We booked 5 nights during our stay on Praslin based on previous good reviews on Tripadvisor, and of course the perfect location on Cote d'Or!

Our good feeling for Les Villas d'Or already begun during our email correspondence, with the very friendly manager, Sharon, being helpful and courteous, providing all the information we needed. And so we booked our villa, and when we finally arrived some weeks ago, we were very impressed with what we saw. A short 20-25 minute taxi ride from the airport brought us to Villas d'Or, down a private drive leading into immaculate tropical gardens. The manager on duty greeted us with a refreshing drink, and gave us some information about the services on offer and the local area.

We were walked through the beautiful gardens to our villa, which super close to the exit onto the amazing Cote d'Or beach. The accommodation itself was superb, with a big veranda leading into the living/dining room, open plan kitchen, large bedroom (with airco), and bathroom. For the 2 of us, the space was more than plenty, and we felt very much at home. We ordered the breakfast for the first morning - a decent helping of tropical fruits, bread for toasting, juice, and tea or coffee. We walked up along the beach after we settled in, and what an amazing beach it is. The area with shops and ATMs was a 15 minute stroll up the beach, where we made use of the first shop we came to, to buy our daily bits and pieces. Keep an eye out though...it's amazing how something costing 15 rupee can suddenly become 30 rupee when they punch in the numbers on the calculator :) The first store you reach along the road into Anse Volbert village (nearest to the ATM accepting Maestro cards, most only accept Visa, so beware!!!) seemed to return the most accurate total for the shopping we handed over.

Back to the accommodation being reviewed - we could not find fault in any way or form. It is a bit on the pricey side, yes, but it is worth it for the design and comfort of the villas, the beautiful gardens, and there is a pool as well, for that end of day splash after being out and about. That along with the great, friendly service, made it all the more worthwhile. They are there for whatever you need to arrange, but not in your face attempting to sell you excursions and whatnot - perfect.

Tips for Praslin: don't spend all day on the beach - go underwater...we got our PADI certification with Octopus Divers, a great, friendly, professional team...recommended; eat at Lakaz, on the road next to Paradise Sun...amazingly homey creole cuisine...just bring along some mosquito repellant though, I wish I had.

Stayed at Les Villas d'Or for six nights. Was a beautiful setting with friendly and helpful staff. Used the self catering facilities for breakfast and dinner to help save money. Small markets were within 10 minute walk. Beach was 20 steps from the deck of our room. The rooms were very nice and clean. Rained a couple days we were there so rented movies from the office to keep occupied.

A bit expensive (about $325 USD/night). Great villas though. Nicely equipped. No oven on the cooker though. Well equipped in all other respects. Internet access is extra and only available in reception area. Great staff. Very helpful. Onboarding process is excellent. Absoluter paridise location. Best beach on the world right off the padio deck. Praslin/Villas D'Or a perfect place to get away from it all. Peaceful/quiet, feels like you have the indian ocean beach to yourself. Praslin a quiet place. Best to rent a car to get around the island. Driving is tricky with a manual auto but ok. My wife absolutely loved to accomodation and so did I. Reasonable choice of restuarants nearby. All in all, good value for the money.

We stayed at Villas d´Or for two weeks in October 2010, and enjoyed it. The villas are spread around a lovely and well-kept big tropical garden (a gardener is working on it every day), and are away from the road and very close to the beach. We were traveling with an infant, and were provided with a baby-cot, a high-chair and a small childrens bath-tub, without even having to ask for it. We spent many evenings on the veranda after having been out for dinner, sipping wine and enjoying the sound of the surf while our little boy slept soundly inside. Compared to many resorts, the bungalows are actually set apart from each other, and have plenty of garden around them.

The villas are cleaned every day, towels are changed and beds are made. Beach towles were provided at no extra charge, and were exchanged at any time when requested. The service is really good - we asked for a rental car to be booked through reception, and within 30 minutes it was delivered by the car rental agency, at a fairly good rate that is. When a problem occured, it was dealt with immediately in a very friendly and professional manner, and a most satisfying solution was found within minutes - it is this approach to service that makes a difference. One minus: the double bungalows are not totally soundproof due to connecting twin-doors, and you may here your neighbours at night... However, when we mentioned this to management. it was solved within minutes by insulating the room between doors with foam parts. May I suggest to do this as a precautionary measure at any time ?

Restaurants and shops are easily reached by a 15 minute walk along the beach (or the road, but why bother when the beach is just there...?).

We would recommend Villas d´Or to everyone who wants to stay at a quiet lovely beach, and enjoy the island of Praslin without having to spend a fortune. Many travellers only stay for a few days which really is a shame - we loved every day of our holiday.