The Anjajavy hotel is the only Relais et Châteaux hotel in Madagascar, and that alone is a great reason to be in Madagascar. You arrive at this in the middle of nowhere Indian Ocean retreat on the hotel’s private plane! The Anjajavy hotel is located in the heart of Anjajavy reserve, about 1hour 30 minutes (435 miles) by plane.

Awarded the Relais et Châteaux label at the end of 2003, this hotel built in 1999 offers high-quality services expected of a Relais et Châteaux hotel. The originality of the hotel lays in the ''Oasis'' garden, conceived by the famous Parisian landscape architect, Camille Muller, who designed it with an exceptional aesthetic flair by making use of local varieties of plants found in Madagascar.

Here, you are welcomed in a large chalet that houses the reception (with Internet access and Internet by telephone), the restaurant and the bar. As you come out of the chalet, you see the 25 bungalows it has to offer in a large lawn punctuated by palm trees, the pool, its solarium and the beach. The air-conditioned, two-storey villas have been made from local rosewood and roofed with satrana leaves. Each has a large bed, sitting area, breakfast corner, bathroom with massive bath and shower and separate W.C. There is another room upstairs with two single beds, additional storage area and a working area. There’s provision for tea/coffee, a fridge, a safe and an assortment of lighting.  With French windows opening to a large sea-facing veranda, furnished with armchairs and a hammock, you can watch the lemurs in the trees or the fishing pirogues on the ocean.

The main lodge has a comfortable lounge with bar and billiards table, the television room and the main restaurant, though meals are often taken outside, on the decked area that runs along the length of the main building. The restaurant located in the main chalet overlooks the lawn area, the pool and the sea. The tables are well set up and the cuisine, definitely very delicious. You are offered South African, French and Australian wines.

The pool has a large sun-deck with sun-beds and parasols. You may go swimming in the long sandy beach in front of the villas. Deck-chairs and shades are provided at discrete intervals. You may also practice complimentary water sports like diving, snorkeling, fishing, windsurfing, kayaking, water skiing, wake-boarding and catamaran. Land-based sports include: volleyball, table tennis, badminton, billiards. There’s provision for Mountain bikes too.

The hotel caters for big game and fly fishing. When the tide is low you can walk through the mangrove, through the forest populated by Coquerel's sifakas and a variety of bird species; to the Sakalava fishing villages of Ambondro Ampassy or Anjajavy; to the enormous baobab, or explore the numerous small coves. Don’t get scared - there are no dangerous or venomous creatures. You can observe the wildlife practically without effort. Each day, a troupe of Coquerel's sifaka comes to a tree just metre from the beach. Brown lemurs often join in. At night, experience the thrill of spotting mouse lemurs in the beam of your torch!