Four Seasons Resort Seychelles

“The Perfect Adventure”

We signed up for an adventure and we got on, NYC --> Doha on Qatar in Business Class connecting to Mahé. 24 hours later landed in Paradise!!! Getting There: We requested pick-up from the Four Seasons and they sent their white BMW X3 and a lovely driver, Ronnie who took us to and from the airp... more

We signed up for an adventure and we got on, NYC --> Doha on Qatar in Business Class connecting to Mahé. 24 hours later landed in Paradise!!! Getting There: We requested pick-up from the Four Seasons and they sent their white BMW X3 and a lovely driver, Ronnie who took us to and from the airport. Warning to fellow travelers who get motion sickness - the drive is 35 minutes of winding, narrow, switchbacks, and it's a wild ride. Ronnie was wonderful and navigated the terrain asking us what he could do to make the trip more comfortable. But in all our research we had no idea, so pack your Dramamine, especially if you land in the rain as the cloudy sky worsens the drive. But, once you arrive, have the welcome drink, and see the magnificent view, everything fades away. Mary, the general manager is a lovely, kind person and we felt immediately welcomed. And the best part is we arrived at 8:30 am and our villa was ready for us. Our Villa: We were placed in Hilltop 416, and the view is SPECTACULAR, we had requested privacy and the best view, and Mary and her team more than accommodated us. We were celebrating two birthdays and our wedding anniversary, so this trip was very meaningful. The villa was amazing, and spacious, with perfect temperature, stunning views, a pool always at the perfect swimming temperature, a gorgeous sun deck, a lounge/ nap space, and wrap-around views. The villa was clean, well maintained, stocked with so much storage and space, and the bathroom with spectacular views. And my favorite was the massive outdoor shower area. Turndown service is amazing, DND and communication with the staff were all flawless, and the comfort was perfect! We even requested special pillows! Sweet treats were left every evening and we received champagne upon arrival. And to boot, Mary sent us a spectacular bottle of Dom Perignon 2013 for our anniversary. Kindness, hospitality, and exceptional service all around. Pool/ Beach: WOW! What a beach, and the pool, bar, and restaurants are all amazing. We loved everything we ate, the fun theme nights, and in general spectacular service from the loveliest people. Everyone was so friendly and conversational and shared part of their personal stories with us. We were also the only Americans there and were far nicer than most of the guests. Just being honest, we get a bad rap internationally, but we are truly easy compared to what we witnessed from other guests. High maintenance doesn't begin to cover it. At times we felt bad for the staff, but they seemed used to it. Now one word about this being a public beach - the government of Seychelles demands that Four Seasons allows access to non-hotel guests as FS owns the entire horshoe of land, and every building is an FS property. So non-FS guests have to come through the main gate, get yellow wristbands for beach access after a huge walk and are not supposed to use any FS services, ie lounges, towels, showers, bathrooms, or restaurants. Most non-guests were polite and used the other 50% of the beach and coastline that is not directly in front of the FS beachfront. Others could care less, took wristbands off, and used showers, towels, and the bathrooms. Some blatantly walked up into the FS property without care, others were spotted and politely escorted off, but most sneakily took their bracelets off and it was very frustrating. We witnessed non-FS guests looking into our bags, and then plopping down right in front of us changing their clothing, and hanging their items on trees, it was at times, distracting, to say the least. Some days the security guards were on point, other times it was a free-for-all. Mary was wonderful in speaking to us and expressing that there is little FS is allowed to do, and we are of course aware that no one owns the coastline, anywhere in the world. If FS could be a bit better with observation and enforcement we are sure this can be resolved. The beach is large enough to accommodate both FS and non-FS guests. It's just a matter of respecting paying guests at a 5-star resort and not devaluing the experience. Ultimately we respected the fine line the FS has to adhere to with the Seychelles government. But the beach staff is AMAZING and more than made up for any of this! Food and drink at the beach is A+ Restaurants: AMAZING, the breakfast is fabulous, there are so many choices, fresh fruit room, pastry/ cheese/ bread and meats room, menu items to order, and plenty of daily breakfast buffet. Favorite meal of the day as we don't normally eat breakfast. Lunch by the pool, on the beach, or in the Kannel restaurant was fabulous, with plenty of choices for a week's stay, and exceptional, lovely service by EVERYONE. A few last notes: Everyone on staff was happy and many told us how well the owners and the FS treat them, which made us even more happy that we chose this island and location. You could see everyone worked together as a team and all got along. That makes a huge difference and what makes us as guests feel even more welcome. Download the FS app, their communication is outstanding, and response times are super fast. Buggie rides around the property are a must, it is not a walkable report, it's massive, and the roads are truly meant for golf carts and not walking. But plenty of carts and drivers, and it's a very fun way to get around. Umbrellas are everywhere so no worries if you get caught in a tropical shower. BATS are super cute and very talkative. 95% of what you see flying are not birds but fear not gentle fruit bats, Seychelles Flying Foxes. Nothing to be scared of. You are living in nature for your time there embrace it, it's tropical and filled with life. Climate change - we researched the best time to go, but the rainy season is pushing later into May than ever before as we had amazing showers every night, and early morning, and plenty of sun, but after a few days the beast got wild with waves, no snorkeling was possible and a bunch of seaweed. Next time we will pish into mid-May as the first weeks seem to be more of a transition period with plenty of staff saying that it was rainier, windier, and choppy seas in a way that they have never seen for early May. The water was the perfect temperature, and we loved it, but for small kids, the waves were not safe. Just something to keep in mind.

less