Sorry in advance for the length of this... :-)
My husband and I have just returned from the Seychelles for our honeymoon. I don't usually review things online, never have in fact but I couldn't wait to sign up on here and review Villa Flamboyant as I just could not believe the place. We had booked 6 nights,...we got out of there after 2 and changed to Rosemary's Guesthouse on the Cote d'Or. So here we go...
Firstly, Location: Extremely isolated, on the ''wrong'' side of the island. If this is what you want, grand. But you'd definitely need a car if you want to go anywhere. Nowhere to eat anywhere in walking distance, so you're stuck eating in the hotel. The garden could be nice but seems totally untended and unmaintained, a shame.
Secondly, The beach: Deserted yes, because it's absolutely COVERED in dark stinky seaweed, the whole thing as far as you can see. I couldn't believe it, you do not come to the Seychelles for this. Maybe it's a seasonal thing...but if you only have a few days, AND if you have seen the spectacular beaches of Mahé, La Digue and the other side of Praslin, you will be disappointed.
Rooms: We had room 3...very very dark and basic. Terrible bathroom, dirty, dilapidated and covered in little ants all over the walls. (Of course in a tropical place I expected insects, but still) No air conditioning but that was no problem, as the room was very well ventilated by the strong strong wind coming in off the beach 24/7. Bedlinen that smellt old and musty.
Food: The breakfast was fine. The dinner was nice, we had 2 dinners, both fish, both nice. Served with your feet in the sand, v cool, but also served under awful white fluorescent lights which ruined the atmosphere. The citronelle served afterwards is nice too, but try asking for a tea instead and you may as well have two heads! (Though myself and a Northern Irish girl did manage to get it!)
Price: Very reasonable, we paid 95 E for Half board. But we still felt overcharged seeing the decay in the place and when you factor in taxis to go ANYWHERE, it adds up to more than it should be for what is provided.
I just do not understand the positive reviews of this place. It was totally different to what we were lead to believe by the website and our (French) guidebook. It's a real shame, as my husband and I were both convinced that the Villa Flamboyant was clearly once a lovely place...but it has not been touched in about 30 years, and there is an air of "we don't care" throughout. As for the famous hospitality of the staff...well, we found them strange and distant. We didn't meet the famous friendly Rosemary, who was NOT happy when we told her we were leaving (by phone...she was nowhere to be found) but to be fair she didn't make us pay anything for leaving. Four dirty wild dogs, who barked and fought each other all night. Our fellow guests, (Italians, English and French) were equally dissatisfied, but had paid in advance, which is apparently a common trick used in V. Flamboyant...luckily we hadn't so we were able to GET OUT OF THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aaaaaagh!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC