The Island - Pongwe Lodge

Food and service quite exceptional.

Hard to get to from UK, but that’s not the property’s fault!

Everything

From the moment we arrived, the warmth and friendliness of the staff made a lasting impression, who all truly went above and beyond to make our stay unforgettable. Our ocean-facing villa was lovely and incredibly quiet, making it the perfect place to relax. With room service included, we enjoyed breakfast at our villa almost every day and it was also incredibly convenient to be able to order anything to the room or the pool via WhatsApp. The food was consistently well prepared and delicious. While we didn't book anything, the team can set you up on a variety of activities around the Island, which adds to the experience. It's worth noting that we visited during the low season and essentially had the whole place to ourselves. For about half of our stay we shared the space with another couple, but the property is so well organized that we barely ran into one another, aside from occasionally saying hello around dinner time. We highly recommend this place for anyone looking for peace, quiet, and a genuinely welcoming atmosphere. Even after seven days, it still felt like our stay was far too short, as unbelievable as that may sound.

Very little to mention here, as we truly loved our stay. If anything, just a couple of small suggestions that could make the experience even better. The bar currently has a pod coffee machine, and a proper espresso machine would be a nice addition for coffee enthusiasts. We also noticed a ants in the room from time to time. It is still an eco-lodge surrounded by nature, so this is to be expected and it didn’t bother us at all, but it may be something for more sensitive guests to keep in mind. None of these were deal breakers for us, we had a wonderful stay overall.

The location is pretty, romantic and the staff are very friendly

The toilets are totally open to the bedroom. There is no privacy when on the loo (see picture of bathroom roof) The rooms have no Aircon, it's very very hot in the room at night. The rooms are tiny. You have no space to keep suitcases out and room tidy. The hotel isn't on an island. It's more on a little piece of land that only becomes an island once a month at high tide. The rest of the month it's connected to main land by a seaweed and dead crab infested beach. Normal tide does not make it an island.