Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island — Hotel in Desroches Island

In a word: breathtaking. ||We are seasoned lovers of luxury travel (and now regular visitors to FS resorts after switching from the Ritz-Carlton), and what the FS Desroches delivers is so unique, so personalised, and so awe-inspiring experience that we have completely reconceived our notion of the beach getaway idyll. The FS service here and general soft product is consistently impeccable (the supreme professionalism, friendliness, intimacy, and classic FS levels of personalisation the staff deliver are absolutely world-class and unmatched in our experience), with a hard product to match (we opted for a magnificently ornate sunset beach suite for our week’s stay – No.10 – and my goodness, it delivered all the majesty the images on the FS website conjured). The coral-based atoll that is Desroches island is frankly a (perfectly flat, Maldives-like) natural paradise. It is replete with unbelievable wildlife, a landscape ranging from inner coconut groves and magical forest trails, all fringed by 14km of absolutely stunning, largely-deserted Robinson Crusoe-esque powder-white beaches that, for the most parts, guests can call their own. Most of our week’s stay was genuinely filled with a sense of disbelief that an island both as castaway and yet full of hyper-luxury touches as the FS property and Desroches (more generally) actually exists. ||It all begins with a seamlessly-organised 35-minute intra-island transfer (run by IDC) from Mahé to Desroches. On landing, you are greeted by the GM and your own guest experience director (Anny – you read our sense of humour and our sensibilities expertly) for check-in in your suite/villa. The suite and very personalised welcome did not disappoint. The furnishings are beautifully ornate in with an understated chic, blending Seychellois touches with a timeless design. The ceilings are high, the bed and bath of a palatial size (a classically FS touch), and the outdoor pool (with steps leading down into the azure and bath-warm waters of Sunset Beach) – complete with wooden sala and daybeds – a deliciously decadent touch. The outdoor pool is generously sized, and certainly more than a mere plunge pool. Given the humidity and 30 degree temperatures, it really does not need to be heated. Amenities by Natura Bissé were delightful, as was (at Anny’s personal recommendation given how pale we are) the bottle of aloe vera by way of after-sun. ||The personal touches to our welcome (and throughout our stay) were magical – stories of island castaways delivered by Steve and his turndown team each night before bed, a (delicious) birthday cake for me in celebration of my 30th, gifts and cards from individual staff members (including a giant stuffed Aldabra tortoise), daily treats – the list is endless. These touches were absolutely beautiful and warmly appreciated. Budi’s team of staff here is truly exceptional, and they are the soul of what makes this island getaway so unique – Jeff, Niranjan, Passant, Ashraf, the inimitably and effortlessly brilliant Lai Lai, Ela, Anny, Joseph, Ali, Cheki, Eric, Sarah, Terence (amongst others). The staff are just wonderful – we learnt all their backgrounds, stories, anecdotes, and deep island wisdom about Desroches over our week’s stay. Nasreen in particular is an absolute credit to the island and to the FS brand – she is the brilliant, omniscient island naturalist and resident biologist, with whom we shared three brilliant (free) activities: introduction to and feeding of the giant tortoises (Big Pete and Drilling – we love you!), a private birdwatching tour, and the fabulous odyssey across the entirety of the island’s coast, which was the ‘Desroches Challenge’ (complete with a medal ceremony and all after a 14km walk beginning at 06:30 at the Lighthouse). ||Free daily activities are plentiful, and you are delivered a full, fresh schedule of such activities for the following week on arrival (including, inter alia, tortoise feeding, nature tours, the ‘Desroches Challenge’, cooking and cocktail-making classes, kayaking, ‘blue safaris’ at snorkelling spots). The hotel has clearly heeded comments on TripAdvisor in this regard to provide more by way of free and highly enjoyable activities that really bring out the excellence, natural and cultural, of Desroches and its highly unique topography and wildlife. ||The island proper is absolutely spectacular – Madame Zabre and Aquarium beaches (at this time of year) sparkle with their palm-fringed powdery-white sands and utterly still, perfectly-clear waters. Tidal and wind conditions inevitably mean that sea-grass might affect the conditions of a beach on a given day; this is no problem in practice, given the vastness of beaches from which one can choose. They feel immensely exclusive and private, and are picture-perfect in every angle (we honestly felt that we were living in a tropical screensaver). Snorkelling gear can be freely taken from the Castaway Centre, and is well worth-it: