There’s something about arriving by boat at a beach lodge that feels somehow more special and exotic than a road transfer could ever be, and our arrival at Antoremba certainly delivered on this count. As we motored closer, the lodge’s spectacular position revealed itself gradually – a collection of wood and thatch bungalows backed by lush rainforest and lining a stunning golden sand beach framed by 2 prominent rocky headlands and sloping gently into a gorgeously calm and azure ocean. Then, as if to welcome us to this particular piece of Paradise, a pod of dolphins cruised serenely past us just off the shore – which got the kids in our party pointing excitedly as you can imagine!

This spontaneous natural “Welcome to Antoremba” seemed complete a couple of minutes later when, whilst enjoying some refreshing drinks, we spotted a turtle surfacing just off the beach to take a breath before dipping below the surface to continue feeding on the coral reef! It’s definitely fitting that the turtle is the central motif of Antoremba’s logo and also attractively embroidered onto the bed linen. Whenever we looked up from our books or gazed out over the sea whilst at lunch, we would inevitably spot a turtle gently surfacing – so perhaps if you’re really lucky enough, you may even be staying at the lodge when one of them comes out to lay their eggs on the beach!

Talking of the beach, it’s definitely one of the stars of the show here – a cozy feeling 150 metre long stretch of sand that’s bookended in beautiful fashion by 2 rocky headlands. You really do get that glorious feeling of almost complete isolation here, with just the odd fishing boat passing by to remind you that you’re not completely cut off from civilization. You reach Antoremba by way of a 25 minute boat journey south from Nosy Be to this isolated peninsula that’s actually part of the Madagascan mainland – but the irony is that it feels far more “island-ey” than the much busier Nosy Be ever does!

Other beach resorts often boast about their rooms being in a “beachfront” position, but Antoremba is one of the very few where this is genuinely true – you literally stumble out of your room straight onto the lovely soft golden sand of the beach! There are just 6 rooms here at Antoremba housed in pairs in 3 semi-detached wood and thatch bungalows – they’re quite simple but somehow just feel “right” in their surroundings. We loved their sense of airiness and space as well as the gorgeous wooden floors and clever hand-crafted adjustable wooden shutters (which allow the cooling breezes in perfectly) Air-conditioning is obviously not on the menu here, but a welcome on-shore breeze comes up consistently every afternoon to keep things comfortable. A couple of the bungalows have inter-leading doors which make them perfect for families with kids.

We had just come off a catamaran cruise when we stayed at Antoremba and so were very happy just to relax and chill out in the lodge’s wonderfully peaceful surroundings. Each of the rooms have their own dedicated beach loungers arranged a few lazy steps away from your deck under some lovely shady trees – they’re definitely some of the nicest and most comfortable loungers we’ve come across in our travels, and we happily whiled away many hours reading books and just generally lazing about. The beach here is perfect for swimming and the kids especially will love splashing about as the water is wonderfully calm and it shelves very gently underfoot. Unfortunately the water visibility wasn’t great during our stay but the coral reef just offshore had some lovely formations as you went deeper (although the fish life wasn’t nearly as prolific as protected areas like Nosy Tanikely and Ankazoberavina) With better visibility than we had we’re pretty sure you’d end up spotting some of the reef’s resident turtles.

But whilst Antoremba is perfect for peace and tranquility, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing on offer for more active guests -in fact, the lodge offers a range of great excursions in the area. Probably the biggest “must-do” is going snorkelling at Nosy Tanikely, a tiny island visible across the bay, which boasts superb coral formations and a profusion of colourful tropical fish – the highlight for us though was being able to swim alongside numerous turtles that were quite happy to glide slowly beside us even whilst being pursued by a gang of hugely excited kids! Then there’s the excursion to the nearby island of Nosy Komba, where you can experience cute lemurs eating bananas whilst perched on your shoulders before getting down to some serious souvenir shopping at the village market. Further afield you can be canoed up the Sambirano river and discover stunningly beautiful waterfalls! The Nosy Be archipelago is justifiably famous for offering seriously good deep sea fishing and this can also be arranged by the lodge.

Back at the lodge you can relax in the warm hospitality of Christine and Philippe, the lovely French owners of Antoremba – whilst their English is fairly limited (a lot better than our French though it must be said!) we always managed to understand each other and their welcoming attitude just reinforces our long-held preference for owner-managed lodges. One thing that is really outstanding about Antoremba is the quality of the food (although breakfast is a simple continental affair typical of many French-owned Madagascan lodges) Lunches and dinners though were exceptional! Whilst delicious fresh seafood is pretty much a given at most lodges here, the chef at Antoremba consistently conjured up 3 course meals full of imaginative and beautifully prepared courses that were an absolute treat. No wonder so many of the guests rave about the food here! And don’t forget to sample some of the homemade vanilla rum – powerful stuff and not for the faint-hearted, but quite delicious!