Best place on earth! Please end your Madagascar trip here! There are a few bungalows ON the white beach with coconut palms! Food is very good and the owner is a cool English speaking guy who like to enjoy his guests! He have his own big motorboat and is a member of the responsible whale watching group. So you do your own whale watching by Vincent!

Spent 4 nights here, and it was the best way to end my holiday in Madagascar. The bungalows are right at the beach with an amazing view. The owner Vincent or Jackson or Lina are always around and can help you with everything. They are friendly, helpful and very relax. You will have diner with Vincent and the other guests at one table which I enjoyed. If you want you can go with Vincent on a boat trip to see the whales, but you can also see the whales from your bungalow. About the facility's; - hot water - electricity from 0800 to 1000 and from 1730 to 2200 (or longer if your still having a nice conversation with Vincent) - no wifi - good food - double bed and a single bed in your bungalow I really can't find any negative things to say about this beach lodge.

We had 8 very nice nights at Sambatra. The owner (Vincent) arranged that we were picked up when we arrived with the El Condor ferry. It was a fun ride from the ferry terminal with tuk-tuk and pirogue (canoe). It was also very convenient to come to a English speaking place as we do not speak French. Sambatra is very nicely located on the island. We did not see any bungalows with a better location. A perfect place to just relax. The sea temperature was fine for both swimming and snorkelling also in July. If you want to do some excersice, it is nice to do jogging around the ile aux Nattes. Vincent has his own boat for whale excursion and we got a very memorable tour. Vincent also made a very nice atmosphere in the lodge and the gusts enjoyed the evening talking and discussing with other guests. Food was good and the whole stay was very good value for money. Vincent do also give a very good exchange rate with Euro

Exceptional place, 29 x 5/5 star review speaks for itself.... Pristine location at the western usually leeward beach of the island. Great lagoon to swim and snorkel. Sweet little charming bungalows. Valerie and Vincent are great hosts.. You come as a guest and for sure leave as a friend. If not it is You, not them. ;-) In my opinion the best value for money option on isls aux Nattes.

The coconut crab was delicious. The view is beautiful. Vincent and the staff are great!

It’s where the magic happens! Me and a group of friends arrived here after touring mainland Madagascar for several days and were very much ready for some serious chilling. Île Aux Nattes seemed like the perfect place for us to do so. I decided to pick Sambatra Beach Lodge as our base after reading all the fabulous reviews, I was reassured with my choice by the very efficient replies to my emails from Vincent who never hesitated to answer any of my questions, however silly they had been. It truly is a special place, one of those places that leaves a lasting impression on you. Sambatra is situated about 15 minutes pirogue ride away from Sainte Marie on the paradise island of Île Aux Nattes, nice and easy and the views are to die for! Once you get there, you’ll never want to leave. Vincent created something really special by making a communal dining area, so you can meet other guests during meal times and exchange your stories, it makes it feel very homely. We really enjoyed it! The bungalows are situated on the beach, literally five steps away from the magnificent Indian Ocean, they are basic, but spacious, clean and very comfortable, there are sun loungers on your porch, I could just lay there all day watching the world go by, staring at the ocean listening to the waves hit the shore, you also get some stunning sunsets there, so all in all, it makes it for a perfect relaxing spot. The food is excellent, it being a tiny island makes it pretty tough having a variety, but Emile does a great job and the flavours that he puts together are excellent, haven’t had a bad meal there and it mostly was amazing, one of my favourites being the octopus in coconut sauce with rice. So yum. There is no wifi at Sambatra and I found it a huge blessing. So lovely to just be able to chat to people without them staring at their mobile phones, please do not change it. The island itself has plenty to offer too if you’re feeling energetic, so speak to Vincent, he will recommend spots to explore. I can definitely recommend going up the hill to see the lighthouse, the view from the top is to die for and the walk through the gorgeous landscapes and the village makes it that bit more rewarding. Bring some sweets for the kiddies living in the village, you will make their day. Also, make sure you ask Florian to take you around the island on his pirogue, well worth it, the colour of the water is insane! Vincent, Jackson, Lina, Emile, Florian and the rest of the team - thank you so so much, you all made it an unforgettable trip for us all. I will for certain be back and will be bringing more friends along. Also, once again, a massive thank you for throwing me the best birthday party I could wish for, you really made my day and I felt very special. Vincent - you really created something special there, keep up the excellent work! I’m hoping to return one day.