we encountered stunning Hawksbill sea turtles swimming around us at Aquarium feeding on sea-grass, baby stingrays, and sharks at Madame Zabre. For budding ornithologists, expect terns galore and the most serene, beautiful herons. The complete flatness of the terrain on Desroches lends itself brilliantly to the initialled bikes one is provided on arrival. We found ourselves easily cycling upwards of 10km per day, and getting a little lost in this paradise is all part of the fun (as is braving cycling across the resort runway). It is amazing how variable the island can be, from its coconut groves, its inland forests, to the pristinely-maintained resort grounds. It is a world of its own beckoning you for total immersion. ||We were generally very impressed with the food offering (albeit a more limited offering than the likes of the FS Seychelles on Mahé). Breakfast at Claudine is managed very smoothly, with Claudine also being the venue of regular (impressive) buffet offerings on various days of the week (Lebanese, seafood, and a Seychellois Creole night). Aperitifs at the Lighthouse Lounge under the expansive stars of the southern hemisphere around a fire-pit was always a highlight; and dinner at the Lighthouse was always joyous (the baba au rum is frankly to die for). AHI is the resort’s Japanese-inspired fare, and actually turned out to be our favourite restaurant. N.B. – we opted for half board in advance, and it is well worth it as one can choose three courses (plus sides) from the restaurant menus without any supplements. Emir makes a perfect cocktail, too (I would highly recommend his cucumber martini complete with his excellent anecdotes). ||Clearly the FS Desroches also attracts a certain kind of clientele who appreciate the serenity and tranquillity of the hotel’s surroundings and eschew gaudiness, and this is also a benefit in itself (in our personal opinion). ||As with any experience, we would offer the following (minor in the context of a stellar experience) comments to management to heighten the experience even further/serve as useful advice to fellow travellers: ||1. Breakfast cereals – Please kindly ensure that the cereal is properly replaced daily; |2. General F&B expenses – As one must reasonably appreciate, import costs and running an operation as exceptional as the FS Desroches in such an isolated, far-flung location are high. Guests should therefore expect quite expensive F&B prices and should plan accordingly for this – either by upgrading to half or full board/all-inclusive, or using what weight you can in your suitcases to stock-up on wines and/or soft-drinks without resorting to your mini-bars. Please also note that the Lighthouse dining is typically outdoors on sand, so avoid wearing your best footwear here; |3. Weight limits on the intra-island flight (run by IDC, not the FS) – guests are restricted to bringing 30kg of luggage (cabin baggage and hand luggage in aggregate) each on the IDC flight from Mahé to Desroches. This can make life difficult in terms of pre-planning what to pack, especially if you’ve flown business/a premium cabin to the Seychelles otherwise offering significantly more weight allowance to guests; |4. Digital detoxing – we were forewarned that the WiFi at the hotel was generally slow, but in practice it really is not great at all (despite being styled as ‘complimentary premium WiFi’). WhatsApp is very slow to load/send photographs (and you will want to send these in bulk given the beauty of the island and the resort) and e-mails are very slow to load, so caveat emptor here if you need access to proper WiFi; and|5. Expectation of a single, main serviced beach (in FS Seychelles style with Petite Anse) – the FS Desroches experience is a completely different world and different ethos than a traditional beach holiday. This is not your average beach getaway. If you go in expecting a fully-serviced, single main beach, you may well be disappointed. The whole rasion d’etre of this resort is to enable you to explore the entirety of the island’s beaches (provisioned with towels, beach toys, loungers/deck chairs/cabanas on Madame Zabre) and to find somewhere secluded and untouched. In my view, criticism of the main beach/pool area by Claudine are misplaced – yes, it is not the most picturesque location (as there are metal barriers preventing sea erosion), but the island more than delivers elsewhere. In this regard, we found that our week at the FS Desroches paired perfectly with a week’s stay at the FS Seychelles which filled this apparent ‘gap’. However, watch this space – there are interesting developments coming in this area (including new facilities in the location of the Castaway Centre) in the very near future – I am very excited to see how this adds to the resort experience and in assuaging other travellers’ concerns here. ||Huge commendations and our deepest, warm appreciation for what Budi and team have managed to pull off here. Overall? Stunning. We will certainly be back.||With our deepest thanks, ||Charles...

