JJason2023Pros:
Quiet location (no traffic noise)
A short (daytime) walk to a busy part of Blantyre.
Good size room.
Cons:
The safety deposit box was not working - I was told 'it's an old one and so can't be fixed, you can keep things in the reception safe'.
Leaking water in bathroom.
Very expensive drinks at the bar - 14,000 kwacha / $10 + tourism tax for a bottle of Castle beer (imported from SA). The other, local, beers are 6000 kwacha plus tourism tax so also expensive - Malawi has seen some huge inflation but I paid less than 3000 for the same beers at a lodge in Mulanje.
The bill on check out added a 'tourism levy' (tax) to everything I ordered in the restaurant - I was not told about this when ordering and was not charged a tourism levy in any of the other 3 hotels/lodges I stayed in during my time in Malawi. This could have been in the T&Cs however and I just missed it.
Breakfast is not particularly great (a la carte) - i had to return undercooked sausages.
Overall, the lodge itself is in a good location and i would return again. I would skip the restaurant and go to the Crossroads hotel restaurant which has reasonable prices and good quality food (but no alcohol). Casa Mia definitely had the most expensive beers I found in Malawi, although the very friendly and interesting owner was kind enough to buy me a few so I guess it balanced out.