- Introduction: Birthday In The Seychelles
- The Club At SJC Review
- Review: British Airways First Class 787 San Jose To London
- Review: British Airways Concorde Room London Heathrow Airport
- Review: Park Hyatt Paris Vendome
- Review: Etihad Lounge Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport
- Review: Etihad Business Class A330 Paris To Seychelles
- Review: Four Seasons Seychelles
- Flying To Desroches Island
- Review: Four Seasons Desroches Island
- Review: Air Seychelles Lounge Mahe Airport Seychelles
- Review: Turkish Business Class A330 Seychelles To Istanbul
- Review: Turkish Airlines Lounge Istanbul Airport
- Review: Turkish Airlines Business Class 777 Istanbul To Los Angeles
Want to take advantage of Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits, including a space available room upgrade, complimentary breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.
Booking the Four Seasons Seychelles
We were spending eight days in the Seychelles, and when we booked this trip many months ago, we initially booked five nights at the Four Seasons Desroches Island, which was going to be the “highlight” of our trip. I’ll talk more about that booking process when I review that hotel, but we booked a (publicly available) pre-opening rate there.
For our three nights on Mahe Island (the main island in the Seychelles) we didn’t know where we wanted to stay. At first we were going to stay at the Le Meridien Fisherman’s Cove, but Tiffany had a not-great experience there. She said the Hilton Seychelles Northolme was much better, so we were looking at that. However, the rate was around 500EUR for our dates, and since Tiffany will (hopefully) be reviewing that soon, I figured we should try something else.
Ford is a Four Seasons Preferred Partner agent, and he gets a lot of inquiries about the Four Seasons Seychelles, so we figured we should try that out. We booked this hotel just days before our stay, and he ended up getting a travel advisor rate at this property (which had nothing to do with me/this blog, so I still feel comfortable reviewing it). Full disclosure, we paid about three quarters of the standard rate, and this is a pretty standard benefit for travel advisors, so we most definitely weren’t staying for free. We would have paid less if we had just booked this when we first planned the trip, given that they have cheaper rates when booking far in advance.
Rates here are highly seasonal, and also depend on how far in advance you book. In general rates are in the range of 700-1,200EUR per night. That’s of course expensive, but do note that all rooms at this property are villas with private pools.
Here’s a page listing the Four Seasons Seychelles offers and promotions, most of which are combinable with Four Seasons Preferred Partner. If you’re booking a Four Seasons Preferred Partner rate here, you’d receive a room upgrade subject to availability, a resort credit, and more (if you do want to inquire about rates, you can email Ford at [email protected]).
Four Seasons doesn’t belong to any of the major hotel loyalty programs, so there’s no practical way to earn or redeem points for stays at Four Seasons properties (short of the points you’re earning for credit card spend).
Four Seasons Seychelles review
Our flight from Paris arrived at around 10AM. Initially we were planning on renting a car while in the Seychelles, but due to some issues we ended up taking a taxi instead. Mahe Island is quite small, and the Four Seasons is located towards the Southwest of the island, about a 30 minute drive from the airport.
The Four Seasons is built into a hill, and even driving to reception is an adventure, given the number of zig-zag roads you have to drive along. At the open-air reception we were greeted by some very friendly hosts, and invited to have a seat while our check-in was processed. We were offered cold towels and iced tea.
Four Seasons Seychelles reception
The reception area is disconnected from most other parts of the resort, so you’ll only come here whenever you’re leaving the resort — otherwise there’s not much going on here.
Four Seasons Seychelles reception
Reception has a beautiful view of the resort’s 67 villas (which are spread out), as well as of the bay.
Four Seasons Seychelles reception view
To give you a sense of the resort layout, here’s a map:
Four Seasons Seychelles resort map
At check-in we were informed that our villa would be ready shortly, so we spent about 30 minutes in the reception area working on our laptops, which worked out perfectly. Soon enough we were driven to our villa in a golf cart. The resort consists of dozens of winding roads, so you can always either call a golf cart to bring you wherever you want to go, or you can use getting around the resort as your cardio for the day (we did the latter).
Four Seasons Seychelles pathway
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa
We had been upgraded to an ocean view villa (this is a one category upgrade over the base room, which is a garden view villa), #205. It seemed to me like our villa was especially secluded, as there were no other villas anywhere in the area.
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa exterior
WOW, this villa was beautiful. There was a gate and then a path leading into the villa’s outdoor area.
