Princesse Bora Lodge & Spa
Île Sainte-Marie, Madagascar
Location
On the old pirate island of Sainte-Marie
Princesse Bora sits on Sainte-Marie, a former pirate island off Madagascar's east coast, along a palm grove and a long white beach.
Transfer
A short flight, then an ox-cart
A short flight to Sainte-Marie, then an ox-cart along the sand — part of the island's gentle character. International flights route via Antananarivo.
Villas
Twenty beachfront villas
Twenty villas in three styles — simple fan-cooled Charme bungalows, air-conditioned octagonal Luxe villas with a mezzanine, and the largest glass-fronted Executive Beach villas.
Best For
Who it suits
Couples and nature travellers drawn by the whales and the quiet — a barefoot, intimate eco-lodge on a pirate island, sold on the wildlife, not the trimmings.
Board Basis
Bed & breakfast or half-board
A bed-and-breakfast or half-board base, with honeymoon packages, around beachside Malagasy, Creole and French dining.
Overview
The whale-watching island
Princesse Bora is built around one of the Indian Ocean's great wildlife seasons: from June to October, humpback whales gather off Sainte-Marie, the old pirate island off Madagascar's east coast, and the lodge hosts the CetaMada whale-research base on site — a genuine, rare hero experience. The rest of the year it is a barefoot eco-lodge of twenty villas along a palm-fringed beach, with a 25-metre infinity pool, a Jungle Spa, and diving and kitesurfing off the sand. The villas range from simple, fan-cooled Charme bungalows to air-conditioned octagonal Luxe villas with a mezzanine and glass-fronted Executive Beach villas with stone soaking tubs, so there is a step up in comfort to choose from. Dining is beachside — Malagasy, Creole and French, fresh seafood and an open grill — with a lagoon bar and a wine cellar alongside. Arrival is a short flight to Sainte-Marie, then an ox-cart along the sand, part of the island's gentle, unhurried character. It sells on the whales, the nature and the intimacy.
Accommodation
Villas
Twenty villas in three styles along a palm-fringed beach — simple fan-cooled Charme bungalows, air-conditioned octagonal Luxe villas with a mezzanine for families, and the largest glass-fronted Executive Beach villas with stone soaking tubs and prime beachfront.
Entry
Villa Charme
Sleeps two. 35 m², fan-cooled and beachfront, in a simple barefoot style with a private terrace.
BeachfrontBarefoot style
Family
Villa Luxe
Sleeps two adults and two children. Around 55 m², octagonal and air-conditioned, with a mezzanine and a sea-view terrace.
Air-conditionedMezzanine
Signature
Executive Beach Villa
Sleeps two adults and a child. 90 m², glass-fronted with a stone soaking tub and prime beachfront — the largest villas. Only five.
BeachfrontOnly five
Food & Drink
Beachside dining
Beachside dining — Malagasy, Creole and French cooking with fresh seafood and an open grill — with a lagoon cocktail bar and a wine cellar alongside.
Restaurant
The beachside restaurant
Malagasy, Creole and French cooking with fresh seafood and an open grill.
Bar
Lagoon bar
Cocktails by the water, with a wine cellar alongside.
Wellbeing
Jungle Spa
The Jungle Spa sits among the greenery, with a 25-metre infinity pool by the beach, and diving and kitesurfing off the sand when the season is right.
Jungle Spa
Treatments at the Jungle Spa.
25-metre pool
A 25-metre infinity pool by the beach.
On the water
Diving and kitesurfing off the sand.
Activities & Experiences
Signature Experiences
A barefoot island built around the whales — watch humpbacks in season, arrive by ox-cart, and feel the pirate-island past.
Whale season, June–October
Humpback whales gather off the island from June to October.
A whale-research base
The CetaMada whale-research base is on site.
Arrive by ox-cart
Arrival is by ox-cart along the sand.
Dive and kitesurf
Diving and kitesurfing off the beach.
Pirate-island history
The history of a former pirate island.
Getting There
Location & transfers
By air
Fly to Sainte-Marie
A short flight to Sainte-Marie, then an ox-cart along the sand.
Whale season
June to October
Whale season runs June to October — the time to come for the humpbacks.
Trusted by Travellers
What Our Clients Say
Read verified, independent reviews from our customers who booked their bespoke luxury holidays with us.
Good to Know
Good to know
Board basis
- A bed-and-breakfast or half-board base, with honeymoon packages.
Whale season
- Humpback whales gather from June to October — the season to plan around.
Style
- A barefoot, authentic eco-lodge — simpler villas are fan-cooled, with air-conditioned and glass-fronted villas a step up.
Getting there
- International flights to Antananarivo, then a short flight to Sainte-Marie and an ox-cart transfer.
Book This Property
Start Planning Your Princesse Bora Lodge & Spa Stay
Your HighStreet specialist will respond within 2 working hours with a personalised quote and the best available rates — guaranteed.
1
Your holiday
2
Your details
3
Review
Step 1 of 2
Tell us about your stay
Dates, party size, villa preference and budget.
Dates & party
Date flexibility
Adults
2
Children
0
Budget & accommodation
Budget per person (flights + hotel)
£4,500
£500£50,000+
Villas Preference
Flights
You Might Also Consider
Other Madagascar lodges & islands you might consider
Madagascar
Time + Tide Tsara Komba
On Nosy Komba — Lemur Island — Time + Tide Tsara Komba is an eight-villa barefoot eco-lodge set on a forested hillside between rainforest and reef, and a member of National Geographic's Unique Lodges of the World. Black lemurs and chameleons live on the doorstep, the snorkelling and diving are protected, and there are no roads or cars on the island.
Madagascar
Constance Tsarabanjina
A castaway island in the Mitsio Archipelago, Constance Tsarabanjina is 25 beachfront villas on a 34-hectare sacred isle, all-inclusive and barefoot. Days are spent diving, snorkelling and sailing the reefs, with fresh seafood and a sand-floor bar over the ocean. Pure Robinson-Crusoe seclusion under the Constance name.
Madagascar
Anjajavy le Lodge
Madagascar's only Relais & Châteaux, Anjajavy le Lodge sits inside a 750-hectare private nature reserve on the northwest coast, where lemurs come to the rosewood villas and a 200-metre infinity pool runs above the sea. Air-access only, all-inclusive, and the rare lodge that combines genuine wilderness with a white-sand beach.