Internal flights are hard to avoid in Madagascar as it’s the fourth largest island in the world and although we tried to minimise them, we had to overnight in the capital twice. Rather than face the horrendous traffic into town, on both occasions we stayed twice at a hotel near the airport, the “Relais des Plateaux”:http://www.relais-des-plateaux.com/en. The 46 rooms were in small blocks around the central area which housed reception, restaurant, spa, outdoor swimming pool and terrace.
Our first room (44) was large with tiled floor, wardrobe and safe, tea and coffee making facilities, complimentary water, mini bar, two easy chairs, coffee table and a huge open fire place in the corner. The double bed was very comfortable and there were bedside tables and lights. The bathroom had double sinks, hairdryer that could be plugged in near a mirror, good shower with plenty of hot water and separate loo – all in a grey theme with matching towels. There were plenty of plug points and as the mini bar had a British three pin affair, we unplugged it so that we could charge another item.
The second time we stayed in room 12, which was not quite as large and had no open fire. It was not as user friendly with the major downside being the size of the loo, which involved shimmying round the door as it was so small compared to the spacious bathroom with double sinks and large shower.
The restaurant was open from 6.30pm to 9.30pm: the first time we arrived as it opened and the second, just before it closed due to a delayed flight. The menu was not as international as I’d had hoped but there were some vegetarian dishes. Gin and tonics came with two glasses of ice: one plain and one with lemons embedded in the cubes. There was only one bottle of white wine on offer, but it was only reasonably priced at 55,000 Ariary Ariary or £12.20. A complimentary goats’ cheese bruschetta was served and a basket of rolls.
Breakfast was served from 6am to 10am and comprised of a buffet with juices, yoghurt, cereals, meats and cheeses, breads, pastries and cakes. Hot items were available, and eggs could be ordered.
Complimentary, and extremely fast WiFi was available. Unfortunately, the good signal didn’t extend to the restaurant’s credit card machine and we had to pay at reception.
