Happily I liked both the lodges at Palmarium. The original 11 bedroom lodge has an attractive palm and orchid reserve on site and I slightly preferred the rooms at the original lodge, though some newer rooms were identical to the new lodge’s rooms. The lodge & gardens are up some steep steps from the small jetty and beach. So the lodge is hidden away in the trees with no real views of the lake except from the sandy area by the jetty.
The new lodge is called Palmarium Beach with each of the six chalets only a few steps behind a long stretch of white sandy beach. The rooms were very pleasant but more shaded so quite dark in the late afternoons before the power comes back on. The main building here is set above the beach up quite a few steps with lovely views over the lake. The only disadvantage is that it would be a fair walk from the main lodge to some of the furthest most chalets. This lodge would be better for people who enjoy soaking up the rays on the beach as each lodge has its own beach loungers and thatched sun shade.
Both lodges, like many lodges in Madagascar, operate on generator power and they tend to switch off the generator from late morning to late afternoon. This is not a major issue except you need to remember to charge batteries and phones at the right time.
