Vakona Forest Lodge

'I have never met such helpful staff as the ones at Eden Lodge. Nothing was too much trouble. The waiter taught us Petanque and showed us his village. There were only 4 other guests there; felt very special! 

Relais des Plateaux: very handy for airport. But didn't experiency city centre

Camp Amoureux: Basic but fun! Wonderful lemurs. 

Soleil des Tsingy: food good, but no choice of evening meal.

Palissandre Cote Ouest, Morondava: lovely hotel, shame the beautiful beach had lots of human excrement.

Vakona Lodge: fantastic place, could not fault.

Eden Lodge: WOW, Paradise itself, could have stayed longer! 

Would thoroughly recommend Rainbow Tours'

'Dear Derek

We just wanted to thank you very must for your help and organisation of our holiday.

Our guide was Mike, he said he know you well. We found him excellent.

The tour company in Mauritius was very attentive and meet and guided us through to check in and departures.

We had a fantastic time in Madagascar and a very special stay in Mauritius.

Best regards

Timothy and Gaynor'

Hi Helen

Overall we had an absolute fantastic trip! Everything went off seamlessly! It was both of our first experiences hiring a company like Rainbow tours on our own and I must say it’s been a pleasant experience from beginning to end: You were timely with responses, you listened to what we wanted and it was all in there in the itinerary. 

Rija was our favorite guide and Loren our favorite driver. They were so much fun and agreeable about stopping, pointing out all the wildlife and surroundings. Rija did all that she could to obtain information and provide us with the best info possible on our hikes.  

The accommodations were all very comfortable and the staff was always very nice and accommodating. Our first stop at Litchi Tree, the owner, Herve, was always polite and accommodating to Michelle and I. 

Bush Camp was amazing, staff attentive and friendly and they had frogs in the toilet! We personally love frogs in the toilet and our own toilets at home are now a huge disappointment :) Eden Lodge also amazing with fantastic staff. And super bonus that we were the ONLY ones there! It really was like having our own private beach. Vakona lodge also great. The rooms were underwhelming after Litchi, Bush and Eden but there was nothing wrong with them. In fact our room had a cat on the porch and that was a welcome bonus. Again staff and was great. The physical surroundings of Vakona were just beautiful and Lemur Island was definitely a huge highlight. Just icing on the cake! 

The place by the airport, Relais des Plateau (?), was okay. Our last stay there which was the afternoon/evening before we left they put us in room 5. Directly behind room 5 is where they burn the rubbish. It was quite an unpleasant smell. We discussed going to the front desk but decided since we weren’t staying the night… But I do regret not saying something. But I suggest for future bookings, tell them no room 5. 

Highlights for me are the Tsingy and ALL the lemurs. It was amazing to have lemurs on your shoulder but they were spectacular to behold on in the wild as well. I enjoy seeing as many animals as possible in the wild and we saw a LOT!

Our guide, Stefan, and driver - whose name I can’t recall! - were good. It was a different experience after being with Rija but still good. Stefan didn’t eat with us and we weren’t sure if it was because we are women, or just technically they are off the clock and eating with us is purely a personal choice. But he was great and loved taking pictures for us which was super helpful during Lemur Island. 

Thank you so much! We plan to be back to book with you! 

I’ll get some pictures together.

Molly 

'Overall holiday satisfaction: excellent. Vakona Forest Lodge excellent in all respects; facilities good. Paradise Cove is a lovely place'. 

'Overall satisfaction: Excellent. Relais des Plateaux is a very good hotel.

Gite d'Ampijoroa (Ankarafantsika National Park) has excellent location, good service, food and facilities; average comfort.
(Basic)

Royal Palissandre Hotel & Spa excellent food and service. Too posh for us.

Vakona Forest Lodge: excellent location, meals and facilities. Lovely setting but felt a bit damp and cold.

Thermal Hotel Ranomafana: excellent comfort, good service, location and meals. Beautiful hotel but electricity kept running out.

La Varangue de Betsileo: excellent in all respects. Very nice people, looked after us very well.

Relais la Reine: Very nice, lovely area.

La Mira: excellent in all respects. Very nice and relaxing.

