The latest oceanfront, uber-luxury boutique hotel to open in the Seychelles is the 41-room colonial-meets-eclectic vernacular LXR Hotels and Resorts, Hilton’s Mango House. Situated on the Baie Lazare on the southwest shoreline of Mahe, near the world’s smallest capital city of Victoria, this five-star luxe retreat is only 30 minutes from the international airport.
Hotel
Only an artist could have lived among the mango trees at Blue Chicken Beach (Anse Aux Poules Bleues). Mango House is the former home of celebrated Milanese fashion-turned-travel photographer Gian Paolo Barbieri who worked for Vanity Fair, GQ. Glamour and Vogue Italia and Paris with models like Mirella Petteni, Jerry Hall, Monica Belluci and Audrey Hepburn and designers such as Armani, Fere, Versace, Giuseppe Zanotti and Dolce and Gabbana.
Championing local and natural, it offers rooms rather than villas and has a built-in go slow vibe, bohemian beach chic and wicker and rattan colonial aesthetic, being constructed from granite, balau wood and bucson wood.
Room
With original furniture and artwork throughout, rooms are in separate houses with high thatched ceilings and all offer mesmerising views of the beach and beyond along with balconies and cool beach-inspired décor.
Rooms range from a king premium room at 484 sq. ft. to a three-bedroom bay house with a plunge pool. The latter includes a one-bedroom pool suite on the ground floor and is serviced by a private butler, while guests can also make use of their own personal bar.
In addition to this, Mango House benefits from the exclusive 13 guestroom Cliff House – the largest private villa in the Seychelles – which comes with its own private elevated pool. With its white draped four-poster beds, Mango House is also the Seychelles’ newest barefoot beach wedding and honeymoon venue.
Food
The ever-expanding terrestrial Garden of Eden, three hundred miles from the equator and a thousand miles from anywhere, now offers even greater and more tempting fine dining options to satisfy all tastes and nationalities, from soulful sharing plates, poke-and-build-your-own bento box bar treats and Sukiyaki nabemono-style to ‘locale Creole’ cooking.
Indian Ocean Reunion islander and Institute Bocuse graduate executive chef Olivier Barré, who worked under Joel Robichon and formerly at the Seychelles Four Seasons Desroches Island, oversees five fine dining options. These include the Japanese robatayaki, nigiri and moriawase sushi seafood brassiere Azido (meaning ‘do taste and flavour’), Italian eatery Muse, and Mouya, which is named after the 115-island Indian Ocean archipelago’s traditional dance and specialises in sustainable barbecuing over steamed husks and charcoal coconut shells.
Azido’s menu also includes chutoro, akami and eel nigiri, handmade gyoza, nori seaweed flavoured sake, soft shell crab and avocado sushi rolls and rock shrimp tempura. Moutya’s specialities include vegetarian local roots curry and seafood platter for two (2,800 Seychelloise rupees). A Creole breakfast could be a rum and lemon crepe.
Mango House’s signature cocktails are gin tea martini and a five-spice rum sour. Drinks range from local Takamaka rum arranges and Reunion Island French department in the Indian Oceans rums like Charrette as well as Madagascan Drama, Mauritian Arcana and African gins (starting at 180 Seychelloise rupees). You have to be wealthy or profligate to be a whisky drinker in the Seychelles with Johnnie Walker Blue 850 (£44) and Chivas Royal Salute 21 620 (£32). A local small beer is 110 (£6).
Spa
Along with the sunset yoga session and blue eggs and caviar for breakfast, the Garden of the Gods also now boasts another wellness sanctuary, ‘Anpe’ (Creole for ‘at peace’), three more swimming pools and another well-appointed gym.
The sea breezy spa offers its signature charcoal, 75-minute, £115 purifying masks and lots of coconut foot polish, papaya seed, bigarade and mint scrubs, ground cassava unctions, island fruits and local Ingrid Sauer’s Belliche skincare products to satisfy everyone whose idea of earthly bliss is to be smeared with bitter orange and blended caramelised banana oil.
You wonder how Robinson Crusoe ever survived without an express pedicure and how Man Friday’s cuticles ever coped. Not to mention no stationary bikes or USB outlets either. Remember, there was no aloe vera and cucumber face cream in those days.
Factbox
turquoiseholidays.co.uk (Tel. 01494 678 400) offers seven-night stays in a premier room with ocean view bed and breakfast from £2,799 per person. Including return private transfers and international flights from London.
Address: Anse Aux Poules Bleues Baie Lazare Victoria Mahé, Seychelles
Phone: +248 4 397 000
Website: hilton.com
Imagery supplied by Mango House
