I recently spent 6 nights on my honeymoon. We stayed in a junior suite.
The views from this hotel are unparalleled. You feel as though you are atop a mountain in paradise. I was a bit disappointed when I checked in. After a very long flight to arrive, we checked into our room after an hour or so wait. Looking forward to a shower, I was annoyed to find that there was no water. After calling the front desk, it took a few hours to turn back on. Not a huge deal, but not what I was hoping for as a start to a pretty pricey stay. Over the course of the week, we had a few similar hiccups - The lock on our door didn't work, and the staff changed it without notifying us, meaning I spent about 10 minutes trying to figure out why my key wasn't working, only to be told later I needed a new key. In general, I found the communication of the front desk staff to be pretty poor. Several times we asked if they could reserve this or that, fix this or that, and while the requests were most often met, they were never communicated to us until we went to the front desk physically and asked. I was told they called my room, but the effort to ensure I was informed, in a hotel this small, was a bit weak.
The room was significantly smaller than I thought. Knowing there were only 9 rooms, I expected more privacy than there was. Our room shared walls on each side with 2 other suites, and though the balcony had an amazing view, it was not secluded, and looked onto some public sitting areas on the grounds. I stayed at a similarly designed hotel in St. Lucia in the past, and found the design of the rooms was much more conducive to the type of privacy and intimacy I am looking for at a place like this.
Despite these minor issues, over the course of our 6 night stay, the magic of this place started to leave its mark. The restaurant/bar staff, led by Harry (who seems to speak at least a dozen languages fluently) was spectacular. Their attentiveness and attitude made me feel more pampered than I ever have been. The food at the restaurant I found to be spectacular and diverse. While I agree with some of the other reviewers that the design of the pool is a bit underwhelming, with so few guests, it was lovely to return from a great day at the beach and cool off in the pool which we essentially had all to ourselves for a while. The hot tub on top of the mountain, with great views in almost every direction is one of the most glorious places I have ever sat. We spent some time up there during sunset with a bottle of champagne, with some giant bats flying overhead, and it will no doubt be an experience that will stay with me forever.
The area itself, on Praslin, and nearby La Digue, is amazing. The perfect and secluded beaches I was looking for and dreaming of.
Price - I know, especially after this vacation, that the Seychelles are expensive. Had I paid $400 or so a night for my room, I would not have really had any complaints. At over $800 a night, I am not sure the value was there. On top of that, as other reviewers have noted, you do seem to get charged for everything. $8 bottles of water at every meal, a wine list that doesn't include anything less than $60 or so. We asked for a packed lunch one day since we planned on trekking to an isolated beach on La Digue. The lunch included a couple of sandwiches, some bananas, and a small bag of peanuts. They charged me $10 for the peanuts. Granted, on a vacation like this $10 is "peanuts" but I was a little bothered out of principle. Again, this is simply an expensive part of the world. We had lunch at a beach side casual restaurant on the other side of the island where the cheapest dish for lunch was a $35 piece of fish, so I guess this really is just an expensive place - a totally different level than the Caribbean. There are very few U.S. tourists here, but if you are thinking the level of luxury of your experience will be greater in proportion to the difference in price between a hotel in the Seychelles and one in the Caribbean, I suggest you adjust your expectations. If this hotel was in a place like St. Lucia or Turks and Caicos, it would be about half the price, if not less. If you don't care about money, or are the type of person that can have fun when splurging without feeling guilty, I think you will be very happy here.
- Also Known As:
- Chateau De Feuilles Hotel Praslin Island
- Chateau De Feuilles Praslin Island
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
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Incomparable and of an oustanding beauty, Le Château de Feuilles Relais & Chateaux hotel & SPA in Praslin Seychelles invites you for a luxurious and unique stay where everything is designed to respect your privacy and your comfort.Luxurious, exclusive and considered as one of the most beautiful hotels of the Seychelles, Le Château de Feuilles is a member of the prestigious hotel chain Relais & Châteaux.The property, surounded majestically with the warm and turquoise waters of Seychelles, offers stunning and unrivalled 180° - 300° panoramas of exception to enjoy the dance of the waves and get carried away by the immensity of the ocean.
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