Words by Priya Joshi
Everything you have ever dreamed about the Seychelles is true. An archipelagic island country consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles is widely celebrated as a dream destination for love-struck honeymooners and a paradise island for the super-rich.
Stretches of soft, yellow sandy beaches that go on for miles, dense forests abundant with towering palms and tropical vegetation – you almost feel like you’ve stepped into Jurassic Park. The tropical heat is tempered by cooling trade winds and the sparking blue seas invite adventurers to set sail and explore the marine life beneath its shimmering surface.
Surrounded by coastline and mountainous planes, the capital, Victoria, is a quaint city built on the rich and colourful Creole heritage of the Seychellois, who welcome travellers to the personal paradise they call home. A holiday in the Seychelles really is a dream come true.
Hotel
Newly launched in March 2022, Club Med Seychelles is the ultimate luxury holiday resort and the perfect escape to paradise. Set in 227 hectares of tropical vegetation it is a five-star eco certified resort on its own island. Located 4 km off the east coast of Mahé, Sainte Anne is the largest (2.27 km²) of eight islands in Ste Anne Marine National Park in the Indian Ocean.
It’s all very James Bond at the off, as you travel from the Club Med lounge in Mahe to the island in a superfast water shuttle. Anticipation mounts as the mountain peaks emerge from the mist and the glistening palm lined shore appears like a mirage in the distance, growing ever closer.
Part of The Exclusive Collection, the Club Med resort offers a taste of the A-list lifestyle, where you can disappear into your own private hideaway under the palms, or bask in the sun on secluded sandy beaches. It is laidback, lavish and luxurious.
The village is self-contained comprising 291 guest rooms including deluxe suites with private pools surrounded by stunning beaches. Meandering trails lead you into dense forests and wild jungle terrain, where you can pick mangoes from the branches and swing from the vines of the giant banyan tree. Snow-white frangipani’s are dotted on the lush foliage and the palms are laden with bright orange coconuts. With hikes, sailing, sunset kayaking and archery all included in the experience, it’s enough to bring out your inner jungle Jane. And there are photo opportunities at every turn.
Boasting the highest standards of service, accommodation and luxury while maintaining a family focus, here you can immerse yourself in all the natural beauty and culture of the Seychelles, while enjoying all the decadence of the high-end all-inclusive experience.
On arrival the GO team – short for ‘gentil organisateur’ and French for ‘kind staff’ – led by the charming general manager Youssef Tobrouki – personally receive guests with cocktails and a champagne reception. The ever-smiling Sanjai is our personal host and man Friday, on hand to help with any request. He takes us on a private tour of the island, checks in on us daily, joins us for lunch and even ensuring we reach home safely at the end of our trip. The warmth of the welcome and the personal touches are the hallmarks of Club Med, where the team are always ready to serve and the guests are family.
Room
The accommodation has been designed to complement the natural setting, with wooden verandas and beams, large windows framing spectacular views and a touch of the tropical in the details.
With the deluxe suites you have a choice of a garden view or your own private pool. Relax on loungers under a wooden canopy and as the heat rises take a quick dip in the pool and cool off in the privacy of your own garden. Backing onto the beach, the shore is just a few feet away. Perfect for lazy days when you would prefer the seclusion the suites offer.
Accommodating two guests, the suites are so spacious they are more like full-sized apartments, including a seating area, coffee table, a large TV, an expansive bathroom with double vanity and ample storage space for your extensive holiday wardrobe. The junior suite has two large rain showers and a third external one, as well as a standalone tub replete with Cinq Mondes bath and body products.
The room includes an espresso machine, a mini bar that is fully stocked with soft drinks and replenished daily as part of the all-inclusive package.
The warm neutral tone, embellished with colourful artwork, bedding and adornments, gives the luxury suite a modern, fresh feel. Cleaned daily, the rooms are immaculate and even the most covid conscious traveller’s concerns will be allayed.
