Madagascar

[Neddy69]

I flew and it's definitely not cheap. Most days it's about $200 each way. Madagascar Airlines has had reliability issues for a lot of people. But in 6 flights I've had with them in the last year or so they've been on time and fine for me. I haven't tried the road yet but it sounds like pure hell. At my age north of 60 I try to be nice to my old carcass. Plus on this trip I had spent the week in Tana getting over a bug I picked up in Kenya. So I was even less inclined for an 'extreme adventure. ' One thing I might try in the future is a stop in the national park that's about midway through the trip. That might break it up enough to. Make it palatable.

Well mate. No place for pussies. I'm 62. I just did a trip on RN4. Just 14 hours. The secret is. Choose the most expensive road transport available. I. e. SOATRANS or COTISSE VIP. I fly only distances in excess of 650 km. No more than 14 hours not in the night. Tana-Tamatave should be around 14 hours by road. If you book early enough I paid 85 € flying from Sambava to Tana. And arrive with a lot of time. I live in Madagascar and I have a residence permit. So I have all the time of the world. The rest is down to luck. Even in the dry season now there can be bailey bridges be put out of commission. The Malgache authorities are actually smart. They always have some Bailey bridges ready to be deployed. Mostly it's overloaded trucks. The last one slipped sideways and damaged the bridge. The advantage is that they replace bridges here in a very short period of time. After every rainy season there's several bridges swept away.

La Buse.

[Neddy69]

Mahku: thanks for the update. I have been wondering how Tamatave fared after the cyclone and not one person has been since, or at least not mentioned it. I am planning on going in the fall and it's good to see some of the places I know survived and have even (maybe?) thrived.

Did you fly or drive? I have never flown but the road has gotten so bad and the number of hours so tedious that I may for the first time and damn the cost. Maybe once the new road opens, whenever that may be.

You talk about the "highway"? At that rate of construction? Maybe 10 years. You use the good old RN 2 which has greatly deteriorated. Exactly the reason I don't bother going to Tamatave right now. Maybe in October until the worst damage is repaired. Where I'm now it's bliss. I'm on the other side of the island. All is there. Power water girls good restaurants and no desperation.

La Buse.

[Mahku]

Mahku: thanks for the update. I have been wondering how Tamatave fared after the cyclone and not one person has been since, or at least not mentioned it. I am planning on going in the fall and it's good to see some of the places I know survived and have even (maybe?) thrived.

Did you fly or drive? I have never flown but the road has gotten so bad and the number of hours so tedious that I may for the first time and damn the cost. Maybe once the new road opens, whenever that may be.

I flew and it's definitely not cheap. Most days it's about $200 each way. Madagascar Airlines has had reliability issues for a lot of people. But in 6 flights I've had with them in the last year or so they've been on time and fine for me. I haven't tried the road yet but it sounds like pure hell. At my age north of 60 I try to be nice to my old carcass. Plus on this trip I had spent the week in Tana getting over a bug I picked up in Kenya. So I was even less inclined for an 'extreme adventure. ' One thing I might try in the future is a stop in the national park that's about midway through the trip. That might break it up enough to. Make it palatable.

[Paris2025]

Assume you are a renegade from Pattaya, first time to Mada?

Please read about the character of the Malgache. You will learn that girls are extremely jealous. Yes, they sleep with you for money. But their core motive is to chase you as a long therm companion. For them, allowing your dick in another pussy is a big no no.

Yes, you may find among the druggies, drinkers, the ones with 3 babies from 4 different fathers some who don't mind to participate in gangbangs. But those are the loud princesses on the road. If that is your preference: take them and you may be ashamed to bring them into any decent hotel.

Treat the girl as your copine. One by one, not in a group, and she will give you pleasure you hardly can find anywhere. If you treat them as 2 or 3 pieces of meat, you will go back to Paris asking what its so special about Mada.

Thank you for the advice!

Yes, you've got me right — I'm a newbie here. I'm used to Pattaya and I'm looking to change the menu a bit, so this will be my first time in Madagascar!

I already suspected the jealousy thing with the girls, I've read about it on the forum. Finding two girls for a real duo where they're both genuinely into it is never easy. I definitely won't start with a hot threesome, but hey. You never know.

I've been reading the forum for a few weeks to prepare my trip, so all advice is very welcome. Thanks in advance!

What do you think about sarimanok?

