TravelinWilly

Very timely. I did a Google/FT search yesterday for "north island" and your comprehensive TR was in the results already.

Great report! Loved the detail, and as others have mentioned, very informative while being a very very fun read.

Keep on posting on...!

aa213bb

Thank you for such a wonderful report ... I do always enjoy yours, as I'm usually laughing.

A couple questions:

1) Do you happen to know what wines/alcohols are included (in particular, champagnes)?

2) I presume you felt 7 nights was more than enough, yes? Or did you find yourself wishing you'd stayed even longer?

I have to say, given the words and photos - much less the rates - I feel less inclined to try North than I would have before.

At these rates, truly, one should be at the apex of service and hard product.

offerendum

Thanks for the review, wanted always know more about this place. Bugs are a big problem at the Seychelles. We were at Cousin Island without any protection. Not a good idea......

North Island looks really special, but the price-tag is also very special. Not sure if I would pay it.....

MacMyDay

1) I'm afraid not, but out of the 2 couples we had dinner with, both were very happy with what was on offer. If you'd like, I can ask the GM and PM you the information?

2) I felt 7 days was enough to do and see everything, but would not have been bored if we stayed longer. We really did nothing the first 2 days, but that was mostly due to the weather.

I went to North Island with the highest of hopes and unfortunately they were not met in the service department, but actually exceeded in every other area, excluding that bloody outdoor bathroom. Just like you, I thought at the price point that the service would either at least match the finest resorts we've been, or at best exceed it. I didn't envisage it would do neither. I also suffered from observing every single fault, due to how expensive it was. Some points I'd have just ignored at other resorts, but not here, and North Island should be aware of that.

I sent this review to the GM before I left and spent nearly an hour talking through the points with him. I really hope they can change their errors, as with just some tweaks to reducing the butlers work load and improving guest relations, North Island will be there and I think I'd return without hesitation - providing I've not bankrupted myself with all these holidays by then.

lb8001

Extremely fun and interesting review of a place I've wondered about going. I really enjoy your sense of humor and the pros and cons you mention are worth giving some thought to (I've also been to Amanpulo but although lovely, didn't have the sterling service you apparently did)

aa213bb

Oh, that's fine. I know neither of you drink alcohol, but didn't know if you'd happened to look.

That makes sense. Though, I tend to find - for us - that 5 to 7 days is our max for "hardcore lounging". I start to get antsy.

Yes, I imagine I would be hyper critical - as is reasonable - given the price point.

And don't get me started on the bathrooms ... an absolute non-starter for me, though I'll be watching to see if the GM takes yours (and, I assume, others) comments to heart and has those enclosed.

DetailsIM

I do the same thing. We aren't at your level of travel yet but when we travel and it's costing us a good dollar we tend to be more picky.

I don't have the guts yet to run my finger over art work in the rooms to see if there is dust. lol

epitopeX

Wonderful report! I really enjoy your sense your humor and your posts are some of my favorite reads in this forum.

chinmoylad

High praise indeed!

Thanks for the report - very informative, and you take some fantastic photos.

Larkin

Thank you for the great report! I have been to both resorts as well as the Four Seasons in the Seychelles. I would rank them without hesitation:

1. North Island - actually by a long shot for the accommodations, food, island, etc. really loved it ( although service not perfect but wasn't in other Seychelles resorts either)

2. Fregate Island - when we were there it was quite windy so hard to use the beach so that might have made a difference but in general we much preferred North Island in every aspect.

3. Four Seasons - much larger resort. We weren't crazy about the rooms. We weren't crazy about the food. Beautiful beach but crowded compared to others.

Now I will say my information is outdated in that it has been a number of years since our last trip to the Seychelles. We visited these resorts on 3 different trips, 2 of which followed African trips to other locations. We found the service in general to be lower than other places such as Asia. More similar to our experiences in the Carribean. However, we loved the beauty of the islands - especially north island, and on two of our trips we rented a private boat for a day and cruised around to see other islands which was great. We would go back and will at some point. We found the weather the best when we visited North Island which was in April.

Thanks again for bringing us up to date on these two resorts. The feedback is very helpful!

MacMyDay

Not a problem - thanks again for your thoughts that you initially gave that helped me in deciding to go to North Island.

Your feedback regarding service and beauty of the islands is 100% spot on. I would rank North Island as the most stunning place I've ever been, although I still have in my mind that the Amanpulo sand was softer and mostly pebble-less, whereas North became quite rough around the Piazza. Having spent plenty of time in luxury SE Asian resorts over the last 3 years, it didn't match-up to the highest standards of service, but I still think they can easily fix the problems.

It's interesting that due to the weather the beaches completely change at North Island depending on what time of year you visit, to the point that I've been told by several people that East Beach is basically non-existent later in the year.

Kagehitokiri

MacMyDay, incredible report / effort, thanks !
were there months that north said were best ?

MacMyDay

I booked April as it was supposed to be the best time to go. North Island recommended March > June as the warmest months with lowest chance of rainfall and calm seas. If you want to see the turtles laying their eggs then you would need to go at the beginning of the year.

They said it was highly unusual for it to rain during April. Out of 10 days in the Seychelles, it was pretty miserable on the first day and then a massive thunder and lightning storm on the second, followed by 8 days of perfect weather.

LuxTravelAddict

We will be traveling to the Seychelles at the end of March 2017 for 12 nights with our two children (10 and 4). Although they are young, they travel with us wherever we go and have never been a problem or a disturbance to other guests. Actually quite often we get compliments on how well behaved they are. We seldom choose a resort based on them, but did want to mention that we will be with children in case some resorts do not allow them or the resort does not have multi-bedroom options. We plan on spending 7 nights on North Island and are at a loss of how to spend the remaining 5 nights. Thought about Six Senses but a little nervous about commiting to the property so early after its opening. Raffles on Praslin?? Have also considered splitting up our stay even more than 7 and 5, maybe something like 3 on Mahe, 4 on Praslin and 5 on North. For those that are familiar with the Seychelles and who have visited North, what would you suggest would be a nice compliment to that island? For reference, we have been to Laucala, many luxury resorts in the Maldives (Velaa being our most recent), Amanpulo, The Brando, Six Senses Zighy Bay, and the Four Seasons Sayan in the Presidential Villa are examples of some of our experiences.

vuittonsofstyle

Given the resorts you have stayed in, I think that Raffles Praslin would be a huge disappointment, from suite quality through to food and service.

Currently, Four Seasons Seychelles has the best overall offering and is totally different in style and service to North Island. Like you, I am very interested in the new Six Senses. Although it will be open in time for your visit, the Spa is scheduled for 'second stage', so may not be fully operational.