Libanona Beach, Madagascar

This week we’ve blown dust off the rum cabinet, packed our binoculars, and gone a bit en François… Because it’s time for MADAGASCAR.

You might already tell that we’re a bit proud of this week’s Beach of the Week offering, the squiggly, sandy arc of Libanona Beach. Why? For one, it sounds so mouth-wateringly and fantastically delicious. Go on, say it. Libanona. Lib-an-ona. Mmmmmmmmm.

This is what you need to do. Fly to Tana, Madagascar’s capital. Get in one of those small, dusty airplanes (the kind witha wooden propeller and a cardboard air-hostess) and fly to Port Daulphin over the sprawling, eye-pulling jungle. Then, on arrival, stop in at the French bakery, grab a jam baguette (the jam is made from rum, banana and vanilla and is amazing), then ask for directions. Finally, stumble down a little pathway towards the mighty Indian Ocean.

And all of a sudden, there it is, Libanona Beach: a pocket slice of golden glory, enclosed by tumbling palms and tropical plants, and surrounded by the dense, fidgeting Madagascan jungle. Waves crash onto its shores with a primal sensuality, and just like that you find yourself bronzing in this quite bizarre world of rum-induced understanding.

So let’s end on some Madagascan trivia for you to ponder your beach day away to. Did you know that vanilla came from Orchids? And that the original inhabitants of Madagascar were a tribe called the Vazimba; a race of dwarf people who battled a horde of sea-sickened migrants from Borneo for supreme control of the island?

All facted-out, we shall leave you and Libanona to it…

WHEN: The best months for beach hopping are Sept – Dec before the hot rainy season

WHAT TO PACK:
For our Madagascan Beach of the Week, stock your Heidi Klein Organic Cotton Bag with MoroccanOil’s Shine Spray and Decléor’s High Repair Face Balm. Then bronze your bod in Tara Matthews Bliss triangle bikini.

the bag: Heidi Klein Florinda Organic Cotton Bag, £199

the swimwear: TM by Tara Matthews Bliss braid-detailed triangle bikini, £120

the products: MoroccanOil Glimmer Shine Spray, £18.65 and Decléor Aroma High Repair After Sun Balm for Face, £31.50

the playlist:
Youssou N’Dour – Wiri Wiri
Jimi Hendrix – Purple Haze
Orchestra Baobab – Sutu kun
Shakira – Waka Waka

the read: Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi.