Name: Thumbi View Lodge
Address: Village Road, Monkey Bay, Monkey Bay, Monkey Bay, 0157, Malawi
Rating: 9

Shopping on site

Smoking areas

Smoke-free property

Gift shop

Garden

Terrace

Outdoor furniture

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Family room

Shower/Bathtub

Shower

Linens

Mosquito net

Rooms

Laundry

Services and amenities

Diet menu (on request)

Restaurant (buffet style)

Snack bar

Poolside bar

Packed Lunches

Bottled water (at extra charge)

Meals

Internet

Transfer services

Transfer

Library

Hiking

Recreation

Parking

Swimming pool

Outdoor pool

Beach facilities

Water sport facilities

Private beach

Beach/pool towels

Next to the beach

Pool and beach

Business center

Business

Diving

Snorkelling

Yoga

Sports

Family/Kid Friendly

Kids

Location

At the hotel

Room amenities

Thumbi View Lodge

Monkey Bay

Assisted us on arranging all transportation in Malawi. Both dialouge with other hotels and drivers. Very helpful to answer questions we had before arriving in Malawi.  Couldn't have asked for better service.

Extremely helpful staff

Thumbi Lodge is a great place to stay in Cape Maclear: it is well located with lovely friendly staff and a good standard of budget friendly accommodation. Contrary to some of the other reviews below, we found that good quality Wi-Fi was available at very minimal cost (with great connection albeit subject to the various regular power cuts that are common in the area!). Drinks and food are also well priced. The staff were extremely friendly and very accommodating of requests. We chose one of the garden rooms and were very pleased: the shower had hot water and the room was comfortable. Highly recommended for a good value stay in Cape Maclear.

To note more generally, activities such as sunset cruise and kayaking can be booked through the lodge at good prices. For tours, right beside the lodge on the beach are the Tour Guides who organise activities - they are independent of the lodges but well organised and helpful. We did the full tour (Ilala Gap, Thumbi West Island, Otters Point etc.) with Symone and had a really great time. The tour guides do accept card payments but at a rate that is not so good: would highly recommend bringing US dollars in cash to pay them or plenty of Kwacha (note: there is NO cash machine in Cape Maclear, the nearest one is in Monkey Bay, so withdraw before arriving!). 

Great stay at Thumbi View: friendly staff with great location

Good food, friendly staff, funky rooms. No internet, but cell tower nearby with occasional data service for T-mobile. Well-located on the lake in best part of Chembe. Hot water available mostly in the morning. Touts will approach you on the lodge's "private" beach. Only some of the upscale rooms have seating outside. Pathways, parking and approaches to the lodge are dusty sand. Skies and air are smoky during the dry season.

Good Backpacker's Lodge

This lodge is a wonderful place to stay in Chembe / Cape Maclear.  It is right on the beach with a wonderful view of Lake Malawi and of course, Thumbi Island.  At the restaurant and pool area is the perfect place to catch the beautiful sunsets.  This is also where breakfast is served.  Such a beautiful & peaceful place to wake up, then have coffee & breakfast while enjoying views of the lake.

I stayed 3 nights here and had a relaxing time.  I initially booked a room in the back of the property, not near the lake, which is a more budget-friendly option.  I spent one night there then decided to upgrade to a room that faces the lake for the next 2 nights.  The lake view rooms are clean, spacious, & comfortable.  The beds have mosquito nets over them, which was very helpful.  The showers here also have hot water.

Upon booking online, the lodge contacted & welcomed me, then provided all the information I needed for my Malawi visit & stay at their lodge.  They offer airport pickup & drop-off, which I booked, since Lilongwe is about a 4hr drive to Cape Maclear so this is the easiest & most convenient option.  Also, my flight arrived late in the afternoon so it was already dark by the time I arrived at the lodge.  The owner arranged to have the driver pick up some food for me so I can have a light dinner on the road because there’s really nothing between Lilongwe & Cape Maclear.  In addition to this, they also helped me with the invitation letter & booking confirmation, which I needed to submit for my tourist visa application to Malawi.  Everything was seamless.
  
On one of the days, I booked a sunset catamaran cruise offered by the lodge, since they have their own catamaran.  We sailed around Thumbi Island & stayed on the lake for sunset. Apart from the sunset, it was perfect timing as we saw so many fishermen going out to the lake to fish on their traditional dugout canoes.

