porsche534

I'm in the midst of booking a 5 night Seychelles stay in November. The pricing at Banyan Tree is compelling, however the reviews are worrisome. I'm looking for insight as to what the better option would be. Here are the details:

FS: 5 nights Bed & Breakfast plan in garden villa $6,120 (3,786 GBP)

BT: 5 nights Bed & Breakfast plan in
Hillside Pool Villa= $3,827 (2,368 GBP)
Pool Villa by the Rocks= $3,973 (2,458 GBP)
Beachfront Spa Pool Villa= $4,720 (2,920 GBP)

I am traveling with my wife and we'd like to incorporate day trips to Praslin and La Digue as well. Therefore, I'm leaning towards the BT cheaper option as we'll likely be out of the resort a few days. Location seems suitable at each place. Any insight from previous patrons is much appreciated. Also open to alternative options though I'm not inclined to spend much over $1,000 for bed/breakfast only.

Ericka

We've considered something similar and while I can't comment on the resorts themselves, I wanted to make sure you were aware that FS has 4th night and 6th/7th night free offers starting September 1. (I believe that is the start of rainy season....so also check your weather). A FS preferred provider will also get you free breakfast and the possibility of an upgrade.

Oh, and I think Praslin and La Digue are close together so that you can do both in one day trip.

porsche534

Thanks for the info. I will have to give FS a call as I cannot get the 4th night free promotion to register on their website. We are squeezing this trip in before a family obligation in the UK so we'll have to take our chances with the rain. Though as I understand it typically rains for a few intermittent moments each day which is bearable IMO.

Euc-

Although I cannot comment on the FS, we did stay at the BT. In general we are fans of BT, mainly due to their spa which is always fantastic in every location we go to.

Unfortunately the one at the Seychelles is an old property and it is showing, the villa's are in urgent need of refurbishment and the service can be hit or miss while non existant at the beach. Food is acceptable for Seychelles standards where everything is extremely expensive to begin with, but was nothing out of the ordinary. Location is extremely good though and in general the gardens/nature are well kept.

Heard the owners are looking to sell the property as they are not interested in investing to refurbish, seems a hard job for their new GM Frank who used to work for MO and Six Senses.

Larkin

I would recommend the Four Seasons. The rooms are nice, the beach is great and the spa very nice. I have not stayed at Banyon Tree but went to visit and it was looking a little tired and this was a couple of years ago. Four Seasons is not my favorite resort in the Seychelles but we certainly really enjoyed it. My favorites are North Island and Fregate Island, but Four Seasons seems to be the best on Mahe. I am sure you will enjoy.

DrivingRain

Larkin,

Thanks for your views on this. Can you describe the Mahe experience a bit? ...esp FS.

Is it as active a trip as Bali- with always something to see and do to get you out of the villa?

Or is it more laid back like the Maldives?

And then as far as North Island and Fregate go. I assume you're sequestered there and that's not a bad thing necessarily. Is that correct?

Ericka

I have been doing a lot of research on the Seychelles, and while I haven't been there yet, I'll take a stab at answering this question. It seems to me that there are many islands to see in the Seychelles with different scenery and experiences....like hiking, the giant tortoises, etc. Whereas one island in the Maldives is pretty much like another unless you want to compare dive sites.

I've been thinking that staying on Mahe is a good thing because it is the main island with many different options for day trips...many private boats, or group tours using the ferry system, or private tours using the ferry system, or helicopter companies....all based on Mahe. Which is still a very pretty island that happens to be accessible to everything. Including the airport.

If money was no object, we would stay at North Island and just have the helicopters come from Mahe to take us wherever we wanted to go. All private charter, of course. :-)

instyleprincess

I was in Seychelles last month and been to Maldives & Bali

I'd say Seychelles have more to offer than Maldives. There are different islands to go "island-hopping" and they all differ from each other.
The islands of Maldives are pristine and gorgeous, but even if you go to different island/resort in Maldives, they're somewhat the same, not much to see or do other than water sports & relax.

