Larkin

We have stayed at Fregate Island, Four Seasons, and North Island on 3 different trips. We stayed on Fregate 10 years ago so my feedback may no longer be up to date. Having said that we really liked the rooms - actually then you had two - a large bedroom suite with lovely bath, and a large living room, dining area. At the time there were very small plunge pools. The food was average, although one day we caught a very large tuna and they made us excellent tuna sashimi, followed by a lovely tuna curry. Yet he beaches were very nice and you had your own golf cart to ride around the island. But things have likely changed a lot given it was 10 years ago.

We went to the Four Seasons and North island about 3 and 4 years ago. Again, not too recent but here is my feedback.

We thought 4 Seasons was nice, but nothing special. Again we thought pretty average food. Service was fair. Most rooms required buggy service and we often had to wait quite awhile for a buggy. The rooms were nicely appointed, but privacy really depended on the location as many had roads below or in front if them ( for the buggies). We thought the beach was really lovely and had good service, but would not return. I think a good place for a family with kids, not so much for an adult couple as there are many other choices.

We loved North Island. We lived the rooms, thought the service was great, and the food while not great better than our other two Seychelles experiences. We went to North Island in April and I am sure that helped the experience as the weather was nice ( no rain) and waters a bit calmer they said than other times of year. We also had a private golf buggy here to ride around. it was pricey, but it was all inclusive and was just what we needed - relaxing time away and very private!

So none of these are too recent - I almost did not respond, but hopefully a bit of comparison.

MacMyDay

I'm glad you did respond, Larkin, thanks a lot. Would you go back to North Island then, or for the cost, would you consider somewhere else, e.g. Maldives?

DSI

Mac:

In a few weeks I can give you some info on Fregate, with a little comparison to the Maldives, which we love.

North was just too expensive for us, but could definitely make a lot of sense with two kids and their second bedroom > Four Seasons.

The Six Senses may be a good option, and I'm under the impression that the food will be better there than the Four Seasons.

offerendum

Why if I may ask? I also found the food at FS Seychelles good for a resort.

Larkin

Tough question as I really like both.have also done the Maldives three times. I thought the Maldives had superior diving and snorkeling, lovely water and beaches. The Seychelles have a bit more varied terrain to the islands but also have lovely beaches and water. I can't say I like one over the other. I think it depends partly on the time of year. We went to Maldives in Jan and Feb timeframes and had very good weather. Seychelles our first trip was late August after a safari and the weather was beautiful, but extremely windy so beaches were not too practical as sand was blowing everywhere. The next two trips were in April and the weather was beautiful. I would also not go to the Seychelles at Christmas time as I heard can be quite rainy. I think with Nirth Island you need to go during certain times of the year as if it was really windy or rained a lot I don't think it would be that enjoyable.
The place we really want to try next is the Brando. I have some friends who just returned and loved it.

Kagehitokiri

north island rates include all diving and half day boat trips, so maximum value would be if one is doing a lot of that, taking advantage of what is included in rate (during peak season as Larkin mentions)

(fregate does not include either of those things in rates, but did literally just add low season rate)
north, laucala (and necker) rates include motorized watersports

question for those commenting on dining >
fregate / north - guests cant talk to chef in advance about standards/preferences ?
oetker / wilderness safaris are well regarded brands (higher level wilderness safaris)
also, food comparisons to what other resorts / private island resorts ?

maldives are larger high density (small island) resorts - totally different
for exclusive-use private island in maldives there is now coco prive
and for those traveling over xmas/nye and easter - maldives rates are crazy
brando being atoll of 12 islands (not just 1 island) is unique

DSI

north island includes all diving and half day boat trips, so maximum value would be if one is doing a lot of that, taking advantage of things that are included in rate

This is a very good point and something I forgot to mention. On the other hand, their excursion prices are ridiculous. 3500 vs. 1500 (fregate).

I would wonder what North's included wine list is. Maia had around 20 decent bottles of wine available while Fregate has less than half a dozen, two of which appear to be over $15 and no mixed drinks.

If someone likes to fish/dive and has two kids + they have good drinks + they don't do many excursions, the high price could certainly be justifiable. Plus you can bump into movie stars, which is something that bumpkin-old-me, thinks is really cool.

DSI

Having never been to the Six Senses Seychelles or the Four Seasons Seychelles, I have nothing to base my dining decisions on! But, my impression is that Six Senses takes dining more seriously than the Four Seasons overall. So maybe that'll carry thru?

Just my hunch, and my tastes tend to be more rustic if given the option anyways.

offerendum

Stayed at some Four Seasons and never had an issue with food. Only stayed at SSNVB and food was nothing special.

Big_Foot

Why do you bring that Brando stuff over and over?
It looks like Ikea cr@p and it's 3x more expensive that the FS Bora Bora,
but it doesn't have any overwater bungalows and there is no private pools.
Sorry, but this looks worse than some $200/night resorts...

bhrubin

Interesting discussions regarding North Island vs Fregate vs FS vs Six Senses in the Seychelles. We will look forward to some more comparisons after recent visits by others herein.