The owner, with his beautiful dog, & the staff are all wonderful & very accommodating.  The location with a view of Lake Malawi is beautiful.  The food & service are great.  And the overall ambiance here is peaceful.  The only downside I can think of here is that there is no wifi on the property.  But for me, this was the perfect place to relax for a few days!

Excellent location, beautiful views, friendly owner & staff, relaxing environment

Staff was nice and friendly, view is amazing, and the pool was my child’s favourite. Food was also excellent altho for breakfast it would have been nice to have something fresh such as fruits or vegetables or even juice. 

Overall our stay was great but I really really really missed MUSIC at the pool/bar that wasn’t played basically at all. It was difficult to understand why - afterall it plays such a big role all around Africa. would have enjoyed pool day drinks and evenings much more in at least a bit more lively atmosphere especially cause I was traveling with a child and could not really go out to local places and corner shops in the evenings. For some reason all lodges in Cape Mac seem to think tourists want to sit in peace and read a book…. When I asked, they said it’s not a party place. I understand that totally but playing music in the afternoons and before guests’ bed time doesnt make a party - only nice atmosphere and would probably increase your bar sales. An that reminded - they increased the beer price in the middle of the week by more than 30% and didnt even inform about it. Just noticed it on my tap when paying my bill. That is very bad customer care. 

Ps. Pay in cash and in kwatchas - dollar rate they use is a total rip off (not even close to the real rate). You end up loosin a lot of money!

Amazing view, nice pool, great location. We had a basic room and shared bathroom option but was fine enough for us.

Thumbi View Lodge has no WiFi for guests (even though the owners enjoy WiFi access). The rooms and especially the bathrooms are very dated. The place is entirely overpriced.

The owner, Chris is rude and knows nothing about hospitality. I was allowed a late checkout by the front desk staff only to find Chris banging on my door while I was in the bathroom to tell me the checkout time is 10am. When I explained I was allowed a late checkout, he demanded to know the name of the person who had authorized this. I didn't remember the names of the front desk employees and I said so, but he kept asking repeatedly who the person was. He said he had the right to interrogate me because he's the owner. His behavior was absolutely appalling. It's clear he has no interest in the guest experience and only wants to extract the last penny he can from the unfortunate guests who stay here. 

The co-owner, Noleen seemed slightly nicer over WhatsApp, but she was unavailable, and did not bother meeting me even though I did her a favor and brought her keys left behind by another guest. She allowed her bull-in-a-china-shop partner loose on the property. 

There are many better and less expensive lodges in Cape Maclear with nicer, caring owners than Thumbi View Lodge. I'd strongly suggest all travelers steer clear of Thumbi View Lodge. 

Rude Owner, No WiFi, Dated Rooms, Overpriced. Stay Away.

Although the view of Lake Malawi from the hotel is stunning, I thought the accommodation left a bit to be desired. The room has old furniture and a strange smell. The kitchen and restaurant have a hostel vibe.

The view is beautiful - and here are the positive points.

Nice place but all my money was stolen out of my bag out of my locked room, which apparently I had the only key of. No sign of any break-ins. They said there is nothing they can do and I asked if I could at least move rooms because I did not feel safe there. Then at the end of my stay they wanted me to pay full price for the room I was moved to, ridiculously! 

Money Stolen!!

Thumbi View was a great choice to stay in Cape Maclear. I initially booked a different accommodation, but once I discovered Thumbi View with its beautiful veranda overloking the beach, and the nice pool and sun beds to hang out, I quickly relocated. 

The staff is very friendly and always ready to help, and the food was delicious.

I stayed in a dorm room, which was very good value for the price.

It is also a great place to meet other travellers. I strongly recommend!

Best experience in Cape Maclear!

We have just returned home after an absolutely amazing stay at Thumbi lodge.
The facilities throughout the lodge are immaculate. The staff are so welcoming and accommodating especially Joyce,and Akim. Breakfast each morning was a delight with the freshly baked muffins. They even have a catamaran you can hire . We spent two fabulous afternoons snorkelling around the island with Maurice showing us the sights. I really can’t recommend Thumbi highly enough. We will definitely be back.

Thumbi View Lodge

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