Manicou is beautiful. The view from on high is awe inspiring. Recently retired, we wanted to escape, to get away, to relax and just wind down a bit, and we did. There are exactly 2 wholly separate, private, open-air eco “cottages” at Manicou. We were in 1, the other was empty. There were 2 young ladies staying on property to look after our every need. That’s 2 guests and 2 staff; an incredibly nice service ratio! VIP treatment.

To start, let me say that all of the pre-travel communication and questions were handled VERY professionally and quite promptly. Nice.

Manicou arranged for our arrival transportation. Manicou met us upon arrival. Manicou settled us in, and Manicou cooked and fed us a delicious, multi-course, home cooked meal late, after we’d traveled all day. We watched the sun set during dinner, from their open-air restaurant, and then turned in.

The bed is very comfortable. We used the Manicou supplied mosquito netting and had no issues. We fell asleep with cool breezes, to a symphony of frogs, birds and insects. I do not sleep well, typically get between 5 and 6 hours, but I slept 9 1/2 hours on our 1st night, 9 hours every other. A miracle.

Manicou’s restaurant is maybe 25 yards from the cottage. We walked down to find an absolute smorgasbord of tropical fruits, fresh squeezed juices, fresh baked bread, and to-order eggs, plus coffee of course. All with a hummingbird flying in, out and about.

We rested, read and relaxed our 1st full day in Dominica. Kayola and Yoli prepared us meals, on our schedule, and those meals were impressive. Each dinner consisted of an appetizer, a main course, 3 or 4 sides made from Manicou grown fruits and vegetables, and a dessert. These girls made us ice cream, they grilled pineapple, they produced multiple layered cakes and they made everything from scratch..

We were taken care of. Manicou arranged for drivers and tours. We went on a river tour and a birding tour. Both favorites.

On our 3rd day we ready to venture out on our own. Manicou arranged to have a rental car delivered. The wife and I drove to Batibou Beach and to Keepin It Real restaurant. Both are “must do’s”. The driving is different. The roads are in good shape but you are on the left and the roads are narrow. The good news is, Waze works in Dominica.

We stayed 6 nights. I read 2 books and spent countless hours bird watching, all without moving a muscle.

Our cottage had a kitchen, but we never cooked. We just could not find a reason to do so, what with the meals Manicou was producing.

The sunsets are right there. We had intermittent rain during our week, but we never got wet, actually enjoyed the showers and saw maybe a dozen rainbows.

Hopefully this review is pretty glowing, cause we were blown away with how nice Manicou, and the Manicou staff were. GO.

Notes: Manicou is open-air, so at night, when you turn a light on, it will attract moths. We had a lizard living over on a side wall. He was pretty and he minded his own business - a good guy. The cottage had electricity, but no WiFi. WiFi was available in the restaurant. Dominica is not a rich country. They’ve pretty much recovered from Maria 3 1/2 years ago and Covid absolutely devastated their tourism, but they’re opening up, the island is lush and beautiful, and the people are very nice and friendly.

Manicou River is a Wonderfull place, the restaurant is delightful, the service is perfect, the view from the cottage is incredible... we will come back with pleasure!
Special thanks to Mark for his hospitality an his
availability.

Manicou River Resort is one of the most serene, organic, pleasant, soothing places we have ever stayed. This was our second trip, and from the moment we stepped foot into our treehouse cottage I felt like I was home again after a long time away. We loved it so much the first time that we brought friends along this trip. We first stayed here pre- Hurricane Maria, so please see my original review Jan. 2017. (It's all of that and more.) I can only add that, here we are, 3 years later and 2 years post-hurricane. It is clear Manicou has worked very hard to bounce back, and has done so with a vengeance. Kate and Patrick and their INCREDIBLE team Kayola, Yolanda, Jeffrey, LeRoy have worked tirelessly and loyally for the past 2 years to bring Manicou back. A new chef creates artistically prepared meals with French influence under a backdrop of the most magnificent views. You will have the entire place to yourself most nights, as Manicou is a very small, hidden gem, boutique "hotel". The treehouse cottages remain glorious. The views are incredible. You are surrounded by nature always. Birds flit about and frogs sing you to sleep in your romantic bed. If you are wondering if you should go, do not hesitate. They are so ready and so able to give you the most relaxing, wonderful, comfortable vacation. We love this place, and we love these people.