Lovely owner and stuff! Nice beach ,clean place,good food! Everything is perfect about hotel! I completely fall in love with there. Just have to negotiate the price of boat which you have to take it as a transportation to the island. Sometimes even have to bargain more than half of price before you get on the boat.

Its really difficult to describe Sambatra with the words, its something else - its all about the people. Owners Vincent, Valerie and their affordable son Gabriel and other guests makes this place so magical. Dont forget Pep and other employees in Sambatra aswell, just wow. We had many lunches and dinners together, did snorkeling, kayaking and spend much time together in evenings with a good storyes around the bonfire. Last but not a least....bungalows right on the beach with incredible view. You can listen the waves all day long and just a relax. Bungas are quite big and bathroom was very nice also. Good decoration for island vibe. 5/5 Im coming back, see you guys and take care!

One of the most beautiful spots on the planet, hosted by Vincent & Valerie who made our stay absolutely magical. Seriously, 5/5 stars isn’t enough for this place. Do yourselves a favour and book now!

We enjoyed every minute. We will definitely come back.

+Good village nearby, beautiful place, great beach. +Food is good, but always the same. +Bungalow is simple but okay. After 3 days boring, we went to see village, interesting. People are nice. +With baby it’s safe. +possible to see whales 🐳 +the beach is cleaned from the sea grass, hard job. Stuff is a bit not experienced: - never breakfast on time, always later. - they don’t change towels if we don’t ask. If we put them to the floor, they hang them back! And it looks like they hand wash them, difficult job. -their black dog sleeps on our chaise longue outside, the mattress should be always removed. -the bed mattress is not comfortable. I think for the short time the hotel is good.

7 stars. You won't believe it until you see it. There are very few places as you travel in the world that truly capture you. Hyperbole aside, this is one of those places. The curated experience from Vincent & Valerie, plus their staff, plus the communal vibe of your fellow guests, plus the indescribable physical location of this place - you are guaranteed magic. The best place I've ever been that I can never describe to anyone who was not there.

Sambatra was the best experience from our whole trip by far. The place is great for relaxing but according to Vincent, the lodge owner, you could have a party atmosphere too..it depends on the people really, because Vincent doesn't run the place in a way like a regular hotel owner would. That is the most appealing side of this place. You could share some, all, or none of your meals with him and the rest of the guests.. It's up to you. Vincent would sit down and have lunch with you like if he's another guest, bring his laptop and play some after dinner movie.. And things like that create a great atmosphere. You'll have the opportunity to ask him many questions regarding the island and what to do or where to go. Food is really good, don't expect quite elaborated dishes though, but then again..if these sort of things concern you, then you should be looking for a different place to go. If you are looking for a very enriching experience this is your place in Île aux Nattes... But if you are expecting the sort of comfort you'll find in a resort in the Caribbean for example.. Don't go there, and I mean don't go to Île aux Nattes at all, or Sainte Marie for that matter. If you enjoy simple things, simple but really good food, and the company of very interesting people then this is a wonderful place. Be sure about the raining season before planning your trip, we had quite a lot of rain but we knew that before, so for us it was ok. I'll be posting a complete review in TripAdvisor soon.

Super cozy place by the beautiful (and often empty!!) beach with nice clean bungalows and good vibes. Met amazing people and Vincent is a truly caring host. Definitely the highlight of our trip!

Beautiful beach area and lodge. Pristine white sand, like out of a travel magazine. Huts are kept clean, and food is offered is good. Vincent is a great host and ensures his guests are having a good time. It is a bit of a hastle getting to the island so make sure you give yourself a day before and after stay. Air madagscar is known for cancelling flights and the boat arriving depends on water conditions if it will sail.

Fantastic piece of paradise. Amazing location, great bungalows, awesome staff and service, tons to do on this private, quiet little island. All the staff and amenities at Sambatra are great. See whales, coral reef, orchids, and more and you barely need to leave your bungalow!

Beautiful lodge on white sand beaches set in a mostly undiscovered part of the world. A place so magical and beautiful that ought to be shared with the world, but so special that I want to keep it to myself! A boat drop off at the doorstep of the hotel, phenomenal meals of freshly caught seafood and handmade pinacoladas from freshly picked coconuts and one of the some of the best of sunsets I’ve ever seen are only the tip of the ice berg. Everyone at the lodge is so friendly and welcoming and very well organized! Thank you Vincent, Valerie, Pepi and little Gabriel for making it a stay to be remembered 😍