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa exterior
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa exterior
At the far left of the villa was a pagoda with a daybed, which was a great place to relax and listen to the waves crashing.
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa outdoor area
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa view
Then in front of the room was an outdoor dining table.
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa outdoor area
There were also two daybeds.
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa outdoor area
Then there was a large outdoor pool — this wasn’t just a plunge pool.
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa pool
Even more beautiful was the interior of the villa. The villa is advertised as being over 2,000 square feet, though that clearly includes outdoor space, and I’d guess the interior is maybe 700 square feet or so, which is still large.
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa bedroom
The room featured a king size bed with great bedding. In front of the bed were two chairs.
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa bedroom
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa bedroom
At night the bed had “nets” that would come around it when turndown service was provided.
Four Seasons Seychelles bed with nets
Then in the far corner of the room was a couch, as well as the minibar.
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa living area
There was a welcome amenity of a fruit plate and a bottle of champagne, along with flowers.
Four Seasons Seychelles welcome amenity
The minibar area had a Nespresso machine, bottled water, and some complimentary coconut and cinnamon cookies and breadfruit chips. Everything else in the minibar was available for purchase.
Four Seasons Seychelles in-room villa Nespresso machine & minibar
Four Seasons Seychelles in-room villa minibar
Across from the couch was a chest that had the TV.
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa TV
On the opposite side of the room was a desk with a chair.
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa desk
The bathroom was over on the far side of the room, and was huge. It featured double sinks, a soaking tub, a walk-in shower, a partitioned off toilet, and a closet.
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa bathroom
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa bathroom
Four Seasons Seychelles villa bathroom
Four Seasons Seychelles villa toilet
Four Seasons Seychelles villa closet
The view from the tub was especially cool, as it looked out over the infinity pool and the ocean in the distance.
Four Seasons Seychelles villa bathtub
The shower was large as well, and had a rainforest shower head and also a handheld shower head.
Four Seasons Seychelles villa shower
Toiletries were in reusable bottles, and had nice scents.
Four Seasons Seychelles toiletries
Outside the double doors on the opposite side of the bathroom was a large deck with an outdoor shower.
Four Seasons Seychelles villa outdoor shower
From there you could go directly into the pool. How gorgeous is this view?!
Four Seasons Seychelles ocean view villa
I thought the villa was basically perfect — this has to be one of the greatest hotel rooms I’ve ever had, when you consider the design and views. This was the sunset view from our villa:
Four Seasons Seychelles sunset
Four Seasons Seychelles sunset
The rooms had complimentary basic Wi-Fi, and then premium Wi-Fi could be purchased at a cost. I stuck to the basic Wi-Fi, and found it to be sufficient.
Four Seasons Seychelles activities
Now let’s take a look at the rest of the resort. Getting around the resort could be confusing given the number of paths, but fortunately there was plenty of signage.
Four Seasons Seychelles resort signage
The focal point of the hotel is the beach.
Four Seasons Seychelles resort path
Weather in the Seychelles was bad for two of the three days we were there, so I think the pictures don’t capture just how beautiful it was when the weather was perfect, as I hadn’t taken pictures then. But this was such a pristine stretch of beach, and the water was calm and crystal clear.
Four Seasons Seychelles beach
Four Seasons Seychelles beach
There were dozens of lounge chairs along the beach.
Four Seasons Seychelles beach
Four Seasons Seychelles beach
There was complimentary sunscreen, and when you sat down they’d bring you coolers with bottled water.
Four Seasons Seychelles complimentary sunscreen
Four Seasons Seychelles complimentary bottled water
Right behind the beach was the hotel’s pool, which was pretty big.
Four Seasons Seychelles pool
Four Seasons Seychelles pool
Four Seasons Seychelles pool
There were other activities between the beach and pool, including chess and volleyball.
Four Seasons Seychelles outdoor chess
Four Seasons Seychelles volleyball
There was also an activities center where you could get a kayak, paddleboat, etc. All the non-motorized activities are complimentary.
Four Seasons Seychelles beach
Four Seasons Seychelles activities
Four Seasons Seychelles activities
The Four Seasons also has a small tortoise sanctuary, with a few tortoises that live there.
Four Seasons Seychelles tortoise sanctuary
Four Seasons Seychelles tortoise
Then the hotel had an excellent gym, with both weights and cardio.
