The Citizen

"We absolutely loved our stay here. It is very well located, walking distances to most sites of interest. All the rooms have a fantastic view of the lake and the Queen’s Palace from the balcony. Although very close to the lake but no issue at all with mosquitoes. Comfortable bed and pillows, spacious bathroom. Excellent restaurant where you can enjoy fine dining at a reasonable price. We enjoyed thoroughly every meal including the breakfasts we had there. It is said to be the best restaurant in the whole country, which we would not have any doubt. The last but not the least, is the hospitality of the owner and its staff which has truly impressed us. We had a very delayed flight and the owner let us stay and use the room and facilities till very late, which saved us a lot of trouble and headaches. We greatly appreciated their efforts to make our stay as comfortable as possible. Merci indéfiniment!"

"Nothing"

"I want to post a counterpoint to all the reviews that are giving this hotel a 10, and to Booking.com's claim that solo travelers give this place really high ratings. I never saw another solo traveler at The Citizen, and my experience was not a 10. Why are people giving The Citizen a 10? Because the decor is really nice, the restaurant is absolutely exceptional (probably a legit 10 out of 10), and there's a pretty view of the lake. If you're planning to arrive and depart by motor vehicle, never go out on foot, eat at the restaurant and look at the lake, your experience likely will be a 10."

"So why would I not give it a 10? First of all: Mosquitoes! I was bitten by and/or killed mosquitoes in my room, in my bathroom, inside my mosquito netting, in the stairwell, and while eating in the restaurant. I was told to seal off my balcony an hour before sunset and not open it before 8 am, but it was still full of mosquitoes when I opened it at 9:30 am. As a bonus, the balcony door got stuck in a rut and I got locked outside with them - I had to make a ruckus to get let back in without breaking the door. But I guess as long as you keep up your anti-malarials and aren't afraid to make a racket)... Second of all: I like to walk. If you leave the restaurant on the lake side, what appeared quite pretty turns out to be an area full of garbage and homeless people, with the most direct foot access to the lake to slid down a steep hill of sand. I had recently climbed the 2nd-highest peak in Madagascar, so it's saying something that I didn't want to risk it. The lake is also kind of a highway, so if you do get there you're walking immediately next to (and breathing the fumes from) heavy traffic. To go to the town (which I was told is quite rare, even though it's right there), you exit the hotel through a massive, unmarked side door where the heavy chain is unlocked but still forebodingly present, and find yourself in a long abandoned alley populated by an apparently abandoned vehicle. You immediately sense that you are somewhere you are not supposed to be. Sometimes, a lone guard sits in what was once a metal booth. Usually not. You reach the heavy red metal gate and let yourself out. When you come back from town, you unlatch the gate by reaching through the bars and reenter the hotel via the abandoned alley."

"the room was very comfortable the breakfast and dinner were excellent, the best we ate all our three weeks in Madagascar very good relatively to other places we ate all over the world super friendly staff"

"the stairs"

"We had dinner at the hotel restaurant and it was absolutely amazing with superb cooking, presentation and service. The hotel arranged a walking tour of the city, and we had a spectacular guide. The guide, Fenohasina Jersdhine, was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about Malagasy life and culture, and our conversation ranged from the practical (food, work, government) to the sacred (art, religion, language). She was safety conscious, and was very thoughtful. The room at the hotel was beautiful. The hotel staff was incredibly helpful, assisting with practicalities like airport pick up and lost luggage."

"Aucun."

"Very good breakfast and dinner, breathtaking views from the terrace, service"

"The location is a bit remote for exploring the city on foot. Vicinity of the lake = tons of mosqitos."

"Excellent restaurant and super friendly team! Went out of their way to accommodate us."

"It’s not the most walkable area, but getting a ride/driver is really easy though the hotel."

"You can see the lake from the room as well as the terrace. The nostalgic hotel offers good service on everything. Wifi is fast and stable. Staff are friendly and super helpful. It only takes them one minute to switch on the generator after the power cut. The restaurant attracts not only guests like me but also guests from outside. Their grilled zebu is really one-of-the-kind. I hope i can come back for the grilled zebu again. Don’t miss the sunset on the terrace. The upper town looks like a painting with the sunshine."

"Nothing comes to my mind"

"Lovely comfy room with a balcony overlooking the lake. A great restaurant and patio on the main floor and wonderful staff."

"Aucun."

"Everything was absolutely perfect! We landed here upon arrival to Madagascar — great choice! The warm welcome, spacious room, location, advice, food, and more! We are very much looking forward to returning! Thank you!"

"Aucun."

"Pretty much everything was great. The rooms are spacious with air conditioning and nice windows. The beds and pillows are cool and you have options. Excellent wifi as well. At least when you stay there you must eat. The food was the best in Madagascar."

"No fridge in the room and lots of stairs. Out of the 3 rooms only the 2 have a view. The 3rd one is blocked by a tree. So ask for the correct ones."