Just a short walk away from reception, the Zen pool and the spa, the suites are centrally located on the resort. And if you would rather not walk, there’s an efficient buggy service for pick-ups and drop offs at all hours.
It’s a most inviting, comfortable space to return to at the end of a day of activities and entertainment. And for those seeking next level luxury for the whole family, there’s also the palatial presidential suite, a decadent mansion styled home in a secluded spot of the island that comes with your own executive chef and personal aide and jacuzzis with stunning clifftop views.
Food
The all-inclusive package means there will be no surprises on your bill when you check out, but it also means you will leave very well fed. The key here is to just enjoy sampling all the food and tasting the cocktails and worrying about the waistline when you return home. It’s all too good to miss.
There are two main restaurants for evening dining, Turtle Cove -the international buffet and The Reef, while the Reef Beach lounge serves up fresh salads and barbecues at lunch times. Light savoury snacks are available throughout the day at the Monkey Tales Bar followed by pastries and cakes at tea time while inventive food inspired displays and alfresco feasts crop up throughout the week.
You are spoilt for choice at the international buffet with a glorious array of gastronomic delights from the extensive choice of salad starters, cold cuts and freshly baked breads to the world food fare, comprising slow roasted pork with all the trimmings, lamb rack, tomahawk steaks, tender Moroccan lamb, delicately sweetened with apricots, Mexican tacos, sweet and sour chicken, perfectly cooked pastas and pizza and traditional creole dishes such as kidney beans and rice, fried okra, jackfruit curry, and spiced lentils for a taste of the local cuisine, with no end of pickles and tangy sauces to accompany every dish.
Drawing on locally sourced produce, there are a variety of fish dishes such as sushi, fillets, grilled lobster and whole baked Red Snapper as well as the catch of the day.
Many of the dishes are prepared in front of you, offering an impromptu cooking lesson as the accomplished chefs expertly chop, spice and sauté in front of you, readily tailoring dishes to your taste and accommodating vegan and vegetarian preferences.
A daily highlight is the inventive creations on the patisserie counter. The intricate chocolate confections and the sumptuous puddings, Pavlovas and pastries are nothing short of a gastronomic work of art.
The chocolate pistachio tart adorned with a honeycomb crisp and the profiteroles are not to be missed. There are more desserts than you can hope to devour but you will be compelled to go back for more.
For a more formal a la carte dining experience, book a table at The Reef on a secluded corner of the beach under the stars. The menu is refined, featuring fishcakes with giant prawns and vegetarian alternatives of beautifully prepared vegetable stacks, the desserts are artfully presented and delicious. With stunning sea views and the mainland illuminated and twinkling in the distance, the toes in the sand experience offers the perfect romantic setting for an intimate dinner by moonlight.
To do
Holidays are a great opportunity to try your hand at something new and the resort has everything you need on site, from water sports, fitness classes, a fully equipped gym and beach parties, to a varied schedule of evening entertainment. Download the My Club Med app where you can make dinner reservations, peruse the activities and facilities and the dress code for the nightly events.
The Club Med team have a full entertainment schedule with nightly shows, theatrical performances, parties and performances. By evening, the main pool is transformed into a stunning setting for a magical night inspired by The Greatest Showman. A singer balances on a makeshift stage and floats on the water as she performs a beautiful rendition of a classic show tune. An aerial acrobat elegantly writhes in a large metal hoop overhead while a dancer twirls burning batons, the flames encircling him.
There’s a different theme every night and guests gather for the stage shows and cultural nights with traditional creole dancing. It’s just one big party. The young team turn their talents to roles outside their day job. As well as being a bit of an action-man (just take a look at his Instagram) Youssef is a convincing Danny Zuko as he takes the stage for the evening production of Grease and the multi-talented Alice Salomon goes from playing with the children in the Kids Club to performing a dance routine to The Greatest Showman in the evening programme.
