La Digue Island Lodge — Hotel in La Digue

I am never one to write reviews, but the experience I had here was so awful I felt the need to warn others.

Upon check-in, the receptionist told us that our room included free breakfast, but not lunch or dinner. Great, I confirmed this with her and she even proceeded to explain how the breakfast buffet worked. The next morning when my friend and I went down to eat, we gave the host our room number and began grabbing food. It wasn’t until we started filling our plates that she informed me that we didn’t actually have breakfast included with our stay. Confused, I explained what the receptionist told us and asked her to double check. She never came back during the next half hour and we assumed all was fine until the waitress brought us a bill for $72 (that’s $36/person for extremely mediocre breakfast offerings that reflect what you’d get included for free at a typical Holiday Inn property, not a resort-style place). I live in a high cost of living city in the US (New York city) and even I found this pricing to be absurd for what was offered.

We went to the front desk to sort this out, which resulted in an extremely rude receptionist telling us we’d have to wait for the manager to arrive the next day (after we were due to check out). I asked that this be resolved before our departure, and she told me I could wait for the assistant manager to arrive. So my friend and I sat and waited, and were eventually greeted by the assistant manager who proceeded to argue with me relentlessly about the breakfast bill. During this conversation, he admitted that his staff had misinformed us about breakfast being included, and also admitted that they failed to notify us about this change. He even brought in the host who never got back to us, and she started arguing with us as well. I tried explaining that we had been misinformed, and the host never came to tell us that breakfast wasn’t included after checking with management. Quite frankly, we felt like we were being scammed since my friend and I would’ve 100% gone outside the resort for breakfast if we knew it wasn’t included and was charged at an absurd $36/person. Eventually, after an extremely unprofessional and exhausting argument about the integrity of his business and his employees’ inability to properly communicate, he gave in and only offered us 20% off our bill and free breakfast for the next day. Still, the discount wasn’t reflected in the bill when we tried to check out the next day and my friend still had to remind the receptionist that we were supposed to get a discount.

I’ve literally never stayed anywhere where communication was so inconsistent and it was clear the staff weren’t informing each other of updates. This aside, the food we ordered at lunch by the pool also took 1 hour and was subpar (I could’ve made myself a better pasta in 20 minutes), and the rooms/facilities are also outdated and have seen better days. The pool is lined with this waterproof canvas material that feels strange and also is collecting green algae.

I would like to note that several other staff were extremely friendly and helpful during our stay, which we appreciated. However, for the price this place is charging, you can 100% find much nicer properties on La Digue. I would recommend Le Repaire next door, which is a boutique hotel in a similar price range and had exceptional staff/service both times we...

We stayed four days in the Takamaka chalet in Union Estate. We booked through Seyvillas (not by choice). They want full payment up front. Arrival information was slow in coming and ultimately inaccurate. Don't expect any privileged treatment. It took over an hour and a half to get from the jetty to the chalet. Long wait (for another boat); no seating, no shade, and it was hot at midday. We were then herded with all the other guests at the Digue Island Lodge to the hotel where we had to wait for everyone to check in. The chalets are in a good location, just behind the beach, but the first thing to say is that they are definitely not "luxurious" as they are presented extensively in the advertising and the hotel presentations. They are very ordinary inside. The bedrooms and bathrooms are ok (although the showers need regrouting). The living/kitchen area is old and decrepit. I pointed out extensive water/moisture stains on the ceilings and walls to the Italian lady who showed us round. She said: "If you have any comments, talk to the desk." End of conversation. There is 1 TV channel. There is no WIFI. This is 2017 - and NO WIFI. The wiring is old and visible. The lighting is with stark, bright, horrible white LED bulbs, inside and out. No effort has been made with the decor: no lamps, no rugs or cushions, no vases, bowls or objets d'art apart from two tacky pictures on the walls. No atmosphere. The kitchen is ancient. The cooker has rusty electric hobs. The pans were in a disgusting state. We asked for them to be replaced and were given 3 new ones the next day. Cutlery and flatware was all mismatched and dirty. There were no decent knives. No wooden spoons. No tin-opener! A total of 4 glasses, in 3 different sizes. No provisions. We stayed at 2 other self-catering places in the Seychelles which provided all the basics (S&P, oil, milk, water, bread, butter, jam, eggs etc) Apart from some sachets of tea and instant coffee, here there was nothing, not even any salt and pepper. For a so-called self-catering accommodation, they clearly do not want you to eat in the chalet. We had been told meals could be ordered. This was not the case. We had been told there was a free shuttle to and from the hotel. This was not the case either, unless we were going to eat at the hotel restaurant. (Where the food is very average, by the way). The cushions for the outdoor furniture were dirty and stained. All in all, very poor facilities and service. The privileged access to Anse Source d'Argent is a bonus, of course. But that does not justify the high price. One has the right to expect more; perhaps not "luxury", even if that is what is supposedly on offer, but at least something decent and attractive, and a service worthy of the name. Not...

La Digue was our last stop in Seychelles, and we were sure this would be the best hotel of our trip. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the worst. We paid €366 for two nights, and I booked it quickly, trusting the reputation. What a mistake. When we arrived, the first thing we noticed was the unbearable heat at reception—no fans, no air circulation. Then, we were hit with a shocker: our room wasn’t even on the hotel’s property. Instead, they told us it was somewhere behind it. That didn’t sound great, but we decided to go with it. We were put on a long buggy ride to a completely separate building. I was 30 weeks pregnant, and when we arrived, I saw that I had to climb a significant number of stairs to reach the room. I told them it wasn’t possible for me, but the response was shockingly rude and unprofessional: “You saw what you booked.” No offer to help, no concern for my condition. At that point, we had no choice but to pay an extra €200 for an “upgrade” just to get a room closer to reception. So, in total, we ended up paying €300 per night for a so-called better room that wasn’t even worth €100. And then the real nightmare began. The air conditioning didn’t work, and instead of fixing it, the staff kept insisting the room was cold—which was absurd. Then, they tried to tell us that this is how bungalows work and that it was different from the hotels we stayed at on other islands. This back-and-forth nonsense dragged on from 8 PM to 11 PM. We sat at reception for three hours, unable to stay in the room because it was too hot. The staff completely ignored the problem, and no manager ever came or even called us. I even asked for a refund so we could leave and find another hotel, but they refused and kept stalling. The guy at reception (I wish I remembered his name) was incredibly rude, treating me like I was stupid instead of acknowledging their terrible service. Since we were only on La Digue for two days, we decided to stay for our final day just to enjoy the famous beach, even though I wanted to leave immediately in the morning. Not a single apology, no compensation, nothing. This hotel is a scam. The service is awful, the rooms are overpriced, and the staff is rude and unhelpful. If you’re considering staying here—don’t. P.s.: terrible internet...