Four Season Seychelles gym
The treadmills even had a view of the ocean, which makes running on a treadmill significantly less boring.
Four Season Seychelles gym
The hotel also has a spa, though we didn’t end up getting any treatments. I found the prices at the hotel to be really high for a luxury resort, including at the spa. The most basic 60 minute massage cost 155EUR plus the 25% service charge and VAT, for a total of 194EUR, or $230. That’s steep.
Here’s the spa menu (sorry for the quality of the pictures, but the menu was printed very lightly):
For those looking for a cool place to sit, the hotel had a library with lots of books, and mainly it was just a nice area to cool off in, given how warm it was.
Four Season Seychelles library
Four Season Seychelles library
Four Seasons Seychelles dining
Now let’s take a look at food at the resort. Breakfast is included for all guests at the Four Seasons, and is served daily at ZEZ Restaurant, from 7AM until 10:30AM. ZEZ Restaurant was located near the center of the resort, a few flights of stairs down from reception.
Four Seasons Seychelles ZEZ Restaurant
The restaurant is entirely outdoors, and has views of the resort.
Four Seasons Seychelles ZEZ Restaurant
Four Seasons Seychelles ZEZ Restaurant
That’s a view, eh?
Four Seasons Seychelles rainbow
With breakfast you had access to the buffet, and then also could order off of a small menu. I’ll let the pictures of the buffet speak mostly for themselves. I’d say the buffet was good, but not memorable.
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast buffet
Then there was a small menu you could order off of. You’d simply check a box and then hand the card to your waiter.
Four Seasons Seychelles a la carte breakfast
Below are pictures of the dishes we tried over the course of our three breakfasts here.
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast — shrimp rougaille
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast — salmon bagel
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast — eggs benedict
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast — oatmeal
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast — omelet
Four Seasons Seychelles breakfast — eggs
While we never did use it, adjacent to ZEZ Restaurant is ZEZ Bar, open from 6PM until 10:30PM.
Four Seasons Seychelles ZEZ Bar
Four Seasons Seychelles ZEZ Bar
Four Seasons Seychelles ZEZ Bar
Then for lunch the hotel has Kannel Restaurant & Bar. This is located right by the pool, and you can either sit in the actual restaurant, or instead sit at the bar (where there are couches looking out over the ocean).
Four Seasons Seychelles Kannel Restaurant
Four Seasons Seychelles Kannel Bar
The Kannel Restaurant menu read as follows:
The wine list read as follows:
For reference, the currency conversion between USD and SCR is 1:13.5, and then there’s a 25% service charge and VAT. To start we were offered some excellent warm bread with an olive dip.
Four Seasons Seychelles lunch — bread
Then we ordered a fattoush salad to start (~24USD).
Four Seasons Seychelles lunch — fattoush salad
Then we both had the tuna a la plancha as our mains (~56USD).
Four Seasons Seychelles lunch — tuna a la plancha
As you can see, the prices are steep, though both dishes were good.
On the day we arrived we had a more casual lunch at the Kannel Bar, where we had curry and some samosas.
Four Seasons Seychelles lunch — curry & samosas
Then one night we had dinner at ZEZ Restaurant. The menu read as follows:
The food quality was excellent. I had the hot and sour soup with prawns to start, while Ford had the chicken and mushroom spring rolls.
Four Seasons Seychelles dinner — hot and sour soup with prawns
Four Seasons Seychelles dinner — chicken and mushroom spring roll
Then we both had the Singapore style chicken breast as our mains.
Four Seasons Seychelles dinner — Singapore style chicken breast
We had awful weather for two of our three days, so we ended up ordering room service dinner one night, which was excellent.
Four Seasons Seychelles room service dinner
Four Seasons Seychelles service
Lastly I wanted to talk a bit about service at the resort. Let me start by saying that the Four Seasons Desroches had phenomenal service across the board. I was so impressed.
Unfortunately that wasn’t our experience at the Four Seasons Seychelles, though. Service was generally well intentioned, but just not up to the level you’d expect from Four Seasons. This wasn’t just on one occasion, but we must have had a dozen minor incidents of disappointing service. Let me give just a few examples.
We hadn’t brought sunscreen on our trip, so when we first got to the pool we asked if they had any sunscreen, and they told us we had to go to the gift shop to buy it. We did that, and found out that they were sold out of 50 SPF, but rather only had 15 SPF (which I feel like at a secluded resort you should be sure you’re properly stocked with sunscreen, especially when you’re charging 34.50EUR per bottle). So we bought the 15 SPF sunscreen, and then five minutes later we stumbled upon a free sunscreen station outside, so we had been misinformed.
