This post is part of a 10 day trip with Remote River Expeditions.
Chez Maggie
Chez Maggie an upscale backpacker resort located along the beach at the tourist end of town has a pleasant garden setting and a pool.
The compound’s hacienda-style buildings have high ceilings but are a bit shabby inside and rooms are missing some basic amenities such as shampoo, a hair dryer and a safe.
The air-conditioning wasn’t working and although there are fans in the room, the electricity goes off between 3:00 and 6:00AM. With no air movement at this hour (windows are kept closed for security) it is way too hot in the room to sleep comfortably. Wifi is available only in the common areas.
The shower was fine with plenty of hot water. A note in the room explains that they run a special pump in the mornings and evenings to regulate the water pressure. Outside of these hours they can’t guarantee the water pressure provided by the city will be adequate.
Meals
Meals are served in an open-air dining room.
They have a broad selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings, but it’s hit or miss as to the quality of the preparation. We liked the salads. The jardinière included plenty of vegies – grated carrot, sliced cucumber, tomato, etc. The fruits de mer had crab, smoked fish and shrimp.
Other starters included the smoked fish plate – a generous portion of good quality fish – and the gazpacho – a beef broth preparation that was elegantly presented with a plate of toppings to be added table side but unfortunately lacking flavor.
The omelet was also nicely presented but over cooked and rubbery. For mains we found the seafood pasta tasty but the grilled fish was over cooked and served with soggy roasted potatoes.
The continental breakfast included in our package had the nicest baguette we’ve had in Madagascar, butter, jam, fresh fruit, juice and coffee. The fried eggs, an extra charge, were well done.
Gary Lemur, an American, who runs Chez Maggie as well as Remote River Expeditions did us and some other guests a big favor by organizing a charter flight back to Tana after Air Madagascar suddenly canceled our flight. See the following post for details.
September 29, 2016
For links to all the posts in this series see the Madagascar page.
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