My impression is that Seychelles, while beautiful, are not worth the trip from California for us--the diving isn't supposed to be as spectacular as other places we can reach more easily (or even further afield), and laying out on a beach all day won't work for me. If we want to just lay out on a great beach, it's far easier from California to just hit up Mukul in Nicaragua, Hawaii (though no truly amazing property so far), Mexico, French Polynesia, or Fiji. Even getting to some of the island/beach resorts in Brazil is easier for us. And all of those have better scuba diving to interest us.

The FS/SS resorts seem too sterile to us, particularly in the Seychelles--they seem to me as if they could be anywhere--and the North/Fregate costs are ridiculously expensive unless you're paying for children or sharing costs with friends for the villas. As merely a couple of 2 person, Fregate and North just seem to pricey for the benefit, even were we already in Africa. That's why we dismissed the Seychelles on our most recent Africa trip and instead went to Anjajavy L'Hotel in Madagascar (well, the lemurs, too!).

In addition, we really find good good to be important. If we're spending $3500+ a night, we'd expect tremendous food, and it hasn't been a resounding call here that the food at any of these places is that great. If we're going to deal with average or just decent food, we'd much rather hit a more out of the way, less "glam" spot than the Seychelles.

If we lived in Africa or Europe, of course, we'd be more likely to try the Seychelles. But nothing yet interests me enough to bother. I feel the same way about Mauritius, to be honest--just another tropical remote island with nice weather and beaches that has some lovely resorts on it...but once you're there, it's just another luxury beach resort which could be anywhere.

I'll still be curious to hear if I'm wrong with any of these. But Laucala and Wakaya in Fiji are much closer to us in California and with far more exciting diving. Plus that Laucala submarine looks fantastic.

DSI

Bhrubin: I definitely understand your concerns, and if we weren't taking a little one--where the extra space and a big pool help--it'd be much less valuable.

We opted for the Seychelles to pair with a "Great Migration" safari (which we felt was the best place to start and to take our young son, and where HE wanted to go after watching Planet Earth) and the airfare situation proved easy with miles. But otherwise, I'd probably just bolt up in a small house on Gorda if those weren't those mitigating factors.

I'm certainly not royalty nor do I need isolation, but there are those that do.

BigFoot: I'm not sure if you're traveling with children yet (if you do get ready for your budget to explode!) but I would choose the Brando over the FS as a parent. Having been to the St. Regis which is about the same as the FS, which itself also has cheap furniture, there are others who would value low density environments rather than constantly walking on long planks to the OWB with hoards of honeymooners making their 4 day pilgrimage to Bora Bora.

bhrubin

I totally get why the Seychelles appeal to many if not most, even if not as much to us. That being said, we'd consider it also if we were in Kenya/Tanzania for the Great Migration (which still remains on our to-do list in Africa).

I'd probably opt for Zanzibar instead of the Seychelles, though...to try the possibly better diving, and to enjoy a bit more of that cultural crossroads. It also seems easier to reach than the Seychelles. The new Park Hyatt isn't as luxurious, but we could stay there for free, and it's always nice to take advantage of free stays with points in reasonable luxury in such a remote destination. The Mnemba Island Lodge would be perfect for us...except for the lack of air con. :-(

I'm still not quite sold on the Brando. We considered it but got such a good deal for the StR that we chose that for next May. I can't quite see how the exorbitant price at the Brando adds value for us at this point. I don't care about OW like my husband, but I also can't get quite get excited about that price to just laze around a beach. The diving seems better in the Bora Bora lagoon and just outside, so I'm waiting to see diving reviews from the Brando before we decide to consider it. Wakaya and Laucala in Fiji seem better for the money and with much better diving and food, even if a bit further.

MikeFromTokyo

I think the term "hotel/resort X could be anywhere" is a cliche and seldom true of high-end hotels/resorts. It certainly is not the case with the Seychelles.

Kagehitokiri

there are reasons many here travel longhaul to asia etc. part of that is the lower cost of developing and operating, for property owners and managers.

some here like few guest rooms. that can cost a lot, especially huge private island.

few rooms and huge private islands or huge plots of land
many here want privacy, but i just find 'no crowds' valuable

zil pasyon (per aquum now six senses) had some great residential renderings
fregate now from 3K, added low season in past month or so, and € down

brando has also kept low season so far, rather than dropping it
one thing about laucala, may still not charge much more for 2BR

bhrubin, if there is diving around north island, what kind of value might that be, having it be included in rates? i would think the (complimentary) half day boat trips could also be diving. although sounds like youre saying seychelles diving isnt good. laucala only includes 'inner reef' (and not courses) and wakaya has dropped from IIRC 2 dives per day to now being per stay. not sure re brando included excursions.

laucala includes motorized watersports, like north (& necker, which is not pool villas)

north, laucala, fregate (& necker) include 'buggies', like amanpulo, which has more rooms
i find it odd that some pretty expensive and small properties do not include buggies

seems brando is 50 year lease of one island in atoll, from marlon brando's estate to developer