Speaking of service at the beach, even though there were several people working there, it was nearly impossible to get help. When we first got to the beach we had to ask three times for help getting towels. Later we wanted to order drinks, so I went to the bar to ask for a menu. The server insisted on bringing it to us, and I showed her where on the beach we were sitting. 10 minutes later no one showed up, so I followed up. Then 10 minutes later we finally got a drink menu.
One of the phones in our room wasn’t working. We hadn’t reported this, as it wasn’t a big deal, since one phone was working. Att around 8PM one night a maintenance person showed up at our villa to fix our phone. He didn’t ask if it was a convenient time, or if there’s a time he could come back when we were out. Rather he showed himself in and spent 20 minutes testing our phone and repeatedly making phone calls, which just doesn’t seem like the ideal way to do this, especially as we were about to go to sleep.
Those are just a few examples.
I’d note we had some positive interactions as well. For the most part the service in the restaurants was very good, both friendly and attentive. In many ways I feel like the hotel got the “hard” service things right, while they dropped the ball on easy things, like service at the beach. So it was a mixed bag, and initially I’d say it might come down to the general “island time” service mentality in the Seychelles. However, service at the other Four Seasons was flawless, so I do think the constructive criticism is warranted.
Four Seasons Seychelles bottom line
The Four Seasons Seychelles is generally regarded as the best hotel on Mahe Island, and for the most part that’s for good reason. The resort has a breathtaking location, as it’s on a bay with turquoise water and so much natural beauty. Furthermore, the villas at this hotel are incredible. They’re large, all have pools, and the design is beautiful as well.
The one major area of improvement for the hotel is with service. This is the only hotel I stayed at on Mahe Island so I can’t comment if these service issues are common in the Seychelles, but for a Four Seasons I expected more polished service. Given how good service was at the other Four Seasons, hopefully this is an area where the hotel can improve.
Lastly, I’d note that even beyond the room rates, prices here are high. Of course more expensive hotels often have higher prices, though even factoring that in, I thought prices here were especially high. Prices for food, drinks, and spa treatments were roughly comparable to the Four Seasons Desroches Island. I think those high prices are much more justifiable at the other property, given that it’s a secluded property on a private island, so the cost of everything (labor, transport, food, drinks, etc.) is much higher. So I’d expect prices there to be higher, but not so much at the Four Seasons that’s on Mahe.
If money is no object then that doesn’t matter, but for someone who is looking to splurge, you might find that to be off-putting.
Anyway, all around this is a beautiful, expensive resort, though there are some opportunities with service.
Want to take advantage of Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits, including a space available room upgrade, complimentary breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.
Read Four Seasons reviews: Athens, Boston, Cap-Ferrat, Denver, Desroches Island, Florence, Fort Lauderdale, Hualalai, Kyoto, Lanai, Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, Los Cabos, Madrid, Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Maui, Megeve, Miami, Napa Valley, Naviva, Nevis, Oahu at Ko Olina, Paris, Punta Mita, San Francisco at Embarcadero, Scottsdale, Seychelles, and Surfside
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I had a chance to visit some of the Caribbean Islands, Maldives, Seychelles... To be honest I haven' t seen any beach, any sea in my life before. It is absolutely breathtaking. The resort is a fantastic one! nothing is too much but quality. Beautiful hotel is in the spotless point. It's worth for every single penny for that stunning view, the colour of the blue. If I had any chance to go on holiday tomorrow I would go to the FS Seychelles without looking my back.
Im planning a four night trip to Seychelles and I'm between the two four seasons. Desroches is 500 EUR cheaper though. Which one would you choose. I've already read both of your reviews but i can't make up my mind.
Good news is, everyone can visit the resort and enjoy the view and beach for free. You don't have to stay there. All beaches at Seychelles are public.
Location is lovely but I would not pay to stay there. I recommend hiring a car and driving around the island.
@lucky how could you not go to praslin, you missed the best part of Seychelles, the Coco der mere, and the hiking or biking in La Digue and just chill at any beaches, and hike to different spots of the island. Praslin's Raffles is the best in my opinion and I loved every bit of my stay there.
