Voaara Madagascar Interview with Resort Manager Jimmy Mahasolo

What makes this hotel—and its surrounding destination—different from anywhere else in Africa?

Jimmy Mahasolo

Voaara is all about relaxed, barefoot luxury. It’s a place where guests can truly slow down, reconnect with nature and simply enjoy being present.

Africa is home to many beautifully designed hotels in extraordinary locations, but Voaara offers something deeper. It is the kind of place that stays with you long after you leave. Depending on how deeply you connect with our three core pillars — Service, Design and Good Food — you may leave a piece of your soul behind, or take a little piece of Voaara’s spirit home with you.

What local traditions, ingredients, art, or experiences do you incorporate into the guest experience?

Jimmy Mahasolo

Everything at Voaara is connected to the rhythm of local life.

Our sunset pirogue trips, for example, mirror the journeys made by local fishermen as they head out to sea before returning to our beach with the day’s catch.

There is also a wonderful simplicity to the way people live here, and we try to share that sense of happiness with our guests. It might be a castaway picnic beneath the palms and driftwood, or sitting barefoot in the sand while our chef grills freshly caught fish over coconut husks.

Food is another important expression of place. Our menus celebrate local flavours and ingredients, from fresh seafood and fragrant vanilla pods to green peppercorns and the many other ingredients that make Madagascar’s cuisine so distinctive.

Can you share a memorable story about a guest, employee, or community member that captures the spirit of this hotel?

Jimmy Mahasolo

In June 2026, a guest arrived for what was meant to be a five-night stay and ultimately stayed for ten. From the moment she arrived, you could see how deeply she had connected with Voaara. She actually shortened the rest of her journey through Madagascar simply so she could spend more time here. She told us that she felt completely at home in her surroundings.

That feeling extends to our team, too. One of our colleagues had previously worked at another luxury property in Mauritius. After joining Voaara, he told us that it felt like his first real experience of hospitality. He couldn’t quite explain why, but there is a certain energy here — a captivating sense of place and connection — that is difficult to find anywhere else.

Which is your favourite room in the hotel, and what makes it special to you?

Jimmy Mahasolo

I would be lying if I said I didn’t love our three-bedroom Beach Pool Villa. But personally, I have a soft spot for Deluxe Beach Bungalow 3.

I won’t say too much about why, though — I’d hate to spoil the surprise for a future guest.

How do you maintain consistently high standards across every part of the guest experience?

Jimmy Mahasolo

We are incredibly fortunate to have a local team with a naturally warm and welcoming spirit. That genuine hospitality is something you cannot teach.

When you combine that natural warmth with clear training, attention to detail and consistent follow-up, great service and memorable experiences become part of the culture rather than something that feels forced.

How do you balance international hospitality standards with an experience that feels genuinely local?

Jimmy Mahasolo

In many ways, it is easier than it sounds. The local experience is already authentic, and that authenticity is what naturally creates some of the most memorable ‘wow’ moments for our guests.

Our role is to preserve that sense of place while ensuring that the quality, comfort and service standards behind the scenes are consistently at the level our guests expect from a luxury property.

What is one nearby experience visitors often overlook but absolutely shouldn’t?

Jimmy Mahasolo

Everyone naturally gravitates towards Madagascar’s famous sights, such as the pirate cemetery, the mangroves and Île aux Nattes. But there is a beautiful 2.5-kilometre stretch of beach close to Voaara that very few people know about.

You can walk for hours without seeing another person, and the house reef just offshore offers fantastic snorkelling. It is one of those places where you can feel completely alone with nature.

What nearby hidden gem do you return to again and again — and what makes it special to you?

Jimmy Mahasolo

It is difficult to choose just one when there are so many, but there is a quiet stretch of beach near Voaara that I return to again and again.

It offers complete privacy and a wonderful feeling of escape. For an afternoon, you can genuinely feel like Robinson Crusoe — just you, the beach and the ocean.

What is the most important leadership lesson that working in hospitality has taught you?

Jimmy Mahasolo

I’ve learned that a successful hospitality leader needs to be both visionary and hands-on.

You need to have a clear vision for where you want to go, but you also need to be present in the day-to-day operation and understand what is happening with your team and your guests. Finding the right balance between the two is, for me, essential to achieving great results.

What inspired you to build a career in hospitality?

Jimmy Mahasolo

It started when I was a young boy. I once joined an expatriate on a duck-hunting trip as his translator. At the time, I knew nothing about hospitality.

At the end of the day, he said to me, “You should do this for a living. You really know how to take care of people. I hired you to translate, but you helped me with everything without expecting anything extra.”

That stayed with me. I realised that caring for others was perhaps my natural gift. We all have certain abilities that come naturally to us, and recognising that this was mine ultimately led me towards a career in hospitality.