ttomlin

I've had the good fortune of staying at the Hilton Northolme 3 times, Hilton Labriz once (another one coming up in March!) and the Conrad Maldives. I am not a lengthly reviewer, so I will give you my snapshot experience at all three.

Each stay at these properties was on HHonors points and I was a Diamond member during each stay. All three of them are "once-in-a lifetime" properties, but share unique characteristics, so it's really up to what you are looking for as to what might suit you needs.

Hilton Northolme
The last time I was at the Hilton Northolme was in 2009, so things might have changed since then. What I liked about this resort was the small size, with only 40 villas you never felt overwhelmed by a lot of people. The rooms are very cozy (all wood floors, walls and ceilings), but that also made them somewhat dark no matter the time of day. I stayed in the James Bond suite one time, which was really neat with tons of 007 touches. As I James Bond fan, I enjoyed it. My second time I stayed in an oceanfront villa. It was so great to see the ocean directly from the bed every morning. During my third stay I was in the hillside villas. These did not feel as secluded, but the sunset from the hillside villas was much better than the James Bond or oceanfront.

Beach - Not a very large one. The hotel is situated on cliffs, but there is enough area for lounging.

Spa - Loved the spa. It is right over the water, and you can hear the waves crashing below you during your treatments.

Food - Breakfast buffet each morning was expansive and fresh. They had many cooked to order items as well. The views from the breakfast restaurant were spectacular. Did not eat lunch or dinner at the hotel.

Surrounding area - Since you are on the main island of the Seychelles, you can get out of the hotel, go to town, hike in the mountains, etc. There are also a number of restaurants near the hotel. Nothing fancy.

Staff - Friendly, but not very attentive. This is Seychelles though. They have a laid back attitude, which fits well when on a relaxing vacation. Don't expect them to jump at your every request however. They will get to it, but on island time. All of the servers at breakfast were exceptional though, and remembered our name every day.

Hilton Labriz
When I stayed at Hilton Labriz, it was not yet a Hilton, but both the Hilton Northolme and Hilton Labriz have always had the same ownership. I love Labriz. BUT, you must understand you are going to an island where the hotel and a very small village are the only things on the island. This was my cup of tea, so I enjoyed it.

I was in an ocean front villa (Diamond upgrade). The beach front just steps from the back door of the villa. My favorite feature of the rooms here were the outdoor shower/bathroom area.

Beach - Very expansive. Every villa has their own beach area. When walking into the water, there are some rocky areas, so be sure to wear water shoes.

Spa - Didn't try

Meals - The breakfast here isn't as good as the one at Northolme. You are held captive on the island, so you must eat at the restaurants. The Japanese was the best, and the creole was quite tasty.

Surrounding area - There is lots of hiking you can do on the island, but it was very hot and humid while we were there, so didn't do much.

Staff - Don't remember anything about the staff. Is that good or bad thing?

Conrad Maldives
All I can say is WOW. This one hit it out of the park. I was upgraded to an overwater villa (Diamond). The service was top notch, food excellent, and lots to do. Warning on this one, but anyone going to the Maldives should know this: you are on an island again where the hotel is the only thing there.

The rooms was incredible. It was in the spa villa section and had an extra massage room past the bathroom. Out on the sun deck was our own hot tub and steps to go down into the ocean. We would go snorkeling from our room and see ray's and lots of fish.

Spa - Facilities are okay. There isn't a good relaxation room before/after your treatment. The treatments themselves were great.

Food - Yummy! The breakfast was the best I've seen under the Hilton umbrella (followed closely by Conrad Singapore and Hilton Dubrovnik). The coolest part was, the entire floor of the breakfast area is sand! So kick off your shoes at your table and just walk around barefoot.

For dinner each night we would eat at the bar where we would watch the sunset, have happy hour drinks and food.

Beach - So many different ones to choose from. Spectacular.

Service - top notch. Everyone was so friendly, and we had our own personal assistant to take care of anything we needed. Just give him a call on his cell and he would take care of it.

Surrounding area - well, it's an island. You're not really going anywhere, but we did a snorkel tour for a few hours. Well worth it.

Summary
I would go back to any of the three of these resorts. They are all a great bang for your buck when it comes to using points. I will say Labriz and Maldives had more of a WOW factor, and I would return to them before Northolme. I'm happy to answer any specific questions. Just PM me or post.

Happy Travels!

Thunderroad

Great stuff, ttomlin. Thanks for sharing it!

calvinoeh

Thanks for sharing! How does the snorkeling compare in all 3 sites? I'm guessing the Maldives wins hands down but just have to ask.

Trying to find a beach getaway to use my Q4 Free Night Certs and am reluctant to head back to the Maldives to the the expense of the sea plane

soy

excellent - thanks for sharing your views on the 3 properties

Rockhopper24

Trip is planned for March.
Regarding a review.... Long reviews are not my cup of tea, but maybe I should give it a try again..

Thunderroad

Yes, please do! And have some tea while you're at it...

llfoster

We are supposed to return to Conrad Rangali this summer. A more recent post on that board by a repeat traveler was less than glowing - yes, I do keep in mind that it was only one review, nevertheless...

My question regarding Hilton Labriz relates to the (deluxe?) beachfront pool villas - does the pool face the ocean or is it in the back of the villa?? I do like the pools which face toward the ocean - guess I prefer the view over privacy when the view is worth it!!

Thank you.

ttomlin

I'll be there in a week! I'll try and remember to check it out for you and reply...if I'm not too relaxed to even get on my computer. =)

suvuk

Hi,

We stayed in a beachfront pool villa last September and the pool faces the ocean. Regarding privacy, there is not a lot of people walking on the beach but almost all of them had a look at our villa/pool/deck (but it didn't really bothered us).

I can post a few pics later today if you want, they may help you decide if the view is worth the (relative) lack of privacy .

Thunderroad

Hi suvuk,

It would be great if you could post any photos. Thanks!

suvuk

As promised, here are the pics - unfortunately it was cloudy that day :


View from the deck


Another view from the deck


Closer part 1/3


Closer part 2/3


Closer part 3/3


View from the beach in front of our villa (I think it was North Island)


The beach, not very crowded


The beach


The beach again


Our villa from the beach


And a few pics from the room :


The pool


Outdoor shower


Bed


Room view 1


Room view 2


Bathroom view 1


Bathroom view 2



Hope these help, but I'm not a professional photographer

I have more pics so if you have something else you want to see, let me know.

Thunderroad

Wonderful shots...even though it was a cloudy day and you're not a professional photographer. Thanks very much for sharing them!

llfoster

Great photos - thanks so much ! Love the direct view form pool to beach/ocean. Were you able to snorkel from shore? or did you have to do a boat trip - if I recall correctly, Labriz is either near or in the marine park (was there a number of years ago - the marine park that is)

ma91pmh

these are really nice pictures thank you. looks much better than le meridien where we stayed last year. shame i only learned about the hilton options after that

it is funny how old fashioned all the outside buildings look though. i remember commenting that le meridien looked like the village the "others" lived in in lost and this looks kinda the same!! (though far better looking interiors!)

suvuk

Thanks all.

Unfortunately, we were there just after the shark attacks, so we just snorkeled a little and not too far from the shore, and it was not really impressive.
The marine park is at Ste Anne and Cerf islands, on the east side of Mahe.


I'd rather say that the buildings try to look "local" (well, just outside ), IIRC the hotel was built in 2006.
But between the jetty and the hotel, there is a small village that really looks like the village of "the others" (in orange, yellow and green pastel tones).