My Bucket List Trip to Miavana, A Private Island in Madagascar
Read Julia’s recent article, A Luxury Travel Guide to Madagascar that was featured in a Forbes article.
Click here to read the blog post.
Hello Craft Travelers! My family and I recently returned from the most unforgettable stay at Miavana Time+Tide, an ultra-luxe private island resort off the coast of Madagascar. You may have already seen our Instagram review of the property. Miavana had been the number one destination on my personal bucket list for years. So did it live up to the hype?
Miavana is not easy to get to (more on that in a bit). It is accessible only by helicopter, with your journey starting in mainland Madagascar. But as someone who's been on quite a few helis, I can honestly say that nothing compares to the in-flight experience en route to Miavana. The beautiful scenery of Madagascar will wow you as it shifts from forest to mountains to beach. The vastness of it all - with so few people in sight - is breathtaking.
With only 14 villas, Miavana is one of the smallest of the world's top private island resorts, giving it an extra air of exclusivity. Getting to enjoy this piece of paradise with only you and your loved ones is to me the ultimate luxury. Miavana is never going to feel busy or crowded, even when at full occupancy.
The beachfront villas, varying in size from 1 to 3 bedrooms and each with its own private pool, are both enormous yet cozy, making it difficult to ever want to leave. But all of Miavana is designed to chic perfection, so you'll definitely want to explore every single corner. It’s important to note that from January to March, the nighttime temperatures don’t cool down too much, meaning that even with the cooling systems the property has installed around the beds it can still feel quite warm and humid. They are working on a more extensive air conditioning system but in the meantime for anyone who is sensitive to heat, I’d recommend visiting from April through November or December.
There are other private islands that are equally luxurious, but what makes Miavana so unique is the adventure of it all. Other than heli excursions, which are available at an extra cost. Every single activity is included and offered on demand from boat trips to diving, and fishing, from quad biking to kite surfing lessons, the options are almost endless.
And of course, you wouldn't want to visit Madagascar without seeing lemurs, Miavana has its own population on site, meaning guests can track lemurs whenever they'd like. We did this several times and it was incredible to have the luxury of total privacy with this highly rare species. We’ve had highly enthusiastic naturalist clients visit Miavana and spend nearly all day with the lemurs.
When you consider what the cost of Miavana (with 2024 and 2025 rates at $4,000 per person per night inclusive of the mandatory conservation fee) actually includes, it begins to feel like quite a compelling value. And something else to consider: children 13 and under go free, paying only the conservation fee, and teens 14-17 go at half price. So for families, the value is even more notable, particularly when you consider that provided the parents are not planning on leaving the island for heli excursions, babysitting is complimentary.
Miavana is just as perfect for honeymooners as it is for families. Our exceptional private butler, Nadia, doubled as a doting babysitter to our girls, giving them the most memorable experiences and the chance for mom and dad to get some romantic moments in.
The unbelievable service at Miavana meant every day was filled with five-star food and wine, fully curated to our personal tastes. One of our favorite meals was a family style curry dinner mixing Malagasy and Cape Malay (the chef is South African) flavors. I ate fresh rock lobster almost every day and it was mouth-watering.
Logistics are an important consideration for Miavana. If you can’t fly private, the best routing is via Nosy Be, typically using Ethiopian Airlines, which pleasantly surprised us on our way home. On our way in, we had flown via Kenya Airways from Nairobi into Antananarivo, or “Tana”, the Malagasy capital. Our initial plan had been to take the domestic airline from Tana to Diego Suarez, the other airport along with Nosy Be from which Miavana’s helis operate. However, after a cancellation with the Nairobi flight followed by a cancellation of the domestic airline, we risked losing two nights of our trip and ultimately decided to book a private charter. While it’s not cheap, it’s certainly a more reasonably priced private flight than you’d find elsewhere in the world (even in other parts of Africa) and with a trip of a lifetime like this one, a small price to pay to ensure the smoothest logistics possible. One thing I learned from this trip is that for our clients I will never again book the domestic airline (I go into this a bit further in my blog post on travel throughout Madagascar) and for anyone traveling to Madagascar you must be aware of the logistical challenges. But part of what makes Miavana so special is how remote and untouched it is. It's hard to reach but with the long journey comes the biggest reward.
So, did it live up to my very high expectations? Yes! Never in my travels have I experienced something that felt so much like paradise, nor something so exclusive yet unpretentious. Are there fancier private islands with more modern amenities and restaurant options? Yes, but if you are looking for a barefoot escape where you will never be bored (and perhaps more importantly, never spend an extra penny for anything), feel as if you have paradise all to yourself and want to support regenerative, low-impact travel where you are making a positive contribution to sustainability efforts, Miavana will not disappoint. Our clients - even our most demanding ones - who visit Miavana always depart planning their return to the island. Our family now falls into this group and cannot wait to go back!
For more practical tips on planning your luxury trip to Madagascar, please refer to our other blog post.