I''d recommend Maldives for those seeking couples-only vacation, but if you wanna be more active, go to Seychelles.

There are lots of to do and see on Bali as well, but personally I prefer Seychelles a lot better, better beach, locals on Seychelles friendlier and more genuine than the Balinese I've encountered in the past.

As for the original poster, I'd definitely go for Four Seasons over Banyan Tree. FS is a much newer property, for something better than FS, go for North or Fregate mentioned in this post, or try Desroches which was truly truly wonderful, I find it very Aman!

Kagehitokiri

elsewhere >

laucala is same price as fregate, will be interesting to hear comments from Baghoarder
(necker island is also similar price, and another different experience)

Larkin

Driving Rain,
Sorry for the delayed response.

Seychelles has much more to do than Maldives, but not the kind of culture you find in Bali. You can travel by boat to different islands and beaches which can be interesting and fun. La Digue for example is definately worth a visit.
Of course you can do these trips from Fregate and North Island, but you don't really need to leave them. Both have multiple beaches and golf carts for you to get around, as well as rooms that ou can hang out in for days at a time IMHO! Of course if it is your first time to Seychelles I highly recommend a days outing on a boat no matter where you stay. You can get to La Digue, Praslin, etc and just make it a day. Mahe itself is not much. For us not much to explore there. Four Seasons was a great resort to relax, go to beach (great beach), and of course they can arrange a boat trip for you. Snorkeling was quite good there and diving in the Seychelles is great as well. There is a cute low key restaurant around the corner from four seasons and you can go by boat as well.
For rooms I recommend on hill if adults. Ask or privacy and a view. When we were there the vegetation was not fully grown some of the rooms were not as private as should be and looked right onto road with golf carts going around. That may have changed by now, but I would request. I really loved the spa on top of the hill with gorgeous views!

pauldb

Have you looked at Raffles on Praslin. I haven't been to any of those you mention (bar visiting BT which did look a bit tired), but I would suggest Praslin is a better base if you want to see the variety of the Seychelles and take a few day trips to Praslin itself, La Digue and the surrounding islands. However it doesn't seem from the reviews to be as great an operation as the FS, and it may depend how easily you can connect (by plane or boat) from SEZ to Praslin when you arrive/depart.

Or there's Domaine de l'Orangerie on La Digue which was great but not a par to the others - interesting and cool but not the same privacy/service/food.

Euc-

Just learned that the BT group bought out the owners and now owns the hotel, they are planning to invest a couple of million US$ in the refurbishment starting near the end of the year.

Sounds good as the hotel is in a perfect location with an amazing beach.^

Kagehitokiri

interesting, thanks
only 55 villas, no online ratecard
http://www.orangeraie.sc/

also makes sense re BT because they have residences and destination club

instyleprincess

I stayed at Raffles Praslin during my trip in April, and yes it is a good base to explore the surrounding smaller islands, in fact, it is facing Curieuse Island (a local attraction where you can find a lot of private beach and tortoise!) and only 10 minute away by boat.
However, I think it's still a new hotel, a lot of advertised facilities were closed or not available during my stay there, service a bit slow but all staffs very willing to help & friendly.
But the major problem is privacy, this hotel has no privacy at all, and they built too many units close to each other, I can see directly to the road and I believe they can see me on my balcony and my pool too. I can see multiple villa's sundeck & pool area too so vice versa.
Food can really use some improvement as well, I'd highly suggest renting a car and explore the island, & eating out.
Raffles Praslin does offer unblocked and amazing ocean view though, guess that's the plus side not having full vegetation on the site! I woke up in the morning and feel truly blessed seeing the beautiful view!
Note that the hotel is located on the sunrise side, but you won't be able to see the sunset in the room.

instyleprincess

I visited & had lunch at Domaine de l'Orangerie on La Digue, did not stay there but it does seem like nice boutique hotel.
Personally, I find that La Digue has the best beach in Seychelles, and would consider staying for 2 nights or so on La Digue, and I believe l'Orangerie is the best choice on the island