Hostel du Père Pedro, Madagascar

In Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, there’s a very special hotel we’ve chosen to partner with.

‘Hotel’ might not be quite the right word, as Père Pedro isn’t a hotel in the traditional sense. First and foremost, it is a source of income for an NGO called Akamasoa.

Akamasoa was founded in 1989 by an Argentinian–Slovenian priest, Pedro Pablo Opeka, with the aim of tackling extreme poverty in Madagascar.

One of his first projects was to move families from one of the city’s rubbish dumps—where they lived and survived on the waste—to newly built homes in a neighbourhood he called Akamasoa. The families received a house free of charge. In return, the adults had to work and the children to go to school. Among other initiatives, Father Pedro set up quarries and small farms so people could find work and help build the district.

Today, Akamasoa is a fairly large neighbourhood in Antananarivo, with several schools, small businesses, shops, quarries, local restaurants, a hospital—and, indeed, a hotel. All income from Père Pedro goes to Akamasoa. The hotel’s staff are local people with qualifications who need experience to apply for jobs outside Akamasoa. This means the receptionist also serves in the restaurant and, if you want something at the bar, it’s often the same person you’ll be dealing with.

The kitchen team, in particular, has been hand-picked for the job. The little restaurant serves well-cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the coffee is excellent! There’s also a small bar serving wine and no-fuss drinks. If the weather’s good, you can take your drink up to the rooftop terrace and enjoy the view – and perhaps the sunset – over Tana.

The rooms are spacious and come with en-suite bathrooms and plenty of hot water for the shower. There’s no fridge in the room, and no TV either. On the plus side, there’s excellent Wi-Fi throughout. Night-time temperatures in Antananarivo are, thankfully, usually quite bearable, but if it does get warm, there’s a ceiling fan.

If you’re staying at Père Pedro, you’ll have the chance to take a guided tour of Akamasoa and see some of the many projects that Father Pedro has established.