Meanwhile, the yoga instructor has donned a superman suit for the lunch time barbecue. A family focused resort, the Kids Club also offers programmes for children from two to teens. The team are clearly enjoying themselves and their enthusiasm rubs off as they go out of their way to make your stay both fun and unforgettable.
Richard Jean, a local conservationist, leads the botanical tour, where you can discover the endemic trees such as the takamaka tree, and palms found only in the Seychelles, and the numerous fruits that grow in the natural habitat from mangoes, tamarind, the purple and yellow passionfruit, to cashews and almonds.
It’s a chance to learn all there is to know about palm trees and see the oldest banyan tree on the island as you dodge the green lizards and watch white crab skip past and disappear in the sea. It’s a gentle walk through the rich vegetation and a vivid insight into the local community’s commitment to conservation efforts to preserve the natural beauty of the island.
There are also more strenuous hikes taking you to the highest summit or take a less challenging morning walk around the island while the bats are still asleep hanging from the branches overhead. You can also go off in search of the resident giant tortoises Beyoncé, Shakira and Coco.
Sporting activities are high on the agenda and with full-size tennis courts Club Med offers their own variation on tennis, with the less strenuous paddle tennis. Meanwhile, the very authoritative archery instructor named Barracuda oversees proceedings with care and precision. And if you’re good enough you can participate in the archery tournament.
For those who prefer to stay out of the sea, there are two large swimming pools and a separate kid’s pool. The main pool near the buffet restaurant provides many quiet spots in the morning to sit in the sun with a cool juice, but by mid-morning it’s a hive of activity, as guests join the daily aqua class or play beach volley ball, while others take to the loungers to listen to music playing in the background.
For something a little more serene, the Zen pool is an adult’s only area where you can float along meditating on the palm trees softly waving above, or lounge on the sandy beach by the water’s edge as the sun sets. Drinks and snacks are available at the bar all day and there are miles of beach to explore or to just while away the day with a cocktail or two until the sun sets.
For those seeking a more active holiday, the resort makes the most of all the island has to offer, with plenty of opportunities for water sports, with snorkelling and scuba diving experiences available at the dive centre, while at the water sports club next to the beach bar, the sailing team are inundated with guests eager to take to the high seas.
You can learn the intricacies of sailing in a class or simply set off with one of the team for a quick trip towards Mahe, where, if you’re lucky, you might spot the silver shark or just take in a full view of the island in all its splendour as you bob along soaked by the salty water spray.
While there are yoga classes in the studio, here paddle yoga in the sea is a more challenging variation for those with greater expertise.
The sunset kayak tour is a highlight where you can enjoy a peaceful jaunt with a group for an unobstructed view of the setting sun. Returning back to the island, the cool beach vibes have been turned up a notch for the sunset ritual and everyone in beach party mode as champagne flows alongside fresh coconut water. Canapes and barbecued steaks and fried fish are on the menu and the DJ plays feel-good tracks as the palms cast shadows on the sand.
In a nutshell
Club Med Seychelles has everything you want from an eco-chic, family holiday, with adventure, entertainment, great gastronomy and some of the world’s best beaches to while away the day, it’s an all-inclusive taste of the tropics. Here, everyone is family and after a week of A-list luxury, you leave with a whole new group of friends and feeling like a star.
Factbox
Getting there: Emirates airlines have daily flights to Mahe with a stopover in Dubai. Club Med representatives will greet you on arrival and a transfer is ready and waiting to take you on the 15-minute drive to the Club Med Lounge located 3km from Mahe. With your luggage transported ahead of you, here you will board the 20-minute shuttle boat to Sainte Anne’s island.
How much: Prices start from £1,684 per person on double occupancy basis, for seven nights.
Board: All-inclusive – accommodation, food, drinks, sport and entertainment. Flights are not included.
Address: Mahe, Sainte Anne Island, Seychelles.
Phone: +248 4 292 000
Bookings line: 03453 67676
Website: clubmed.co.uk
Instagram: @clubmedseychelles
