Relais du Kirindy

Stayed one night. I had seen multiple negative reviews, and indeed the place deserves them. It's not the expected limitations due to the remote location, but the lack of any effort to make the place slightly more comfortable. I arrived in mid-afternoon and was hoping to recharge my camera and phone before going on the evening game walk. Instead, I found out the electricity would not be turned on until 18:00. This is way too late, because the sun sets before then and the room was pitch dark. There was no flashlight or battery operated lamp in the room. When I asked, I was told that guests need to use their own phones. This is really petty and disrespectful, considering the limited opportunities to recharge electronics. The hours electricity is available are not posted, and the staff is not forthcoming. Even after I inquired, they failed to disclose that in the morning it is turned on only between 05:00 and 07:00. At 07:00 I was still packing my stuff when the room plunged into darkness, and I had to waste precious phone charge to gather my things. Rooms are huts, which are very basic and gloomy. Even with the lights on, the room and bathroom are very dimly lit, and not all lights work. The room had a fan, which obviously worked only when the electricity was on. Cleanliness was questionable. Reasonably comfortable beds, but the (quite dirty) mosquito nets didn’t match the openings. Very low water pressure and barely lukewarm water. No wifi in the room (and no phone reception). I requested a breakfast box for 07:00, but at 07:15 it wasn't ready yet.

The options of staying near Kirindy forest are limited. My wife flatly refused to stay at Kirindy eco lodge despite me trying to convince her by saying that gave us the best chance of seeing a fossa. To be honest after seeing the condition of the Kirindy Eco lodge I was secretly thanking her. That leaves Akiba Lodge and Relais du Kirindy. Akiba lodge is just off the main road and inside the forest. They have a small private reserve. Definitely worth visiting. RDK is not inside the forest and it takes about 20-30 minutes to reach Kirindy hiking point. They had planted quite a few trees and the lodge area looks much greener now than when it opened. It is a sprawling lodge and it was surprisingly busy with several tour groups when we were there. The very first thing to say is that it is really really hot , even in May. You should not go out in the midday. So here comes the problem of electricity. Unfortunately the electricity is switched off around 7 am and does not come in the room till late in the evening. Check the electricity timings carefully with the staff. Battery charging etc must be done well in advance and carry your power bank and if possible a solar charger. There is so much sun here that with good solar panel whole resort can be supplied 24/7. Wifi is never an issue for me and it was definitely available in the restaurant. I also had Telma SIM card and had good reception. The pedestal fan was very effective the whole night to keep us cool and I slept well. Water pressure is weak. It was hot enough for me. In fact I had a cold shower. The room has two beds and the mossie nets are not very effective but surprisingly there were no mossies in the night. The room unfortunately is dark and gloomy and the bathroom /toilet are even darker. Even in the middle of the day. Cleanliness is not too bad. Storage area is limited. I put my suitcases on the bed. We had cottage 20 , close to the reception. It had a nice little veranda. Not very private though. Lots of people walking around and the next cabin is pretty close. The food is acceptable and is not going to win any prize. The veg fried rice lacked spice. The breakfast is adequate. The baobab ice cream was superb. The drinks were not that cold and i told them to chill my bottle of beer 30 minutes in advance. The staff were all very nice and friendly. The pool was out of action. Overall, considering its location I think it is an acceptable stay. BTW we did see the fossa at the Krindy eco lodge without staying there !

The rooms were very dirty!

This place has the most mixed reviews I have seen. 1 1/2hrs out of Morondava on a horrible rollercoaster road. I really liked the central restaurant and swimming pool. The rooms a really cute in a rustic way. I hated the 2 x beds in the room, and I kept hitting my head on mozzie net. People who write these reviews need to lower their chins to a more horizontal position and look around. It's in the middle of remote village

事前にエクスペディアで決算を済ませていたにも関わらず、二重決算されました。 確認をとるために1時間弱時間をロスしました。 Wi-Fiはあったが、弱くて通信環境はよくなかった。お湯は出ませんでした。 キリンディ森林保護地区の夜&朝ツアーにいく目的がある場合は泊まる価値あり。 食事は美味しい、ドルでも支払いできた。

Für eine Nacht erfüllt das Hotel seinen Zweck Der Aufenthalt war ok für eine Nacht. Für längeren Aufenthalt wären wir woandershin. Das Bett war nicht wirklich sauber, der Boden sollte mal nass aufgenommen werden. Der Pool hat uns garnicht gereizt, voller Fliegen. Das Essen war ok, Personal freundlich.