Welcome to another post of helping a reader travel! Sorry I’ve been slacking in this weekly series, but I promise to continue this as many have seemed to benefit from these reader tips. As I’ve mentioned before, I have not been to every destination (unfortunately), but do get questions from friends and other blog readers on all sort of travel destination questions. Thus far, we’ve been able to help other readers travel to Maui, The Greek Islands, Pacific Coast Highway, Argentina /Buenos Aires, Costa Rica, Cape Cod & The Islands,Iceland, Geneva, Canadian Rockies, Rome, Israel, Peru / Inca Trail , Stockholm,Chicago, Paris, Hanoi, Austin, Puerto Rico, Bruges, Salzburg, Istanbul, Las Vegas,Jamaica, India/Golden Triangle, Auckland, Singapore, Moscow, The Oregon Coast,Seattle, Portland, Hawaii Islands, Alaska Skiing, Brazil, Prague, Budapest, Paraguay,Cabo San Lucas, Edinburgh, San Diego, Hilton Head, Dubrovnik, and Tanzania.
So this weeks travel destination includes the Seychelles. I received the following email from reader Jayne:
“I really want to go to the Seychelles on my honeymoon but am not sure where to stay! I want a relaxing and beach vacation. I see that there are both Hilton and Starwood properties so would like to start now and build my points for one of the two loyalty programs. Does anyone know anything about any of the SPG or Hilton properties in the Seychelles, and if so, which resort would you recommend? Also, will daily activities and food be outrageously expensive? How much should I budget per day do you think? Any excursions you’d recommend?”
If you’ve ever been to the Seychelles and have any recommendations, let’s help out reader Jayne by commenting below.
Also, if you have any upcoming travel where you need some help, feel free to email me at dealswelike@gmail.com to be a featured “Help a Reader Travel” Monday special. Thanks!
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Congratulations on the wedding!
The Seychelles is one of the rare locations where we opted not to go to a points-based property. We absolutely loved Maia, where we stayed in a beach-side villa (they’re all villas there, with individual pools and real — not name only — butler service. Truly outrageous! Ask for Kevin.) The only property on that level, that I’m aware of, for which you can use miles is the Raffles on Praslin, which runs 81,000 Amex Membership Rewards points, per night, including breakfast. (It’s in the Fairmont Collection D category.) Expensive, I know, but the reviews are amazing.
FYI: The Seychelles is an expensive spot, for just about everything.
As for what to do, we were generally happy to relax at the resort, but a major highlight is snorkeling or scuba diving with whale sharks. These are gentle creatures — they only eat plankton — but they are huge. Growing to as much as 40-feet long, they are truly gentle giants, and being in the water with them is a stunningly beautiful experience. Whale shark season is traditionally October to January, plus August, but global warming has been messing with the sea temperatures, and therefore the plankton blooms are less predictable, which makes the whale shark season more erratic.
Other fun stuff: tooling around the island in a 4WD, and finding a deserted beach, checking out the galleries that feature local artists, and eating great creole food in local dives.
Enjoy the trip, and most importantly, have a terrific marriage!
Jane, first off. You must go to Seychelles, hands down.
I’ve had the good fortune of staying at the Hilton Northolme 3 times, Hilton Labriz 3 times (another one coming up in January!) I will give you my snapshot experience of the two.
Each stay at these properties was on HHonors points and I was a Diamond member during each stay. Each stay I’ve felt as if they were a “once-in-a lifetime” experience, 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 a 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 – If you are fit, and up for a challenge, you MUST hike over to the complete opposite side of the island. It takes about 2-3 hours, but you go through every part of the eco-system, including a rain forest. When you end up at the other side of the island, you are on a 1/2 mile beach, and you are THE ONLY ONE THERE! You feel as if you are the only one on the island. If you do this hike though, take plenty of water and food, and be sure to start back at least 2 hours before the sun sets, otherwise you might get caught in the jungle.
Staff – Don’t remember anything about the staff. Is that good or bad thing?
I would go back to both of these resorts. I will say Labriz has more of a WOW factor than Northolme.