Kactus - Your Island Sanctuary

Accueil chaleureux. Un petit coin de paradis et de paix. Les activités sont très bonnes, le personnel est adorable. J’étais venu pour 1 ou deux nuits et j’ai finalement prolongé. Pour voyageurs solitaire, vous serez aussi susceptible de faire de très belles rencontres que cela soit de la part des bénévoles et travailleur de l’établissement mais aussi des clients. Je recommande fortement pour une très belle aventure ou bien pour un repos hors du temps sur une île paradisiaque. Une expérience nature et tranquillité. En revanche, ne vous attendez pas à un confort maximal au niveau des chambres et sanitaire :).

Un véritable petit paradis ! Nous avons adoré notre bungalow directement sur la plage, à la fois authentique et plein de charme. Les activités proposées sont au top, la cuisine est excellente et la gentillesse d’Emeline et Alex ainsi que l’équipe des volontaires a vraiment rendu notre séjour encore plus spécial. Sans oublier les adorables animaux dans ce cadre absolument incroyable. Un endroit hors du temps où l’on se sent vraiment bien. Merci pour tout, nous avons adoré !

Such a beautiful part of the island, very special place with lovely owners and volunteers

Staying at Kactus is a great experience for those wanting a secluded getaway, with additional activities. I would highly recommend the plankton tour and jungle trek (thank you Rodolphe and Maïté!), which were amazing for learning about the island wildlife and ecosystem, and of course having a magical swim in the glowing sea.

Unfortunately as others have mentioned, there are quite a few negative points: 1. Prices. There is definitely a discrepancy between the prices of the activities, food, and services offered, and the quality of what you get. - The food seemed reasonably priced on paper, but the actual quality of the food doesn’t match the price point, being quite dull and lacking any flavour (other than salt - the food was very salty!). - Likewise, the price of the activities doesn’t align with the outcome of what you paid for. While the jungle trek we did was great, the ‘lunch included’ ended up being a tomato and cheese sandwich, which didn’t seem to justify the price given many other similar tours I’ve been on which can offer far more. - the price of the boat transfer is clearly taking advantage of the fact it is the only option to get to the island, especially when it is rarely on time and very disorganised (again, price does not equal quality of service). The justifications given of the costs of gasoline, boat trip to the mainland, etc, seem very disproportionate to the amount you pay. Eg, we paid $30 USD for a 20 minute trip back to the mainland on a tiny boat (3 ppl). It would be fine to pay this if the money was actually going to the boat worker, however it’s doubtful it would be, making us question why it’s such a high price. Given that a large majority of the staff members are there on a volunteer basis as backpackers, the ethics of where all the profit is going becomes questionable. 2. Smoking - there is so much smoking which is very unpleasant if you don’t smoke. It is one of the main ironies of Kactus that such an apparently health-focused, holistic, and eco friendly place should encourage copious amounts of smoking (selling cigarettes cheaply, most staff members smoking). At the very least there should be no smoking in the dining/food area.