However, I'm shocked how many rude people you encountered in Seychelles as I haven't met anyone during our 2 weeks stay there.
this hotel is on my bucketlist and its my dream to visit, reviews on Trip Advisor are all incredible and the pictures make me drool!! Im glad u had a good time I cant wait to visit.
Obviously staying in the Seychelles is different than Maldives (Islands vs. small Atolls) but how would you contrast the Seychelles generally vs Mauritius (seems similiar in size) and specifically this 4S vs St Regis Mauritius?
@Lucky - you should review some of the Taj properties (such as one of my favorites, the Taj Lake Palace) or Oberoi properties (Oberoi Udaivillas for instance). These ultra luxury chains are breath-taking to experience. I have never ever had a bad stay or a bad experience with service with the Taj and Oberoi resorts.
Was at the Hilton Northolme for two nights a few weeks back. It was a great use of our Hilton free night certificates and with a very good free breakfast for Golds. Prices for food at the Ocean View Bar were not too bad considering the excellent location for sunset etc. Cash rates were about €500/night though which is too expensive. I had just as good a time at the much more basic places we...
Was at the Hilton Northolme for two nights a few weeks back. It was a great use of our Hilton free night certificates and with a very good free breakfast for Golds. Prices for food at the Ocean View Bar were not too bad considering the excellent location for sunset etc. Cash rates were about €500/night though which is too expensive. I had just as good a time at the much more basic places we stayed at on Praslin and La Digue (especially) which were more like €75/night.
I'm always glad when you post the menus for these places. I love the idea of going to a beautiful beach hotel with fantastic natural scenery. However, my biggest fear is that having used points to fly business class, and various discounts to afford a nice room, we'll blow our year's travel budget just paying such over-inflated prices for the single vegetarian option on the menu.
(Also, think about how many massages you could get...
I'm always glad when you post the menus for these places. I love the idea of going to a beautiful beach hotel with fantastic natural scenery. However, my biggest fear is that having used points to fly business class, and various discounts to afford a nice room, we'll blow our year's travel budget just paying such over-inflated prices for the single vegetarian option on the menu.
(Also, think about how many massages you could get at a high-end spa in Bangkok for US$230)
All I can say is that after my 5 nights at the Maldives Cheval Blanc (LVMH property), nothing compares. My (entry level) water villa was more than 3000 sq. ft. with butler and 2 house boys. With AMEX FHR (4th night free) my daily rate was about $1500 USD. Nothing I have seen in this or any other blog compares. I am a beach snob, and the water was absolutely magnificent. Very close to Mundays Beach in Anguilla.
Stayed 4 nights 3 years ago - they were gracious enough to give me a “day villa” as I had an early arrival and my sea view villa wasn’t ready. I thought the villa and bathroom outstanding, although the pagoda/Bali bed mattress had seen better days. Transport around the resort was efficient and staff went through the motions, nothing more. Food as you mentioned was average, a $35 poolside burger tasteless. While I wanted to...
Stayed 4 nights 3 years ago - they were gracious enough to give me a “day villa” as I had an early arrival and my sea view villa wasn’t ready. I thought the villa and bathroom outstanding, although the pagoda/Bali bed mattress had seen better days. Transport around the resort was efficient and staff went through the motions, nothing more. Food as you mentioned was average, a $35 poolside burger tasteless. While I wanted to chill, I did feel rather trapped in the property... excursions were prohibitively expensive even though I was expecting them to be high, I too had rental car issues and concerns and the resort as one would expect is very quiet/dead after 8:30/9 pm and really nothing in the immediate surrounding area for outside entertainment. Best time to visit is probably during whale shark season when I imagine some of the excursions must be thrilling, otherwise prepare to stay put and force yourself to relax. Day 1 of the giant fruit bats was interesting, by Day 3 I was over them and their poop bombs. It’s a long trip from US, so plan carefully if you want to see more of the islands and famous beaches or bring steamer trunks full of money if you want to use the FS as your conscierge and base.
I don't get these places : maybe remote and exclusive but they look as boring as hell and a major PITA to get to. Maldives, Phi Phi, Seychelles, same, same. Fine for a 48 hour honeymoon but that's it. Better to sit in a tropical garden/pool in a city resort . Is it really worthwhile to fly 12 hours to end up there?
Interacting with Socrates looks the best of it.
What did you do besides hanging out at the resort or is that all you did as Victoria is quite big apparently so did you once go into to town to check it out and how did you get there?
