We visited Christmas 2010 into Jan 2011. Richard and ALL were very polite, helpful and nothing was too much trouble. The Chefs worked their socks off, and gave us all the WOW factor with the variety of local produce. Our room was lovely with great views over the gardens and Indian Ocean. The pool and pool bar, even though small, was a refreshing heaven during the warmest parts of the day. There was pleasant live music on most nights, ( not for the loud reveller types) which suited us. The electric sockets are for English 3 pin plugs, so no adapters are required. There is a kettle in the room and the water is good. There is a huge bar of aloe Vera soap in the large bathroom, and all the rooms are non-smoking. Praslin is a beautiful Island, which gives easy access to many of the other unique Islands of the archipelago...AND we witnessed a Paradise Wedding at the hotel whilst we were there - WONDERFUL - Thank you Richard and all your lovely staff. (and thanks to the Bride & Groom)

Stayed 4 night in this hotel. Do not expect white sandy beaches and turqoise waters during the SE monsoon (we were warned though, so not an issue for us).
Beach covered in seaweed (as reported by many). Further north, there were strecthes that we almost 100% covered, so the stretch in front of IOL was not that bad. I believe the hotel tries to clean up a little bit, a task to be repeated after each tide.
The rooms are nicely decorated and have a tropical atmosphere. Spotlessly clean everywhere. But iy you have neighbours, they better bit quite and calm people, because sound isolation is poor (as in many hotels in the seychelles).
Some staff were friendly, some were not. Some were friendly sometimes and sometimes not. Really hit and miss when it comes to customer service. For most Seychellois service comes down to the bare minimum. Even when they make obvious mistakes (for example with orders in the restaurant), they try to blame the customer and charge you for things you never wanted or ordered. Also printing our e- ticket proved too much of a complication ("go to the nearest internet cafe")
Overall average stay for a correct price (Seychelles standard - nothing is cheap here)
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Beware of the One Hour Internet cards. If you decide to break up your session, for some reason the total time does not add up to one hour. Staff aware of the problem (which is with the servid provider) but no warning or advice is given. Airtel office is nearby and they have better options for internet.
Restaurant was very average. Wednesday is buffet night but choice and quality is little. Yet,we did not have any real bad experience with the food.
I would recommend the hotel for its cleanliness and beach (only during NW monsoon) and if you do not care too much of the staff attitude. If you plan to go for homeymoon, i think there are better options available.

Nice rooms and pool area. Beach is fantastic but not between April and November when it's smelly and covered in seaweed. Staff work hard and are pleasant. Some of the food is excellent, but it can also be disappointing. Worth hiring a car and exploring - there's loads to see.

Frankly Im shocked there are not more reviews on here about this hotel, and Im surprices at the negative one ref the seaweed - some people just dont know how to enjoy themselves maybe and seems like some are never happy?

We are British and just spent 4 nights here (end of June) and bearing in mind this is when the seaweed is on the beach by the hotel - (which I knew about) - it was still amazing and totaly worth the money. When the seaweed is not on the beach its stunning.

The seaweed seems to affect the beach (Grand Anse) April-September. So if you want a perfect beach by your hotel - visit Indian ocean lodge from Sept-April when its hot - hot - hot and generally considered to be peak season by the locals. However DONT RULE IT OUT IN THE OTHER MONTHS as they offer a free 20 minute daily shuttle to the other side of Praslin (Cote D'or beach) where you can chill on their lovely beach all day.

On Cote D'or you can also eat at many local restaurants and have a lovely day out.

Also - from the hotel, you can take a very cheap local bus service to the Anse Lazio beach at the top of praslin which is stunning ! (its about 40p to go anywhere on the island by local bus and the bus stop is outside the hotel, staff will help you so a great way to explore Pralsin like a real tourist).

During the Seaweed months - this hotel is quiet and peaceful, we had the pool to oursevles all day, and the bar man on the pool bar was so cool and friendly. It was like having a private hotel to ourselves.

The rooms were great - large, air conditioned -very comfy bed with a good matress, perfect in face - good double shower - lovely having a balcony and ours faced the sea. It was great listening to the sea at night, we were so close. Room also had a fridge so we brought our own booze and sat on balcony chilling out at night.

Despite the seaweed, the hotel has benches set higher up behind a step fence so you can sit with a drink and look out over the sea - you dont even notice the seaweed really. However if you are a beach person then you have to get the shuttle to the other side during April-September as you cant swim or walk along the beach during the other months.

We really didnt find it a problem as we were moving on to a beach resort next so took this opportunity to do the day trips and explore and also spent a day chilling by the pool and relaxing.

The hotel provides beach towels and do your ironing for free - so sweet.

The staff are all local here and you really get a feel for being in the seychelles - we could also walk 5 minutes to a cash point - local shop and a few other hotels were only a short walk or bus ride away if you wanted a change of scene for dinner.

Castello beach hotel up the road (7 mins by bus) was good for dinner and a lovely setting dining by the beach and pool - as was the Britannia hotel (5 mins walk) for local creole food in a nice chilled out surrounding,

Food - The best breakfast we encountered (and I have stayed in many of the 5* hotels around mahe and praslin). The scrambled eggs were bliss and the friendly lady chef was a delight in the monring - she brought me pancakes every day once she knew I liked them. Good choice of fruit - pastries - cooked bacon and eggs, and cheeses etc - perfect for everyone.

The lunch and dinner are fairly costly (about 32E each) but they also offer a half board option which is probably better for money - for lunch - we booked B&B and ate off the pool snack menu which is available until 6pm and has sandwiches, chips and burgers which were great (and same prices as in the UK).

Dinner was tasty though, and restaurant is nice at night, right by the sea again so chilled out and service was excellent. Drinks were not as expensive as at other hotels - beers were same price as in the UK, and they do a happy hour from 6.30 - 7.30pm where cocktails were 40% off - and worth trying for sure - yummy! (something other hotels should take note of !!)

They are just starting a re-vamp of all the rooms - new manager took over about 6 months ago and the front of house manager Annita is an absolute delight - total seetheart and so professional. I cant fault the reception staff either, they helped us with bus timetables, taxi bookings, and all the silly questions I threw at them :-)

The new room design (I saw the mock room) is lovely - bright, white and airy, very sea side but classy too. Everything you need and this place will fly with bookings. I think the new rooms will be rolled out to all 32 rooms by end of the year easily so cant wait to stay here next year and use the new rooms.

Things to note:
Rooms are made up in blocks of 4 (2 up and 2 down). Every room is interconnecting so great for families. Every room is the same, and has a balcony and air con. Some have better views of the sea than others - so request a sea view if you can (rooms 1 and 11 seemed to be the closest to the sea, with 1 being ground floor and 11 being upper but there were several blocks which faced the sea so check when you book).

I love this hotel - my advice is to hire a car - or take the local bus - stay here when the seaweed affects the beach as its cheaper and nice and quiet - and bus or shuttle to the other side on day trips - during the days off and evenings - chill by the pool and on your balcony. Take a day trip to La Digue - well worth it and by far the most fabulous beaches ever seen!

This is a relaxed and friendly hotel and bills itself as 3.5* I think but its as good as any 4* hotel I have stayed at and is generally popular with Itallian and french visitors. Us Brits are missing a trick though!

Im booking again next year - In fact I liked it so much am considering getting married here maybe in Sept-Oct when the beach is clear and they have a lovely Gaezbo which is all lit up at night by the pool. They also take wedding parties up to Anse Lazio beach which is stunning - its such a friendly place, I think a wedding here would be a lovely experience).