Save this story Save Story Save this story Few places are as synonymous with a sun-and-sand vacation as the Seychelles. Scattered across the Indian Ocean, the archipelago’s 115 islands range from jungle-cloaked granite outcrops to pancake-flat coral specks, ringed with brilliantly white beaches that seem to have been plucked straight out of a Bounty Bar commercial.
The Seychelles’ best resorts make the most of their perch, with private-pool villas hidden in the jungle fringe, and parasol-shaded loungers lining gorgeous stretches of turquoise sea and sand. There are old favorites that have been welcoming intrepid sun-seekers for decades, while the buzzy newcomers have brought along serious culinary cred and ever-ambitious spas. Some are designed to do very little; others make for excellent bases for island-hopping, hiking adventures, and close encounters with the country’s eclectic wildlife and colorful Creole culture. Whichever type you fancy, here are the Seychellois resorts worth checking out.
Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts If you daydream about disappearing to a tropical island and spend a few days living out your Robinson Crusoe fantasy, Four Seasons Desroches may just be the ticket. As the second Four Seasons outpost in the country, this all-villa resort is the only occupant (save for a staff village) of Île Desroches, a palm-pinned, coral-ringed island about a 35-minute flight west of Mahé. More than nine miles of blissfully unbuilt beach ring its forested interior, and while cycling around the endless sandy trails, you’re more likely to meet one of the 150 resident giant Aldabra tortoises than another hotel guest.
Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts There are two oceanfront pools, but they’re rarely busy: when not curled up with a book along one of the numerous beaches (some with a bar or pop-up food truck, others with a self-service shack stocked with towels and cold water), you’ll likely find yourself in your villa’s sprawling backyard. Each one is fitted with a private pool, shaded reading nooks, and a pillow-padded sala for lazy afternoon naps, while spa-like bathrooms and lots of wicker and wood details keep things breezy inside. Pop out for Japanese tempura and sushi at Ahi, or global comfort staples (truffle pizza, Sriracha-drizzled chicken burgers, Creole octopus curry) at all-day diner Claudine. Come sunset, you’ll want to make your way to The Lighthouse on the island’s southern tip, where local rum-punchy drinks come paired with dazzling views over the resort’s lush grounds.
Photo: Courtesy of North Island North Island is often mentioned in the same breath as some of the world’s private-island greats (the likes of Madagascar’s Miavana and The Brando in French Polynesia), and for good reason: only accessible by helicopter, and with just 11 villas sprinkled across a 200-hectare jumble of granite hills, tropical forests and quiet coves, this is as hush-hush exclusive as a resort can get.
Photo: Courtesy of North Island Each mini-estate spans a whopping 450 square meters, with two separate bedrooms, a breezy living area, fully kitted-out kitchen, plunge pool, and direct access to your own slice of powder-white sand. They’re hand-built from reclaimed timber, local stone and thatch, and furnished with curtains of clinging seashells, driftwood details, and swathes of creamy linen. Each one comes with a dedicated, whatever-you-wish villa attendant, who wears many hats: they’re there to serve table-spanning breakfast spreads on your terrace or candlelit dinners at the beachfront Piazza lounge, arrange muscle-melting massages in the hilltop spa, or close off the aptly-named Honeymoon Beach on the island’s western side for a private champagne picnic—and a cheeky skinny-dip, if you fancy.
Photo: Courtesy of North Island Between the local rum tasting workshops, sunset cruises, and private BBQ dinners (all included in the rate, so there’s no need to fret about the bill), eke out at least one morning for an island hike with one of the resident naturalists. As you clamber the granite humps to hard-to-reach beaches, they can bring you up close with century-old tortoises and fill you in on the island’s history as an abandoned coconut plantation and the resort’s admirable rehabilitation projects.
Photo: Oliver Fly The latest addition to LVMH’s collection of Cheval Blanc “Maisons” is, unsurprisingly, the Seychelles’ most unabashedly glamorous place to stay. Opened in December 2024, it occupies a stretch of lush marshland and jungle-covered hills along Anse Intendance in southwest Mahé, and infuses it with the white-washed, high-spec hospitality the brand is known for. Its 52 villas, all with private pools and heaps of space, come from the drawing board of Belgian designer Jean-Michel Gathy, and range from lofty beachfront retreats to hillside hideaways. Inside, they mix the designer’s straight-lined, marble-heavy minimalism with local touches, such as colorful textile artworks by Malagasy artist Joël Andrianomearisoa and licks of coconut wood and mother-of-pearl.
Photo: Oliver Fly There are cultural and natural diversions aplenty (helicopter excursions to bird-rich Cousin Island, or jet-ski jaunts to hidden coves), but most guests rarely leave the resort at all. You’ll find them swanning around one of the four communal pools, or zenning out at the Guerlain spa tucked between granite boulders up the hill, while their offspring bounces around the enormous Le Carrousel kids’ club, fitted with climbing nets, splash pools, and the Seychelles’ only artificial surf simulator. Come lunch- and dinnertime, everyone gathers in one of the five restaurants, which cover everything from Creole-inflected cosmopolitan cooking at Le White to French fine dining at Le 1947 and lobster rolls and miso-dressed wagyu tiradito at beachy Sula.
Photo: Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria For those who feel the Seychelles’ main islands don’t feel remote enough, Île Platte awaits. Some 130 kilometers south of Mahé and only accessible via a chartered turboprop flight, this tiny coral island delivers big on the castaway fantasy, albeit one with private infinity pools, farm-to-table tasting menus, and butler service at the drop of a hat.