Amazing , the layout of villas in the hillside , with narrow roads built for golf carts , the verandah and pool and reception and many other features look identical to the Four Seasons in Koh Samui ,Thailand ..............except villa furnishings
Food looks great. Review thorough. I disagree with your love of villas - they seem very generic but perhaps it is just the pictures v. reality?
I was just goofing about the tortoise. It’s a common mistake. It’s a little like calling a dolphin or whale a fish. Anyway, Socrates doesn’t care. He’s just a baby. He’ll still be there long after all of us, and the hotel, are long gone.
It’s a good review of a hotel that doesn’t appeal to me but I find to be interesting enough.
More expensive hotels have higher prices.
How do the prices for food compare to elsewhere in the area? If you went to a local restaurant, would that be 50% cheaper or even more?
@ Jim -- It would really depend where you went, but most of Mahé's restaurants are geared towards tourists, so it's harder to find the "amazing local dive with great food for $5" places. But these prices (and most hotel prices) are still inflated. At La Perle Noir (a fine-dining restaurant in Beau Vallon), for example, you'd pay ~400 R.S. (~$30) for seafood mains.
Im with Larry . You lost me as soon as you called a tortoise a turtle! Also no mention of Praslin ,curieuse and La Digue where the big Aldabra "Tortoises" are .
Staying sheltered in Desroches Island for the sake of bragging rites appears to me that you missed the best of the Seychellles .....Doh !
@Lucky My wife, infant son, and I missed you and Ford by about a week. We stacked a 30% off deal with the Citi Prestige 4th night free. This is only the 5th hotel of this class that we’ve ever stayed at but we agree with you that the service was extremely inconsistent. While half of the staff was proactive and clearly proud of the resort, the other half seemed indifferent. So for every anticipated...
@Lucky My wife, infant son, and I missed you and Ford by about a week. We stacked a 30% off deal with the Citi Prestige 4th night free. This is only the 5th hotel of this class that we’ve ever stayed at but we agree with you that the service was extremely inconsistent. While half of the staff was proactive and clearly proud of the resort, the other half seemed indifferent. So for every anticipated forethought like fencing off the sun deck for our son and bagging up breakfast to go for our early flight, there was the poor service of having to ask for requests multiple times and failing to communicate upfront that the resort doesn’t have a boat dock so guests have to wade into the water to catch the dive boat.
Socrates wishes he had a Seychellois rupee for everyone who called him a turtle.
sooo...FS Seychelles or FS Bora-Bora?
Lucky I used to travel to Tanzania and other countries in South East Africa the delay and just coming in whenever seemed like at random times to fix things is normal .I loved going there but here was a weekly occurrence of this when I was working there. One time I was the only one in the hotel restaurant I saw a burger I ordered and the waiter just have smiled at me for what...
Lucky I used to travel to Tanzania and other countries in South East Africa the delay and just coming in whenever seemed like at random times to fix things is normal .I loved going there but here was a weekly occurrence of this when I was working there. One time I was the only one in the hotel restaurant I saw a burger I ordered and the waiter just have smiled at me for what felt like 15 minutes (probably more like ten) . As far as the sunscreen and other things like this I learned from colleagues it's better to ask 2 people. Probably the best Indian food I have had in my life also. But to me after visiting there almost 20 times this is quite normal for he region it seemed like they were afraid to say no or they weren't sure. Was a great time regardless and very friendly people but they didn't see! To have the same rushed or informative standards that I was used to while traveling. Seems like a pretty awesome trip though regardless of the issues you had.
@Lucky, what were the temperature and humidity like? and how about the mosquitos, especially at night? did u really need the netting on the bed?
Stayed there in August 2015. Service was very good and met my high expectations, with one minor hiccup on our scheduled car on the way out. Food was very expensive. We ordered wine case delivery from a local wine shop to our room for the week, paid corkage at restaurants. Superb beach, outstanding rooms/facilities.
I’m surprised haters haven’t come out in droves....yet! Lol... still waiting... pop corn...
Just want to say, when I stayed there in January - the service was flawless. Every member was very happy and this came across in their work.
Yes it’s very expensive - $2000 a night at peak times for a better position villa.
The spa is an absolutely disgusting amount. We were given a free treatment - and whilst nice - was nothing special to warrant those types of prices.
@Caroline - I totally agree with you!