In a word: breathtaking. ||We are seasoned lovers of luxury travel (and now regular visitors to FS resorts after switching from the Ritz-Carlton), and what the FS Desroches delivers is so unique, so personalised, and so awe-inspiring experience that we have completely reconceived our notion of the beach getaway idyll. The FS service here and general soft product is consistently impeccable (the supreme professionalism, friendliness, intimacy, and classic FS levels of personalisation the staff deliver are absolutely world-class and unmatched in our experience), with a hard product to match (we opted for a magnificently ornate sunset beach suite for our week’s stay – No.10 – and my goodness, it delivered all the majesty the images on the FS website conjured). The coral-based atoll that is Desroches island is frankly a (perfectly flat, Maldives-like) natural paradise. It is replete with unbelievable wildlife, a landscape ranging from inner coconut groves and magical forest trails, all fringed by 14km of absolutely stunning, largely-deserted Robinson Crusoe-esque powder-white beaches that, for the most parts, guests can call their own. Most of our week’s stay was genuinely filled with a sense of disbelief that an island both as castaway and yet full of hyper-luxury touches as the FS property and Desroches (more generally) actually exists. ||It all begins with a seamlessly-organised 35-minute intra-island transfer (run by IDC) from Mahé to Desroches. On landing, you are greeted by the GM and your own guest experience director (Anny – you read our sense of humour and our sensibilities expertly) for check-in in your suite/villa. The suite and very personalised welcome did not disappoint. The furnishings are beautifully ornate in with an understated chic, blending Seychellois touches with a timeless design. The ceilings are high, the bed and bath of a palatial size (a classically FS touch), and the outdoor pool (with steps leading down into the azure and bath-warm waters of Sunset Beach) – complete with wooden sala and daybeds – a deliciously decadent touch. The outdoor pool is generously sized, and certainly more than a mere plunge pool. Given the humidity and 30 degree temperatures, it really does not need to be heated. Amenities by Natura Bissé were delightful, as was (at Anny’s personal recommendation given how pale we are) the bottle of aloe vera by way of after-sun. ||The personal touches to our welcome (and throughout our stay) were magical – stories of island castaways delivered by Steve and his turndown team each night before bed, a (delicious) birthday cake for me in celebration of my 30th, gifts and cards from individual staff members (including a giant stuffed Aldabra tortoise), daily treats – the list is endless. These touches were absolutely beautiful and warmly appreciated. Budi’s team of staff here is truly exceptional, and they are the soul of what makes this island getaway so unique – Jeff, Niranjan, Passant, Ashraf, the inimitably and effortlessly brilliant Lai Lai, Ela, Anny, Joseph, Ali, Cheki, Eric, Sarah, Terence (amongst others). The staff are just wonderful – we learnt all their backgrounds, stories, anecdotes, and deep island wisdom about Desroches over our week’s stay. Nasreen in particular is an absolute credit to the island and to the FS brand – she is the brilliant, omniscient island naturalist and resident biologist, with whom we shared three brilliant (free) activities: introduction to and feeding of the giant tortoises (Big Pete and Drilling – we love you!), a private birdwatching tour, and the fabulous odyssey across the entirety of the island’s coast, which was the ‘Desroches Challenge’ (complete with a medal ceremony and all after a 14km walk beginning at 06:30 at the Lighthouse). ||Free daily activities are plentiful, and you are delivered a full, fresh schedule of such activities for the following week on arrival (including, inter alia, tortoise feeding, nature tours, the ‘Desroches Challenge’, cooking and cocktail-making classes, kayaking, ‘blue safaris’ at snorkelling spots). The hotel has clearly heeded comments on TripAdvisor in this regard to provide more by way of free and highly enjoyable activities that really bring out the excellence, natural and cultural, of Desroches and its highly unique topography and wildlife. ||The island proper is absolutely spectacular – Madame Zabre and Aquarium beaches (at this time of year) sparkle with their palm-fringed powdery-white sands and utterly still, perfectly-clear waters. Tidal and wind conditions inevitably mean that sea-grass might affect the conditions of a beach on a given day; this is no problem in practice, given the vastness of beaches from which one can choose. They feel immensely exclusive and private, and are picture-perfect in every angle (we honestly felt that we were living in a tropical screensaver). Snorkelling gear can be freely taken from the Castaway Centre, and is well worth-it: we encountered stunning Hawksbill sea