James Whitmee

I am in Antananarivo in Madagascar. It is a very interesting city in the interior of the island which has more of an Asian feel to it than an African one. It is 1,000 metres above sea-level so it is also quite temperate. I'm told it is much hotter on the coast and feels much more like Africa.

There are plenty of good hotels including boutique ones. For Euro 50 /night you can get something really good. The food is also excellent. Tourist numbers are right down because of the political unrest. The newly opened Ibis is rumoured to be running at an occupancy rate of around 15%.

There is not a lot of activity in the real estate market and good availability. The highest office rents are Euro 13 /sq m /month, but more normally Euro 8-10. Land costs Euro 300 /sq m, and new apartments sell for Euro 1,200 /sq m.

I took this photo from Haut-Ville by the Queen's Palace overlooking the city.