My family of 3 (23, 20 and 15 year), my partner and I decided on the Augerine after some prompt, friendly and very helpful email correspondence with the owners of the hotel.
The hotel is a delight - it is next to a large hotel and, on a couple of evenings, the music from their live bands did drift over to us. The hotel is right on the beach and loungers are provided to take onto the beach. We went for Christmas and the weather was 27 - 30 in the day and 27 in the evening, although we did have a couple of rainy days at the beginning of our holiday which I believe is to be expected at this time of year.
The rooms were simple, spotless with good sized bathrooms. The rooms had air conditioning which worked well and, on the one occasion my son's gave up, it was fixed that day after mentioning it in the morning.
It was lovely to eat in the hotel too - the Creole buffet was fresh and delicious with a choice of local fish, curries, rice and salads. The wine list was limited but adequate.
The restaurant is a delight - the pictures tell the story - an upside down tree with the roots extending to make the ceiling, lined with palm fronds with sand on the floor - really relaxing. We did, on occasion, walk up the beach to some other restaurants, but found we need not have bothered!
Breakfast is included, but was a little monotonous with fruit, toast and eggs being served every day - there was bacon and sausage included on Christmas Day which was a nice touch!
The service is friendly and informal and you feel part of a community, rather than a nameless guest. Our hostess helped us with local tour operators and we had a fabulous day on the island of Moyenne as well as a private hire of a boat to go fishing.
Jet skiing and diving was easy to organise at the hotel next door which kept the younger members of the party happy.
The hotel is around 15 minutes out of Mahe - we used the local buses to get in and out of town which were ridiculously cheap and even ran on Christmas Day!
I would recommend this hotel without hesitation if you want to experience a little of the life in the Seychelles. If you find the large 'all inclusive' resorts more your cup of tea, then this hotel probably isn't for you!
- Augerine Hotel Beau Vallon
