a fascinating and amazingly beautiful country.

But we particularly owe the success of the trip to the operator and the relentless efforts made by our tour guide Fanja and her husband Hangu to make the trip as exciting and comfortable for us as possible.

One of the most important aspects of the trip was the fact that we both felt extremely safe. What impressed me most was the fact that our tour guides were available to meet us in the airport on our arrival, even though our flight from Mauritius was delayed for 12 hours.

We only have the utmost level of praise for the operator and highly recommend their services to future travellers to Madagascar. I only hope others can have the same opportunity to experience the delights of this beautiful island.
Your sincerely,
Dr’s Mahreen and Farrokh Pakzad
39.
Client: Neville Humphris - from Australia
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: 3 of us (aged 42 to 62) undertook a 19-day trip to Madagascar in August 2005 and are pleased to recommend this operator who were our wonderful tour guides.

We emailed for almost a year, and Fanja was always prompt, extremely friendly and helpful with her replies, as well as flexible, creating a tailored trip to meet our specific needs.

Our guide was Haingo - an extremely charming young man and a great travelling companion. Everything on our trip went without a hitch, we were never ill, always felt safe and secure and the trip was constantly interesting with no time for boredom.

Madagascar is not an easy place for travelling and more isolated than you may think. Don't be fooled by distances on maps - the roads are often terrible and accomodation limited. However, it is a visually stunning country, with fascinating flora and fauna and extremely friendly people with an interesting culture. It is somewhere that you will never forget and a place well worth visiting for those with a sense.
40.
Client: Stephen Adamthwaite - from Australia
Trip: Nature & Culture Tour of Madagascar
Rating: rating 5/5
Comment: We had a wonderful trip in Madagascar.

The wildlife spotting in parks around Perinet and Ranomafana were highlights, along with our relaxing beach stay in Ifaty. Our tour was very well organised, and we greatly appreciated the effort the tour operator went to make us as comfortable and informed as possible.

Even though we didn't speak french or english, we had very few problems with the language barrier thanks to our competent guide.

We definately recommend nature lovers to see Madagascar, and use this tour operator.

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Beach Holiday on the paradisiac island of Sainte-Marie

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