turtles swimming around us at Aquarium feeding on sea-grass, baby stingrays, and sharks at Madame Zabre. For budding ornithologists, expect terns galore and the most serene, beautiful herons. The complete flatness of the terrain on Desroches lends itself brilliantly to the initialled bikes one is provided on arrival. We found ourselves easily cycling upwards of 10km per day, and getting a little lost in this paradise is all part of the fun (as is braving cycling across the resort runway). It is amazing how variable the island can be, from its coconut groves, its inland forests, to the pristinely-maintained resort grounds. It is a world of its own beckoning you for total immersion. ||We were generally very impressed with the food offering (albeit a more limited offering than the likes of the FS Seychelles on Mahé). Breakfast at Claudine is managed very smoothly, with Claudine also being the venue of regular (impressive) buffet offerings on various days of the week (Lebanese, seafood, and a Seychellois Creole night). Aperitifs at the Lighthouse Lounge under the expansive stars of the southern hemisphere around a fire-pit was always a highlight; and dinner at the Lighthouse was always joyous (the baba au rum is frankly to die for). AHI is the resort’s Japanese-inspired fare, and actually turned out to be our favourite restaurant. N.B. – we opted for half board in advance, and it is well worth it as one can choose three courses (plus sides) from the restaurant menus without any supplements. Emir makes a perfect cocktail, too (I would highly recommend his cucumber martini complete with his excellent anecdotes). ||Clearly the FS Desroches also attracts a certain kind of clientele who appreciate the serenity and tranquillity of the hotel’s surroundings and eschew gaudiness, and this is also a benefit in itself (in our personal opinion). ||As with any experience, we would offer the following (minor in the context of a stellar experience) comments to management to heighten the experience even further/serve as useful advice to fellow travellers: ||1. Breakfast cereals – Please kindly ensure that the cereal is properly replaced daily; |2. General F&B expenses – As one must reasonably appreciate, import costs and running an operation as exceptional as the FS Desroches in such an isolated, far-flung location are high. Guests should therefore expect quite expensive F&B prices and should plan accordingly for this – either by upgrading to half or full board/all-inclusive, or using what weight you can in your suitcases to stock-up on wines and/or soft-drinks without resorting to your mini-bars. Please also note that the Lighthouse dining is typically outdoors on sand, so avoid wearing your best footwear here; |3. Weight limits on the intra-island flight (run by IDC, not the FS) – guests are restricted to bringing 30kg of luggage (cabin baggage and hand luggage in aggregate) each on the IDC flight from Mahé to Desroches. This can make life difficult in terms of pre-planning what to pack, especially if you’ve flown business/a premium cabin to the Seychelles otherwise offering significantly more weight allowance to guests; |4. Digital detoxing – we were forewarned that the WiFi at the hotel was generally slow, but in practice it really is not great at all (despite being styled as ‘complimentary premium WiFi’). WhatsApp is very slow to load/send photographs (and you will want to send these in bulk given the beauty of the island and the resort) and e-mails are very slow to load, so caveat emptor here if you need access to proper WiFi; and|5. Expectation of a single, main serviced beach (in FS Seychelles style with Petite Anse) – the FS Desroches experience is a completely different world and different ethos than a traditional beach holiday. This is not your average beach getaway. If you go in expecting a fully-serviced, single main beach, you may well be disappointed. The whole rasion d’etre of this resort is to enable you to explore the entirety of the island’s beaches (provisioned with towels, beach toys, loungers/deck chairs/cabanas on Madame Zabre) and to find somewhere secluded and untouched. In my view, criticism of the main beach/pool area by Claudine are misplaced – yes, it is not the most picturesque location (as there are metal barriers preventing sea erosion), but the island more than delivers elsewhere. In this regard, we found that our week at the FS Desroches paired perfectly with a week’s stay at the FS Seychelles which filled this apparent ‘gap’. However, watch this space – there are interesting developments coming in this area (including new facilities in the location of the Castaway Centre) in the very near future – I am very excited to see how this adds to the resort experience and in assuaging other travellers’ concerns here. ||Huge commendations and our deepest, warm appreciation for what Budi and team have managed to pull off here. Overall? Stunning. We will certainly be back.||With our deepest thanks, ||Charles...

