Babaomby Island Lodge

A stay at Babaomby is not cheap, but the lodge offers full board (excluding alcohol), so once you're there, you're worry-free. You certainly wouldn't want to miss the meals. Plentiful and delicious, they're served at a long table in the central area. Breakfasts include freshly baked pastries, lunches and dinners focus largely on local fish, but vegetarians are catered for. The beer is deliciously cold. There's a small library, but no mobile or wi-fi connection.

Accommodation is in eight thatched permanent tents on platforms, with very comfortable beds (the pillows were some of the best on offer at Madagascar's lodges). The showers and toilets, which are shared, are spotless. All the rooms face the sea.

Kitesurfers and windsurfers, amateur and expert, flock here to attend the kitesurfing school and take advantage of the winds and the perfect waves. Take a boat ride to see the islands in the lagoon. Snorkel on the reef. Have a massage, play petanque, or settle back on the beach with a book from the library. At night, relax after dinner with a cold beer and watch the moon glint on the water.