Photo: Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria These perks come courtesy of Waldorf Astoria, which took over the entire island at the end of 2024 with 50 villas that range from one-bedroom hideaways to five-bedroom family retreats. They’re wrapped in frangipani-scented gardens pinned with palms and tasseled parasols, while inside, rattan details, sea-shell accents, and tropical prints balance the straight-lined Waldorf polish with a dose of beach house-chic. There’s a dreamy spa and a communal poolside hub, where you’ll also find the Lalin rooftop bar for champagne-centric sunset drinks, Mediterranean-tinged La Perle for breakfast through dinner, and a seaside adaptation of the brand’s hallmark Peacock Alley doling out oven-fresh pastries and artisanal loose-leaf teas blended as you wish. Further down the beach, buzzy Maison des Epices focuses on Creole-Latino open-fire cooking (don’t miss the zingy reef fish ceviche), while the glasshouse-like Moulin keeps its tasting menus mostly plant-based and draws on ingredients growing in the surrounding farm gardens.
Photo: Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria But for all the resort’s creature comforts, nature still steals the show. Minimal human activity over the past few centuries gave Île Platte’s wildlife time to flourish, and wherever you look, noddy birds and terns circle the sky. At dusk, giant fruit bats flit between the trees, juvenile rays and sharks glide beneath the glassy water, and hundreds of sea turtles return yearly to nest along the shores — with a pinch of luck, you’ll find their hatchlings crawling down the beach.
Photo: Courtesy of Mango House Seychelles If a stay at the Mango House feels like a sleepover at a well-heeled friend’s very fancy holiday home, it’s because it kind of is: this sprawling house along a secluded bay in southern Mahé was once the private retreat of Milanese fashion photographer Gian Paolo Barbieri, who fell in love with the country during a Vogue photoshoot in 1975. Today, the 41-room property flies Hilton’s LXR flag, but the homely atmosphere remains, thanks to Barbieri’s photographs and local artworks lining the hallways, and the ever-smiling staff who greet every guest by name.
Photo: Courtesy of Mango House Seychelles There are no duds in the accommodation line-up, but for longer stays, the Ocean House or Bay House suites are the ones to book. Like all rooms, they’re bedecked in silky textiles, lots of wicker and honey-hued woods, but have the addition of a private plunge pool — a boon for lazy afternoons in the Seychellois sun. There are four restaurants, including Moutya for Creole cuisine and Azido for Japanese, plus the sultry Kokoye, an Indo-tinged cocktail spot mixing tea-infused martinis with one of the island’s largest gin collections. While pretty, the beachfront isn’t ideal for swimming, so the three communal pools are a welcome perk. As is the clued-in concierge team, who can arrange cross-island adventures such as helicopter-hops over Mahé, an afternoon yachting trip, or a guided excursion to the markets and monuments of Victoria, the Seychelles’ pint-sized capital.
Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts Open since 2009, the Seychelles’ first Four Seasons resort may already be a senior in the fast-moving world of hospitality, but its frequently booked-out calendar proves that this beachfront beauty has serious staying power. It sits above the turquoise waters of Petite Anse, quite possibly one of Mahé’s prettiest bays, with 67 villas and residences scattered along a steep, jungle-cloaked hillside. The architecture riffs on traditional Creole houses, with shaded verandas and low-slung roofs, but they have all the contemporary comforts you can expect from such a chi-chi beach retreat, including outdoor rain showers and enormous sunken bathtubs to soak in the views.
Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts The resort’s plum position in southeast Mahé makes it an excellent launchpad for cross-island road trips and hikes through the surrounding jungle trails, but there’s plenty to keep you on the grounds: the hilltop Le Syel Spa deals in toe-curling head massages and guided breathwork sessions at dusk, while a laundry list of complimentary activities (from coconut petanque to flow yoga classes and friendly volleyball matches) can break up spells along the lounger-lined pool. Restaurants are equally varied, with palm-shaded Italian at the recently revamped Il Forno, sea-fresh sushi at Koi, and themed food nights at pan-Asian ZEZ.
Photo: Courtesy of Raffles Seychelles Pitched up on Praslin Island’s northern shore, the recently renovated Raffles Seychelles delivers the full Seychellois package: it lays claim to the type of white-sand, boulder-strewn beach that gave the archipelago its fame, and has all the luxe-resort trappings for a toes-in-the-sand vacation. There are the villas, with their private pools and eye-popping ocean views, the soul-soothing Raffles Spa, and enough dining options—from poolside chicken curry to multi-course sushi meals—to eat something different for lunch and dinner even during a week-long stay. A packed program of kids’ activities, which includes Creole cooking classes and craft workshops, keeps little ones busy.
But as tempting as it might be to ditch your sightseeing plans, Praslin’s natural wonders shouldn’t be missed. The resort puts you within easy reach of the UNESCO-listed Vallée de Mai, home to elusive black parrots and the Seychelles’ famously enormous coco de mer palms, or one of the island’s many postcard-worthy beaches. Just across the water, Curieuse Island harbors more than 300 giant Aldabra tortoises, while day trips to nearby La Digue deliver tours around vanilla plantations, coconut oil plants, and a stroll along Seychelles’ superstar beach, Anse Source d’Argent, famous for its pink-tinged granite outcrops. Anything else? Just ask your switched-on butler. This is a Raffles, after all.
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Source: Lifestyle
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