르레 뒤 키린디

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 !

Our 2 night stay here was to visit the Kirindy Forest Reserve. This hotel was perfectly positioned for this. The bungalows are comfortable and spacious. The staff were friendly, humerous and helpful. The food at the restaurant was great. This resort is often mixed up with the other resort Kirindy Lodge which is located within Kirindy Forest Reserve. So to clear this up Relaise du Kirindy is a grwat place to stay.