Seychelles

I flew to the Seychelles with Air Seychelles, who offered an overall good service. Although the leg room in Economy was good, I found the seats a little hard. The in-flight entertainment was poor, and seat-back TV would be a definite improvement. On the other hand, the in-flight catering was excellent.

At the beginning of the trip, the properties I visited were located on MAHE. The first hotel was The Northolme, and the accommodation on offer certainly had the ‘wow’ factor, being large and spacious. This hotel is now part of the Hilton Group, so the standard of service is very high, as you would expect. The Spa is amazing and there was a great pool deck. Although I would recommend this accommodation very highly, being a firm favourite of mine, I thought perhaps that the breakfast buffet served in the Al Fresco Hilltop Restaurant was lacking originality. At other times of the day, the Al Fresco offered buffet style dining. One evening we dined in Les Cocotiers, which serves a la carte Creole food, and especially features fresh seafood. One drawback of the hotel was its small beach, but I am sure the standard of the rooms, public areas and excellent service would more than make up for it. Additionally. there is a private villa available for hire, the Ian Fleming Suite, although whilst it is a little different from the ‘standard’ rooms, I didn’t feel it was worthy of the additional supplement, unless the section of the beach directly in front of the villa was made private!

My second visit was to the Banyan Tree, which I personally found rather disappointing. A few problems with maintenance were evident, and an untidy room in the Spa did nothing to enhance the relaxed atmosphere. Despite its wonderful location and lovely beach, I fail to justify the 5* rating, but I’m sure any of these problems could be fixed with a little TLC. I feel the hotel lives on its reputation, however if this hotel underwent a facelift, it could easily be elevated back to its premier status.

Le Meridien Barbarons was another good, sound property, although maybe a little ‘overdone’ in the reception area. The lovely rooms offered contemporary decor, and I would recommend this property to families who like a little bit of life! I found the Sunset Beach a really nice 4* property, with a lovely ambience. The beachfront rooms were lovely, and this would be a good choice, although I thought the property perhaps lacked a little sophistication.

The Fisherman’s Cove is another superb property, although perhaps a 4* rather than 5. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel for families with children, and I also experienced a few maintenance problems, although nothing major. The pool deck is fabulous, as is the location, although I would recommend clients to upgrade one room level, if their budget allowed. The Wharf is suitable for a stopover, but I would be more inclined to suggest it for a longer stay if only it had a beach.

On PRASLIN, I had mixed feelings about the 4* Le Muria Resort. Whilst the hotel offered nice rooms and good public areas, I was concerned about the noise from aircraft overhead, especially over the villas, and I am sorry to say that the level of customer service was amongst the worst I have ever experienced. Unless this was dramatically improved, I certainly would not recommend this hotel to my clients. L’Archipel, (www.larchipel.com) on the other hand, was another excellent 4* property, offering 30 spacious rooms set amidst coconut trees and flowers, all with verandahs and offering a panoramic ocean view. This property would be ideal for honeymooners, with secluded large suites available overlooking the superb beach. There are two excellent restaurants, La feuille d'Or in the main building for dinner, and Bonm Ange on the beach for breakfast and a la carte lunch. There is also live music performed twice each week.

The Coco de Mer was another excellent resort, with fabulous modern rooms, and I think this hotel will do well. Two catamarans operate a service in association with the hotel, offering delightful excursions to discover tranquil bays, deserted islands and unspoilt beaches, as well as overnight and extended cruises in six double en-suite cabins. The hotel is situated on several small beaches which form part of a large tranquil bay. The restaurants serve international and Creole cuisine, as well as BBQ's and there is also a poolside bar and grill.

The Sainte Anne Resort (www.sainteanne-resort.com) is situated on its own 200-hectare island and is an excellent all-round resort, being great for families and couples alike, and I would not hesitate to highly recommend this popular hotel. One of the beauties of this resort is that it offers a complimentary free boat shuttle service to Mahé, 10 minutes away, as well as offering nature walks around the island, bicycles for hire, and is also an excellent base from which to travel to other islands of Praslin and La Digue. The watersports available include swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving, and the abundance of colourful marine life surrounding the resort makes these activities very popular, and you can take a trip on the hotel's glass-bottom boats. It is also possible to kayak and windsurf, as well as play tennis. Other features of this hotel are the daily Miniclub for children aged 3 and 12, and the first-class Clarins Spa. The resort has a reputation for offering excellent cuisine at its two restaurants, Le Mont Fleuri and L'Abondance.

Throughout the islands generally, the food is of a very high standard, with mainly international cuisine being served, and in particular, Creole dishes. One important factor to consider is that potential visitors would be advised to check the weather for the time of year they are intending to travel, as it can vary significantly.

(The website for The Northolme Hotel was temporarily unavailable at the time of writing.)