[SouthEaster]

Mahku: thanks for the update. I have been wondering how Tamatave fared after the cyclone and not one person has been since, or at least not mentioned it. I am planning on going in the fall and it's good to see some of the places I know survived and have even (maybe?) thrived.

Did you fly or drive? I have never flown but the road has gotten so bad and the number of hours so tedious that I may for the first time and damn the cost. Maybe once the new road opens, whenever that may be.

[Tinte]

The reasons behind our travels are well known and well documented; on the side, some of us are more or less fascinated by the other dark side of the local people, culture and background.

That's why I've been following 'Madagascar Expat Lifestyle' on Facebook for years; recently, there was another gem of cultural peculiarity to be found there.

According to the post, a thief was recently publicly burnt alive by a mob in Mahajanga.

Isn't that the very place I wanted to visit – and which some in the group have already visited? – LOL.

[Mahku]

Just spent a week in Tamatave (Toamasina). Cyclone damage is still evident. But life is going on. I stayed at the Marina Beach Hotel and Calypso Hotel. Marina Beach faces the water so it was hit pretty hard. The top floor its still being repaired and the elevator doesn't work. So if you don't want to walk up and down two or three floors all the time be warned. Also, they don't have a generator so they are subject to the numerous power outages. They'll give you candles. Luckily this time of year isn't too hot so the lack of aircon won't be felt too much. The restaurant here is just ok and the pool is adequately clean and swimmable. I had no problem bringing a girl back here, although it was always the same girl. So I don't know how it would be bringing back a different one or multiple ones at the same time. For my immediately nearby dining and drinking needs I went to the next door Ocean 501. It's run by a friendly French guy and has a good vibe. When Marina Beach gets its ocean front cafe up and running it might get more socially vibrant.

Calypso seemed to have minimal damage from the cyclone. Everything is working and they have a generator. The restaurant is good although this place doesn't have a jumping night scene. There is an indoor pool and a pretty good gym. I brought two different girls here (not at the same time) and had no problem. It's walking distance to the nightlife places in town. But there are some dark stretches at night that will probably want to make you take a tuk tuk.

La Terrasse (and the attached El Marco) is a good place for meals and evening drinks. There are plenty of ladies around offering company and some of them are decent quality. The French owners are friendly and constantly going around greeting customers and making sure everyone is doing ok. I went to Taxi Be with girls that I had already met by other means. But on weekends especially it's chock full of girls of all kinds. There's another place on the way back to Calypso. It's shown as Panama Club on the maps but when I was there it was calling itself Shelly something or other. It's got a gas station across from the front and is across the street from the sports arena on another side. This place has a big dance floor but the girl scene here is a bit sleezier and less quality than La Terrasse to my taste. There's another bar called Sarky's next to this that looks like it might have something going on.

I did use Tinder here and it worked just fine for me. Yeah, you can Bonjour and Ça va your way around town and get plenty of play. Especially in the big market area or at the Miami Beach complex of restaurants at the seaside. But Tinder worked well enough for me, and I'm quite picky.

Tamatave is really quite a good destination. The beach is pretty good although caution is advised when swimming because there are some currents and rips. Due to the complications of getting here and the news of storm damage it's very undervisited by outsiders. And the town is full of lovelies of all shapes and sizes and you can find one for any level of relationship seriousness. In the future I want to come back and explore up and down the coast to maybe Fenerive and / or Ile Sainte Marie.

[Amadeuss]

Hey guys,


Is it easy to bring two girls (adults) at the same time, no extra charge, and relatively discreet?

Thanks for any real feedback, mongers.

Assume you are a renegade from Pattaya, first time to Mada?

Please read about the character of the Malgache. You will learn that girls are extremely jealous. Yes, they sleep with you for money. But their core motive is to chase you as a long therm companion. For them, allowing your dick in another pussy is a big no no.

Yes, you may find among the druggies, drinkers, the ones with 3 babies from 4 different fathers some who don't mind to participate in gangbangs. But those are the loud princesses on the road. If that is your preference: take them and you may be ashamed to bring them into any decent hotel.

Treat the girl as your copine. One by one, not in a group, and she will give you pleasure you hardly can find anywhere. If you treat them as 2 or 3 pieces of meat, you will go back to Paris asking what its so special about Mada.

[Paris2025]

Hey guys,

Planning a trip to Nosy Be and looking at Hôtel Sarimanok (Ambatoloaka) — beach hotel + residences (Maison du Baobab, Case Créole, Villa).

Anyone stayed there recently? Especially in the studios?

Differences between the locations (beach side vs residences) for privacy?