If you are wanting a fully relaxing holiday in the most beautiful location with exceptional service then you must check out Four Seasons at Desroches Island.|After visiting the island of Mahé, Seychelles twice before, we wanted to adventure and experience another island and after reading multiple outstanding reviews we decided to book a seven night stay in July at Four Seasons Desroches. Wow! What a fantastic choice we made although the only disappointment was that we wished that we had booked a longer stay here.|From the moment we boarded the very small plane in Mahé, and landed on this incredibly beautiful island everything exceeded our expectations.|We have been privileged to be able to stay at many wonderful hotels around the world but nothing matches the quality of service that we received from Budi and his outstanding team whilst we were guests. As we approached landing, we could see a line of staff waving and waiting to welcome us to the their island. It was so nice to be greeted in such a personalised way. The level of service from the beginning of our holiday to the end was of the highest standard that we have ever experienced from any hotel and we were so happy and thankful. No matter who you met, you were permanently greeted with a smile and everyone knew your name and preferences.|We stayed in an ocean view villa which was truly amazing with access straight onto Coral beach. The beach is beautiful but it’s not advisable to swim in the sea due to the coral rocks and strong sea currents on this side of the island. However, we were not disappointed at all with our beautiful villa, its breathtaking views and its private pool and enjoyed many hours just relaxing and sunbathing by our pool.|As many other guests have highlighted in their reviews, there are many other beautiful beaches that the island has to offer and we really enjoyed discovering them through bike riding each day. Our favourite beach to snorkel was Aquarium. There was a nice coral reef there and we were fortunate each day to be able to swim with turtles and stingrays. At sunset, it was a stunning location and a delight to watch the stingrays swim and play with each other. The other beach we really enjoyed was Madame Zabre. This is the only beach that is staffed on certain days and offers you music,delicious cocktails and food.|There were many highlights of our visit but we would like to mention a few. It was fantastic and a great privilege to meet Nasreen who was the most kindest, knowledgeable and passionate lady who took great care of our son taking him and other children snorkelling and teaching them about island life. Christian was also very knowledgeable about the island and life on it. He kindly gave us an island tour which we’d definitely recommend at the beginning of your stay. It’s around 90 minutes. This tour is great fun as you travel around the island getting extremely interesting information about the beaches, the resident wildlife and the fauna. Another tour which we recommend as we thoroughly enjoyed it, was the Back of House tour with Terry. This tour gives you an insight into life behind the scenes of Four Seasons Desroches.|Dining at Desroches was totally unforgettable. From the moment we arrived, the restaurant team at Claudine managed by Chirag were truly outstanding. The food was out of this world and truly luxurious. Chirag and his team ensured that everyone was fully catered for especially if you had allergies. We would like to thank Lai Lai, Jeff, Henry, Nader and Passant for their immaculate attention to detail each time we dined. A huge thank you also must go the the fantastic chefs who cooked the most delicious food and presented the most amazing buffets. Our favourite buffets were the Indian and Seafood ones. As my wife and I sadly suffer from allergies, the chefs met us each time we dined, showing us around the incredible buffet selection and informed us of everything that they had cooked and even created bespoke dishes for us. We would like to especially thank chef Fadhi who provided us with some amazing dishes at both Claudine and the Lighthouse restaurants. The great thing about dining at Claudine is that you have the option of dining from the A la carte menu if you don’t want to eat at the evening themed buffets. We also had the privilege of dining at the Lighthouse restaurant which was located in the most tranquil and beautiful setting. Eating underneath the stars on a sandy beach was truly remarkable and we enjoyed the most amazing grilled meats there.|For those wanting to experience the spa for more relaxation, there is a great variety of treatments available. My wife booked the 90 minute Ginger and Lavender Poultice Massage and said it was the best massage that she’d ever had.|Reading previous reviews about WiFi connectivity being poor, we have to highlight that we did not notice this at all but once you arrive on this beautiful island it is a great opportunity to disconnect yourself from the digital world and discover what paradise has to offer.|Budi and your amazing team at Desroches, thank you for the most fabulous holiday. It was totally incredible thanks to you all! After staying at another Four Seasons Hotel, there is no comparison regarding the level of service that you and your team give.|We look forward to our return soon. Next time, we plan to stay longer in...