Chintheche Inn

Rating: Mid-range | PRICES FROM: £110 - £125 pp B&B and dinner

Overview
In detail
Reviews

A well-established small hotel on the northern shores of Lake Malawi.

Chintheche Inn is situated on the sandy beaches of the northern lake shores with the Viphya Mountains as a backdrop and remnant patches of tropical rainforest nearby. Chintheche has one of the most beautiful settings in the country and is surrounded by a variety of activity options - the local village and market are always entertaining and the nearby Bandawe Mission offers a fascinating insight into the country's past. The beach offers swimming (and there is a pool for rough weather!),wind surfing, sailing and beach barbeques can be arranged. Other activities of offer include mountain biking and horse riding.

There are ten comfortable en-suite rooms all in a central block facing the lake with the gardens behind. There is a central dining area and bar though usually dining takes place under the stars (weather permitting!). This is an ideal spot for a family beach break or for those wanting a comfy hotel stop to use as a base to explore this interesting region. Mzuzu is an easy couple of hours away if you need to visit there and inland is the Luwawa forest area which can be linked on for hiking and riding. Not far south at Kande is a well run horse riding establishment where you can take horses into the surrounding hills and along the beaches.

Customer Rating: 88% from 2 reviews
Julie Croucher, Tribes (01/10/2010)

"Chintheche has one of the biggest beaches of the lake shore lodges and a huge variety of things to do. The rooms are small and a bit basic, being that they are all in one block, which cannot be helped! But the staff are really friendly and it's great value for money. Being close to a village and the forests you can also travel inland, there is great birdwatching and nearby diving and even horse riding - I'd recommend you take a 'swim ride' and bath with your horse in the water!"

Open: All year.

Location: Central Lake Malawi, on the western shore.

Rooms: 10 ensuite rooms, each has balcony with a view looking out over Lake Malawi. There is also a 2 bed family cottage.

Activities: Lots of water based activities such as swimming, boating and snorkelling as well as land based activities such as mountain biking; bird watching; guided walks; village visits; and day trips to Nkhata Bay and Bandawe Mission.

Facilities: Bar, pool.

Dining: There is a dining room, but mostly meals are eaten in the open air weather permitting of course.

Children: Children of all ages are welcome, and there are lots of child friendly activities.

Health: This is a malarial area.

Communication: Wi-fi available andgood mobile phone reception.

Customer rating 4.4 from 2 reviews

Excellent

Good

Average

Poor

"Chintheche has one of the biggest beaches of the lake shore lodges and a huge variety of things to do. The rooms are small and a bit basic, being that they are all in one block, which cannot be helped! But the staff are really friendly and it's great value for money. Being close to a village and the forests you can also travel inland, there is great birdwatching and nearby diving and even horse riding - I'd recommend you take a 'swim ride' and bath with your horse in the water!"

Accommodation review by: Julie Croucher, Tribes

"What a beautiful spot on Lake Malawi. We loved it but were we just unlucky with the weather? It was cold and windy for the first 3 days then gradually got warmer and calmer. Our last day was lovely and Bob got his snorkelling. We had a lovely suite and the staff were great and very helpful. The food was rather ordinary but that was not why we were there. We did have a thought on the 3rd cold day that perhaps we should have gone to the coast instead!!"

Accommodation review by: Pat & Bob

Alternative accommodation

Club Makokola
A modern hotel on the southern shores of Lake Malawi set in landscaped gardens on a lovely beach.
Danforth Lodge
A luxury small lodge and yacht charter company based in the Lake Malawi National Park area.
Kaya Mawa
A unique luxury lodge set amongst huge boulders and sandy bays on remote Likoma Island, Lake Malawi.
Makuzi Beach
Makuzi Beach is a small lodge on the northern shores of Lake Malawi.
Mumbo Island Camp
A gorgeous castaway island in southern Lake Malawi.
Ngala Beach Lodge
A small friendly beach lodge on the northern shores of Lake Malawi.
Norman Carr Cottage
Norman Carr Cottage is a small owner run lodge on the shores of Lake Malawi - a true 'home from home' where guests can relax and enjoy the gentle pace of life.
Pumulani
Very comfortable lodge in the Lake Malawi National park.
Safari Beach Lodge
A lovely small lodge in a quiet location on Lake Malawi near Senga Bay.