Princesse Bora Lodge & Spa

This resort is quite an oasis, I had such a great two week holiday here and thoroughly recommend it. The resort is well kept, has a great pool, restaurant & bar with views of the beach, and an onsite shop. There is a fabulous onsite spa with a varied spa menu, skilled staff and excellent fragrant products made on the premises. There is also an onsite dive centre, where you can learn to dive, and who organise all aquatic trips. The onsite restaurant served excellent food, some of which they grow themselves and the bar/restaurant staff were friendly and attentive. There is a jetty out into the water, where you can sit and have a drink before heading to the beachside bar/restaurant, with tables inside or on the sand. The bar/restaurant vibe is relaxed and several nights there was great local live music in the bar/restaurant. I stayed in a family bungalow, which was large with a very comfortable bed, tastefully furnished, serviced daily by the lovely housekeeping ladies and spotless. It was a thirty second stroll to the beach and I could hear the waves at night. During the day there is plenty to do and I took a trip most days - you can snorkel on the beach in front of the resort, take a car trip with the resort drivers, take a boat trip with the resort boats or catch the local transport into the town. I took boat trips to the nearby very beautiful Isle Au Nattes (dont miss it) and to the sand islands off the coast in the Indian Ocean for snorkelling (dont miss it), took car trips to locations around the island (a couple of great places are owned by the resort), and took local transport into the town for shopping and restaurants. I felt safe the whole time and did not see any bad incidents during my time there - the locals were friendly and polite. Bring lots of sun protection (it's hard to buy locally) and bring lots of insect protection (I didn't need it at the resort, but I did on trips). The resort staff in all departments were excellent and when I had a medical issue, the staff recognised my need and the director of the island's hospital appeared out of nowhere, sorted me out and contacted me every day until I was better. There was a very visible and delightful customer liaison officer at the resort, who was constantly checking that things were going well for guests and addressing any guest queries/concerns. Special mention goes to the Resort Manager, Monsieur Francois, a super chilled, friendly and professional individual, for whom nothing was too much trouble, who attended to all issues/feedback immediately and who was everywhere, keeping the resort running to a high standard. Thank you all.

a highlight of my two weeks in madagascar. great staff that checked me in and accomadated my special requests to make my check in easier. i thought the room was great (the middle tier one), which is like a self contained villa, with easy access to the beach and restaurant. the dining bar area was great and well designed. food and service overall was good. the iced teas deserve special mention for presentation and taste. must have had 10 of them. the beach was beautiful. the pier is awesome , great for sunset and a drink walkable from airport overall i thought a good value. room includes dinner and breakfast. which i spent more time there to chill. thanks!!

Princess Bora has all the bases to be a luxury resort but it lacks the attention to details and a proper maintenance (beach area was terribly old and dirty). The only really good service is the Spa (only reason for the 2/5 score), well kept and with lovely staff. Other than that it doesn’t deserve more than 1 star. The first day one of the bedrooms was given to us with dirty towels left from the previous guests…after apologies and new towels we were all set hoping it was only a silly mistake. We were so wrong. Locker batteries died in most of the bedrooms and were eventually replaced only the day before our departure even though we had asked many times before. Lunch service is just terribile in every way, the second day we had to wait for more than 1 hour with waiters laughing at us when we asked what was happening. Once again some cold apologies after an upset talk with the “directors”. Third lunch, always long waiting time, a plate comes with a hair in it. The waitress takes it (the hair not the plate), doesn’t even say “I am sorry”, and goes to the director who sees it and leaves the restaurant without saying anything. Not a single apologie or the option of remaking the dish, just terrifying. Table tennis and beach volley were services that the hotel should have offered but where unavailable for no apparent reason. Staff was after all available with some exceptions but really slow in every way possible (be ready to wait even for a bottle of water). One last world goes to the “directors” whom we wouldn’t have realized worked there if they hadn’t shown us the property the day of our arrival. Not a single time they came to ask how it was going (perhaps to most table they did maybe they just didn’t like us?) and the last day after all of the problems we had they didn’t even say goodbye or apologize. Bill was paid (even the plate with the hair in it…) in full and off we went to the airport. Princess Bora was such a big disappointment even though Saint Marie is such a beautiful island.

We spent two weeks in this wonderful resort, in a fantastic location on a very beautiful island. Hospitality, staff, rooms, restaurant, all of a very high standard. Despite the unfavorable season (in Madagascar it is winter and rainy in July, but it's the right time for whale watching), we were able to enjoy everything the resort offers, including excellent diving with which we made beautiful dives and whale watching forays, always in total safety and lots of good humor. Really highly recommended!

Service from people like Francois, Marlowe and Herman was outstanding. The rooms were wonderfull and the setting beautiful. Absolutely worthwhile

My wife and I spent a wonderful week in this slice of heaven on Ile Sainte Marie in Madagascar!! Excellent facilities and service. We can't wait to go back!!

Very nice, no pb, personal kindly

we had great time stayed in the hotel, staffs, foods were all excellent!! the birthday cake surprise was blowing my mind, even thought it was my gf who told the hotel to organized which was not. Thanks again to the all staffs, really enjoyed and appreciated. Recommended!!!!!