Tucked away at the tip of a beautiful peninsula, nestled between white sand dunes, tropical forests and the strikingly clear Indian Ocean is Machangulo Beach Lodge, in the south of Mozambique. Offering 17 luxurious rooms with miles of completely untouched beaches provides its’ guests with unadulterated peacefulness.
Each individual lodge comprises of a private veranda, en-suite bathroom and air-conditioning with close attention paid to the smallest detail to create a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. Machangulo has a lounge and bar area, delightful dining area where you can feast on freshly prepared cuisine traditional to Mozambique, across Africa as well as international dishes. Various activities are offered from fishing, snorkelling through the marine reserve full of colourful coral and sea life, scuba dive, whale watching in June to November and visits to turtle nesting sites. Or, if just wanting to relax jump in the pool or lay back in a hammock with a cocktail.
Arriving to Machangulo is simply a 1 hour flight from Johannesburg to Maputo airport, a transfer to Maputo marina followed by a speed boat transfer to the lodge which takes just over an hour and there is a good chance of spotting dolphins and flamingos as you go.
Here is video showing how great it is to stay at Machangulo, click here.
Cultural tour of Santa Maria with lunch and drinks at the famous Teka Teka bar
201 Reviews
87% of travellers recommended this hotel
Traveller ratings
Excellent
132
Very Good
41
Average
16
Poor
10
Terrible
2
What to Expect
Location
Sleep Quality
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness
Reviews
Jan 16, 2020
Wonderful get away
kl
We enjoyed 2 nights at The Machangulo Beach Lodge. Being picked up in Maputo we were at the harbor ready to board the boat very quickly. We were happy to swim in the ocean, walk the beach, enjoy the pool, and snorkel. The food was great, the spa services divine. The bartender created wonderful cocktails each time. We look forward to our next trip there!
Jan 16, 2020
Paradise!
Perfect place to relax, excellent diversification of activities, total attention of the staff, excellent menu, very comfortable rooms, perfect for family, place is a paradise and with comfort and stewardship.
Jan 13, 2020
A Truly Magical Place
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
This is a truly exceptional resort. From the moment you arrive, you can tell the staff really cares about the quality of your stay. The property is a magical treehouse oasis, with updated design features and amazing food and drink options. Every cabin has a jaw dropping view of the aqua blue waters. Also, this was quite possibly the cleanest place we visited on the whole continent as well. I can't tell you how much I appreciated that and how much it amazed me as well - its not easy to keep such a natural resort this clean! The location is perfect - its at the most private part of the peninsula. Perfect for serene beach walks or enjoying the view from their beach huts/lounge chairs (there is even bar service on the beach and the alcohol at the resort is reasonably priced). I also want to be clear that this resort does not loose its African charm - you will not feel commercialized here, or like you are imposing on the natural resources of the area. It feels sustainable, environmentally conscious, and is not missing the local charm that I really want to be a part of when I get away. If you want this to be like your home - like you want only 1 bottle of wine or one type of food during your whole stay and you are inflexible - just email them ahead of time and I'm sure they'll get it for you. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the ride - they will take excellent care of you.
Dec 28, 2019
Lovely location but not good value for money
Ashington, United Kingdom
Great first impressions with very friendly staff and nice beach welcome and introduction. Promises to attend to every detail were encouraging. The room was stunning - one of the new rooms up high (not suitable for old or those with difficulty walking stairs) with gorgeous views of he peninsula. However things didn’t live up to our expectations. We paid extra for fully inclusive only for them to run our of Pina Colada mix on day two and then white rum the next day and were told we should have told the, what we wanted to drink! Then asked for excess payment for Jack Daniels (one drink) as it was a premium drink! They did get the drinks in later in the week but no refund offered and we certainly didn’t get our money’s worth as we don’t drink much else. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t great and there wasn’t much to do (no TV either) and despite asking if snorkelling was going to be ok to which the answer was affirmative the visibility was virtually zero which was such a shame as the fish were stunning. They did refund the trip but at the price they charge I wasn’t expecting to have to pay for snorkelling or kayaking... it was only a short boat trip away. The kayaking was far too rushed with very little commentary on the wildlife, fauna etc and no one offered to take pictures of us which was disappointing as the flamingos were beautiful and there would have been some lovely snaps! The food was good but after five days starting repeating and there was only ever one choice of desert which again, for the money isn’t really acceptable. Also the eggs at breakfast were poorly cooked no matter how you had them and they had trouble bringing out things in order. Getting toast beforehand was a struggle. The staff were all very polite but really didn’t have the knowledge or experience to deliver the level of service and attentiveness required by the standard or hotel they were trying to offer. You couldn’t really swim in the sea as the surf was big and at times there was a strong current with the tides but also there were a lot of large jelly fish - the staff said they shouldn’t sting but I didn’t want to put it to the test!
They did give us a complementary spa treatment to make up but a bit of a token gesture.
The boat trip from Maputo is about 1 1/4 hrs and the sea can get quite rough so you need sea legs!
Overall not the standard of service, activities or food for such an expensive hotel so quite disappointed - such a shame as was so looking forward to to it and we had to stretch ourselves financially to do it.
Dec 22, 2019
Absolutely outstanding in every way
Staying at Machangulo Beach Lodge has been an absolutely spectacular experience! The setting is beautiful with chalets up on the hill for the perfect view and sea breeze. The staff are efficient and extremely friendly with nothing ever being too much for them.The managers were fantastic. Our waiters Sergio and Berito were excellent! Every meal was first class and simply excellent with a huge array of fresh seafood on offer. Rooms are spacious and tastefully decorated, kitted with air cons, very good comfortable beds, coffee plungers, beach baskets and khoikhois amongst others. Snorkeling was better than the maldives, although the visibility varied a lot and was dependent on tides and weather!! Outstanding experience and definitely recommended for a family holiday!!
Machangulo has a PADI dive centre with instructors, full equipment and boats.
Activities on offer
Machangulo offers a range of activities that can be booked and paid for locally (subject to weather conditions), these include:
- Snorkelling
- Kayaking
- Paddle boarding
- Bird watching tours
- Cultural tours of Santa Maria, Inhaca and Maputo
- Many sailing Dhow adventures including romantic sunset cruises
- Fishing, both on and off shore
- Whale watching (June to December)
Spa
Machangulo offers a superb and varied range of Africology treatments at their spa which include a selection ofrejuvenating facials, massages and body treatments
The five Ocean View rooms are the pride and joy of Machangulo Beach Lodge. Perched on a ridge overlooking the amazing scenery of the ocean and Inhaca island. Each room has a private deck, en suite bathroom, air conditioning, mini bar and many other luxury amenities.
Beach Villas
The eight beach villas aremeters from the shoreline and nestled in the dune forests.The beach villas at Machangulo consist of two rooms each. Therooms are close together andattached via wooden decks.
Family Villas
The two family villas at Machangulo provide ultimate flexibility and privacy for groups, families. The large and spacious villas feature 2 private en-suite rooms joined together by a central room.The central area of the Villa features a kitchen prep area, lounge, bar and dining area.The Villa also features a pool and arecompletely private, offering a home away from home luxury.
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201 Reviews 
Traveller ratings
What to Expect
Reviews
Wonderful get away
kl
Paradise!
A Truly Magical Place
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Lovely location but not good value for money
Ashington, United Kingdom
Absolutely outstanding in every way