@Airway and Travels
Caring so much about how other's spend their money/vacation time is a bit silly. Cheap people are everywhere, even those who stay at the best resorts and pay the cash rate.
Stop worrying about what other people do and just enjoy your own vacation.
The breakfast buffet is impressive so are the rooms. Being part Scottish tightwad, I don't think I will be staying there though
It's nice to see there are places like the FS where people cannot access with points and miles. Keeps it more exclusive. There is nothing worse of people redeeming a ton of points to stay at top notch properties to then see them nickel and dime everything during their stay (think adults ordering children meals to save money)... I am saying that not because I am snobbish, but because certain places cater to a certain...
It's nice to see there are places like the FS where people cannot access with points and miles. Keeps it more exclusive. There is nothing worse of people redeeming a ton of points to stay at top notch properties to then see them nickel and dime everything during their stay (think adults ordering children meals to save money)... I am saying that not because I am snobbish, but because certain places cater to a certain clientele and I'd say it's quite necessary to fit in to fully enjoy the experience.
OMG, this place is expensive compared to the local wages. Staying there for 5 days would be the equivalent, in terms of buying power, if this were a US hotel that charged $25,000 per night.
Service was consistently an issue when we were in the Seychelles. Both at the Hilton Northolme and at most of the restaurants we dined at on the rest of the island. We were in the Seychelles for a week. We also stayed on Praslin for 2 of our 7 nights. Service during our stay there actually was generally better, but still not even close to excellent or even very good. Despite the outstanding beauty, on...
Service was consistently an issue when we were in the Seychelles. Both at the Hilton Northolme and at most of the restaurants we dined at on the rest of the island. We were in the Seychelles for a week. We also stayed on Praslin for 2 of our 7 nights. Service during our stay there actually was generally better, but still not even close to excellent or even very good. Despite the outstanding beauty, on La Digue especially, (where we took a day trip), we would not return to the Seychelles because of the pervasive sub par service.
This is the most amazing place I ever stayed as the beach and scenery is simply breathtaking - yes expensive but amazing
The photos are good - that's your forte. However I think the interiors are extremely ho-hum. I know this is subjective but I just don't see anything special in the rooms or the hotel design. The villa's pool looks great but that's it.
The photography on this review is outstanding - great job! Everything looks beautiful, the resort, the scenery, your suite, and the food. The prices are rather extreme, especially the restaurant but I would seriously consider this place for a once in a lifetime special event, like a honeymoon trip. Excellent review, thanks!
I'm going to the Seychelles this summer and am staying at the Hilton Northolme. 95,000 points a night, but a bargain compared to the FS
What a ripoff!
Hi Ben -
Two quick notes - next time you're in the Seychelles, try Maia. The location and villas are stunning (in addition to similar amenities to the ones you've shown here, each has its own outdoor kitchen & dining sala, where your butler will make breakfast for you) the food is extraordinary, and the service -- starting with the aforementioned butler -- will leave you never wanting to go home. I would chose it...
Hi Ben -
Two quick notes - next time you're in the Seychelles, try Maia. The location and villas are stunning (in addition to similar amenities to the ones you've shown here, each has its own outdoor kitchen & dining sala, where your butler will make breakfast for you) the food is extraordinary, and the service -- starting with the aforementioned butler -- will leave you never wanting to go home. I would chose it over the 4S any day of any week. Also (sorry to be a pain) but Socrates is a tortoise, not a turtle, though I guess he won't mind what you call him as long as you gently rub his neck.
The villa and the bayview are just great. But it does not convince me to travel there. You can have that villa and seaview or sunset in a far more affordable FS in other parts of the world. It is a great report as I know now that I could give this FS in the Seychelles a miss.
Gorgeous views and rooms, but I'd have to eat a giant breakfast every morning to last me the rest of the day. The food all looks delicious, but 4 small egg rolls and a tiny dish of shredded chicken in sauce costing nearly $90? I just can't.
Great review Lucky! Very helpful as we’re planning on Seychelles for next year. Heads up - Your first reception picture is actually of the hotel room. So what was the exact rate you ended up paying with TA discount? Btw this property reminds me a lot of FS Ko Samui.
Sounds disappointing by Four Seasons standards. Looks less expensive than Four Seasons Maldives LG, but significant less impressive. Won't bother going here, but look forward to hearing about their other resort. Deciding between Amanyara, FS Maldives LG, or FS Seychelles for two weeks in July