Isalo Rock Lodge

Really very beautifully landscaped. Nice pool where you can relax and take a dip after a day of hot day in the park. The tent rooms and showers very nicely done. There’s hot water for a nice shower after hiking. Food was excellent, but menu somewhat limited. If you don’t have your own transportation, it’s impractical really to eat anywhere else. I saw another lodger pay with credit card! Very, very nice if you’re short on cash. You can pay for the room and meals with EURs but expect an unfavorable exchange rate compared to the ATM. I came by taxi-brousse. Call or text the reception to pick you up at the entrance, otherwise it’s a long walk (especially in the dark!) to the lodge. If you’re not with your own vehicle, consider the disadvantages/costs of staying far outside of town, Ranohira. To get a seat on a taxi-brousse to the hotel (e.g. from Ihosy), you probably have to catch one on its way to Toliara/Tuléar, and so you may have to pay full fare for the entire destination even if you’re getting off much earlier. Second, to pay for Isalo park entrance fee at the park’s “MNP”office, to enter the park, and return back to the lodge, you’d likely have to hire a driver from the hotel, which adds up to 200 000 Aviary's. To catch a taxi-brousse upon departure, again you need to pay for a driver to bring you to Ranohira in the early morning or else you could pray to the gods, wait and hope for an empty seat on a passing brousse. Reception was a bit strangely aloof, but professional.

We stayed here mid october for 2 nights but we wished we could have stayed longer. The Lodge is perfectly located close to the parc and with a magnificent view of the beautiful landscape of this region. All the staff is great and helpful and always smiling and willing to help. The lodge comprises a main building with a reception, a restaurant and a great bar with an adjacent swimming pool. On the other side of the swimming pool there are 2 or 3 rows of rooms. Our room was beautiful and spacious and had a large terrace with a magnificent view. The bedroom is large and next to the bedroom is a large open bathroom with whirlpool and a separate shower. The toilet is a separate room which is great. In the restaurant you can have breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is served at the table and we liked the breakfast. Dinner is a menu where you can choose from. You have 2 or 3 choices for each course and also this was of a great quality. Lunch you can have also at the bar and you can choose from a large menu. The bar is nice with a lot of choices, they have a lot of cocktails and they make these cocktails with great diligence (and time), unfortunately there was no blue curacao (this was a disappointment for us). We also had a massage and this was really great and we can recommend this highly. One warning don't be prudish because you have to take off all your clothes, we didn't mind but if you do be prepared. At the end of the hotel there is a stairs up a rock and from the top you have one of the best sunsets you can get. We had here a sunset drink and this was really great and well organised (thanks to the staff).

This is a beautiful hotel situated in a great location, with picturesque views of the surrounding landscape. All the rooms have great views of the rock formations to the east, providing excellent sunset photo ops via sliding glass walls. The rooms are very spacious, and the bath area is impressive- a nice rain forest shower head (plus handheld spray), complement a very big, concrete soaking tub. The architecture for the lodge is modern, with lots of exposed concrete, accented with wood touches. The rooms have A/C, and it was able to maintain a comfortable temp even during the hottest part of the day. At night the temp drops, so the supplied duvet is appropriate. There is adequate storage for large suitcases, and suitable clothes hanging area, plus open shelves and a small safe. The room has a mini fridge is stocked with soda, water and beer, for a fee. I used it to hold a few bottles of soda we had acquired earlier. Breakfast was limited but good- breads (including Danish or pain au chocolate), a small bowl of fresh fruit, a choice of two fruit juices, yogurt, and, if desired eggs (scrambled, omelet, etc.) Unfortunately, lunch and dinner were disappointing. On our first day my wife’s chicken brochette pieces were dramatically undercooked, so they had to be sent back, Even the kitchen’s second try was disappointing. My dinner main course was described as a pasta carbonara, but instead of bacon the kitchen substituted ham cubes, and there was almost no sauce. Because of these and related food service issues, our guide changed our plan from full board to half board (room and breakfast only) and enjoyed lunch at two nearby French hotels with associated restaurants for the remaining 4 days.