Do the studios have a discreet / separate entrance so you can come and go without passing all the other guests?

Is it easy to bring two girls (adults) at the same time, no extra charge, and relatively discreet?

Thanks for any real feedback, mongers.

[Paris2025]

Hello everyone,

I'm planning a trip to Nosy Be and I'm seriously considering the Htel Sarimanok and its different accommodation options (Beach Hotel, Maison du Baobab, Case Crole and the Villa).

I would love to get honest and recent feedback from people who have actually stayed there:

What are the main differences between the sites (Beach, Baobab, Case Crole, Villa) in terms of calm, privacy, and convenience?

Has anyone stayed in the studios (especially at Maison du Baobab or Case Crole)?

Regarding access: Do the studios have a relatively discreet and independent entrance? Is it possible to come and go (for example with guests) without crossing all the other hotel clients?

Also, is it possible to bring two adult female guests at the same time without any extra charge, and in a relatively discreet way?

I'm looking for a relaxed stay with good independence and privacy.

Thank you in advance for your honest answers!

Photos or details about the layout would be very helpful.

[Amadeuss]

I take a one-week Tinder subscription and I get a lot of contact. Watch out for the filters on the photos LOL.

You been ever to Mada? I doubt.

Tinder useless. If you look for a girl in the province like Diego, Sambava, Tamatav. There are other websites where willing girls can be found. But in Tana you walk along the road, greet them friendly with a "Bonjour. Ca va" and you are game.

[ArnoldNe]

I take a one-week Tinder subscription and I get a lot of contact. Watch out for the filters on the photos LOL.

I usually avoid apps, these days stupid apps like Badoo and Grab are asking for facial verification, which I think is unnecessarily invasive.

Not to mention the scammers that you get on such apps and the headache to deal with them when come over to your hotel (photo does not match the girl, age of the girl mentioned on app is 21 but a 50 year old woman walks in and asks for transportation because she has taken the effort to travel).

I am old school and prefer the face to face approach you get what you see.

[Yapana974]

Wow it feels like the thread has gone too silent for too long, hope everything is ok and good for our Mada visitors and expats alike.

I read many pages of this forum (on 37 now), read the interesting pdf from Dars Veider(very detailed, kudos).

Just one thing that is missing clarity for me is the timing of action (for finding girls), I am aware of the interactions with local and inviting them over etc. But I am trying to gauge the best timings for meeting streetwalkers, going to Taxi Be and such places.

On some posts / reviews / the pdf people have given strong warnings about staying late out after dark, other data suggests streetwalkers come out after dark, and someone has suggested that Taxi be is open till 2 am. So if lets say I don't come across a civie where it clicks between us, what is the ideal time to go out looking for the pros / freelancers (6-8 pm and return back to hotel anyhow by 9 pm?

I am also trying the fb approach since last week and while some girls have accepted friend requests etc, there is no concrete reply from anybody and this process is now edging into boredom for me.

I take a one-week Tinder subscription and I get a lot of contact. Watch out for the filters on the photos LOL.

[ArnoldNe]

Wow it feels like the thread has gone too silent for too long, hope everything is ok and good for our Mada visitors and expats alike.

I read many pages of this forum (on 37 now), read the interesting pdf from Dars Veider(very detailed, kudos).

Just one thing that is missing clarity for me is the timing of action (for finding girls), I am aware of the interactions with local and inviting them over etc. But I am trying to gauge the best timings for meeting streetwalkers, going to Taxi Be and such places.

On some posts / reviews / the pdf people have given strong warnings about staying late out after dark, other data suggests streetwalkers come out after dark, and someone has suggested that Taxi be is open till 2 am. So if lets say I don't come across a civie where it clicks between us, what is the ideal time to go out looking for the pros / freelancers (6-8 pm and return back to hotel anyhow by 9 pm?

I am also trying the fb approach since last week and while some girls have accepted friend requests etc, there is no concrete reply from anybody and this process is now edging into boredom for me.

[HHWizard]

1.

You don't need a contact upon arrival.

Since it was my first time, immigration asked mme for hotel booking. I didn't have one.

They then asked me if I'm here to visit a friend. I said yes, here is his number.

They have called my friend (malgache) right in front of me, he confirmed that he is the one sorting out my accommodation.

That's when they let me pass..

I am just here as a tourist with my wife. I have a return ticket, but that fact was checked both in London and here. The landing card requires you to give a local contact and to say where you are staying. I plan to come back later on my own.