Situated: Pangalanes Canals - Ankanin'ny Nofy (Lake Ampitabe)
Owned: French
Managed: Malagasy
Opened: 2004
Rooms:13
Capacity: 39
Restaurant: Seating 30
Food: Malagasy/ French
Languages: English, French, Malagasy
Accessibility: Fly to Tamatave and transfer by boat or drive to Manambato and transfer by boat.
Bonus:Lemurs
Kids:Absolutely, the lake and lemurs will keep them happy.
Activities:Lake, beach, cultural, private reserve.
Average Price Per Person Per Night:
THB 65CL 5 000 Ar
THB 33CL 3 000 Ar
GIN TONIC 5 000 Ar
TONIC 2 500 Ar
THB = Three Horse Beer, a popular standard. Ar = Ariary, the local currency.

Our Opinion:This is one of the best kept secrets of Madagascar. On the shores of Lake Ampitabe The Palmarium is an incredibly well run bungalow hotel. Each bungalow has a veranda and  hammocks and a lake view. Only accessible by boat from either Manambato or Tamatave the peace and tranquillity is hard to find elsewhere. The staff go out of their way to make your stay pleasant and two nights here is perhaps not enough. 

There are lemurs that visit the hotel regularly and whilst not entirely tame add a wonderful experience to the visitor. A walk in the national park (on your doorstep) rewarded us with no less than 9 lemur species (Indri, sifakas, common brown, black, red, sleeping, bamboo, crowned and black and white ruffed), leguane, and a large variety of plants and trees.

To incorporate with: La Pirogue, La Petite Traversée, Vakona Lodge.
Last visited by MadagasCaT:July 2009.