My partner and I have just returned from 9 days at the Hibiscus. We had a wonderful time and really could barely fault the hotel. Admittedly things didn’t start too well when we arrived in the late afternoon and were left sitting in the lobby for about half an hour before being taken to our room. From then on things got much much better. We were greeted at our room by the general manager who gave us his card, told us to contact him at any time and showed us our room, which was lovely. There were flowers on the bed and in the bathroom and a plate of fruit. We were left to fill in the registration form and return it to reception at our leisure.
The hotel is in a great location in Pereybere, which we found a very pleasant little town with all the facilities we needed, and plenty of choice of places to eat. Pereybere beach is stunning and usually full of local people in big family groups enjoying the beautiful clear blue water. The Hibiscus is on a point between Pereybere beach and another, quieter beach and the sea is bordered there by black volcanic rocks. Then comes a low wall along which we often saw people walking from one beach to the other, and then the hotel’s sand-covered area, with palm trees, umbrellas and loungers around a pool. So although it does not have its own beach, it is right on the water, access to the sea is easy, and the views are spectacular. The hotel also has a short jetty jutting out into the water. We used the smallish pool, which also has a spa, only once, because we much preferred swimming in the sea. While it was not warm-bath temperature, it was comfortable for swimming, and the snorkelling just in front of the hotel was great. We also swam out a couple of hundred metres to the reef to snorkel there. The water is clear and calm, protected by the reef, and totally safe.
Our superior (ie standard!) room was on the ground floor. I believe the suites are on the upper two floors. While some of the superior rooms are set back in the gardens, ours was the closest to the sea and had a great view, with a veranda area looking across the sand to the ocean. The bathroom was large, with a big shower and two basins, good lighting and mirrors, and a hairdryer. The bed was a king size and very comfortable. The room also had comfortable armchairs and a coffee table and a writing desk. The storage space was excellent. There was an electronic safe and the minibar had enough space to store a few of our own drinks, bought at the supermarket.
Much has already been said in other reviews about the dinners. We found the open restaurant beautiful, the food delicious, varied and well presented and the service excellent. The wine was expensive by Australian standards and you could not order it by the glass, but you could order a bottle and have what was left kept for you for the next night. The price of the local Phoenix beer was fine and the barman made delicious rum cocktails. When he saw my partner taste mine and make a face (on the other side of the restaurant from the bar!) he rushed over to find out what was wrong with it. On most nights there was a CD playing, which was not particularly objectionable; on a couple of nights there was a pianist, which was pleasant; on one night there was a trio of musicians serenading individual tables, which was fine if you like that sort of thing, or if they weren’t at your table; and on Sunday night there was a sega night. The only way I got my partner to go, having been warned about the expectation of audience participation, was by mentioning the buffet that is on that night. The buffet was very good and the sega wasn’t quite as embarrassing as we were expecting. And it was possible with great strength to avoid participating, although only one table managed it when we were there.
Breakfast was also excellent, consisting of a buffet that included cereal, bread, pastries, fruit, yoghurt, ham, cheese, bacon, sausages, and eggs and pancakes cooked to order. There wasn’t the enormous range you would find at a big hotel, but the food was fresh and good.
Although the hotel’s web site claims there are two restaurants, there was only one operating – perhaps because it was low season. We also didn’t see any sign of the advertised cinema. Facilities include a small gym, a sauna, a glass-bottom boat from which you can go snorkelling, a boat that took people diving, pedal boats and kayaks and the opportunity to water-ski. The hotel’s snorkelling gear is adequate, but we would take our own next time. There is also a spa, which we didn’t visit.
The hotel has a very small playground but as the dinner service of five courses didn’t start until 7.30, unless your children are up to staying up that late and are good swimmers, I wouldn’t take them. There were a few children there but not many, and not much for them to do. Most guests were couples or families with older children. We only heard three other people speaking English as their first language the whole time we were there. Most guests were French or French-speaking, with a number of other nationalities also represented.
The Hibiscus is not a five-star hotel but it does have a wonderful location, lovely rooms, great staff and a friendly, intimate atmosphere. We absolutely loved it and will stay there again.