The guides were excellent especially Bel-Aviv and his driver Doudou, who were with us for most of the trip. All were very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly'.

Overall holiday satisfaction: excellent. We enjoyed the whole holiday with the exception of our stay at Iharana Bush Camp.

Vakona Forest Lodge: we particlarly liked th central building with the open fire which we needed as it was cool and damp.

Litchi Tree: Excellent +++ (food especially). The food was delicious. This is a very special place.

Ankarana Lodge: Good service, comfortable, good food and facilities. Location excellent. I liked the swimming pool. Very handily located for Ankarana.

Iharana Bush Camp: the service was indifferent. The lodge wasn't cleaned all the while we were there.

Anjajavy Le Lodge: excellent +++ Not just a very luxurious resort, but the whole area hd so much interest, with the paleontology, archaeology, as well as the wildlife. A fantastic stay'

'Njiva was a fantastic guide - thoroughly recommend him. Driver, Dodo, was also very good. Overall holiday satisfaction (Classic Madagascar overland: the RN7 route): excellent. 

Vakona Forest Lodge is a lovely place but they wanted us to leave the bar/seating area by around 9pm. 

Setam Lodge: good in all respects. Location excellent.

La Varangue de Betsileo: Service and comfort: excellent. Location, meals and facilities all good. 

Relais la Reine d'Isalo: excellent.

Moringa Hotel: good in all respects; excellent meals.

Princesse Bora Lodge: Comfort, meals and facilities good; service and location excellent.'

'Fiona put together an incredible trip with short notice and we will remember this once in a lifetime experience forever. 

Relais des Plateaux: good for an overnight stay.

Vakona Forest Lodge: food outstanding. We had bungalow at end which was quite damp. Didn't hinder our experience at Vakona.

Eden Lodge: a little piece of paradise. 

Our experience with Rainbow Tours has been exemplary having both travelled extensively together and apart. We were anxious about booking a 'package'; we needn't be. Fiona listened to our requirements and organised the perfect combination of active and relaxation in a country that was more than we could ever dreamed of. We would both like to thank Fiona and Rainbow Tours for the honeymoon we thought we weren't going to get' 

'Transfers were very functional and helpful. The local guide at Andasibe (Dizzy) was outstanding. He put in a lot of extra effort to ensure we saw as much as we could. Overall holiday satisfaction: excellent. Anjajavy was a truly wonderful way to spend our last week. Only one small comment: drinks are expensive BUT everything else was fantastic'

'Thank you for an excellent holiday. Fiona Herring has been very helpful all the way through - thank you Fiona! We would certainly recommend Rainbow Tours to other people thinking of a holiday in Madagascar'

'We were very impressed that Rainbow Tours ensureed we had tickets on a private charter from Ile Sainte Marie when the Air Madagascar flight looked like it was going to be cancelled. This could have ruined the end of our holiday but it just goes to prove that Rainbow Tours are exceptional at what they do. We'd happily travel with Rainbow Tours in the future'

Wonderful Lodge set in the heart of the rainforest. Excellent menu really enjoyed the lemur island and crocodile park. 

Vakona Forest Lodge was our favorite for all round excellence.

Vakona Forest Lodge has a good location, nice food and pleasant landscaping. getting a honeymoon present at the Nature Lodge was a lovely touch. 

Meals here were excellent, but more expensive than the previous lodges  we stayed at. Our local guide was excellent. 

This was our favourite lodge overall. Terrific room, great food, excellent hiking close by. The two parks that we visited near here were beautiful. We also visited a small zoo and Lemur Island and had lemurs sit on us. That was unexpected and totally awesome.

Accommodation was lovely – very convenient to the parks.

Well organised walks. Beautiful setting, extraordinary wildlife and informative guides.

The lodge is in an excellent location with good services and facilities. There is a nice swimming pool.

We were very happy with this beautiful hotel. The meal choices we were given initially were limited but improved dramatically when your itinerary was issued!

Excellent for comfort, service, meals, location and facilities!

The Vakona Forest Lodge is comfortable, with good meals and facilities. Service and location are excellent.

A brilliant place to stay!