4 Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island assessment

Getting to the Four Seasons Resort Seychelles Desroches Island

The Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island is about a 35-minute flight from the Seychelles’ capital of Mahe. After booking your stay, the hotel will contact you directly to book interisland flights for your party aboard the hotel’s charter service at a cost of 494.50 euros ($530) per person round-trip.

Give yourself a buffer of one or two nights between arriving in the Seychelles and transiting to Desroches in order to ensure that your connections work out. Flights from Mahe to Desroches currently depart at 10:30 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 11:30 a.m. Sunday; return flights depart at 11:30 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 12:30 p.m. Sunday, though times are subject to change based on weather and other conditions.

At the airport in Mahe, guests are escorted through check-in and security by a hotel agent and deposited in the public waiting area ahead of flights.

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Booking details

The Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island has just 71 villas and suites along with 13 palatial residences (these are located across the airstrip from the main resort section of the island).

Rates start at $910 per night for ocean-view pool villas, which are the hotel’s lowest-category accommodations, but encompass over 2,000 square feet of private space, including their expansive interiors as well as gardens with plunge pools and lounge areas leading to the beach. Facing due west, the sunset-view pool villa I stayed in typically costs about $500-$600 more than an ocean-view pool villa per night. The resort’s accommodations top out at the seven-bedroom presidential villa, which has its own full-size pool, both indoor and outdoor lounges and dining areas and even a private gym.

Standout features

• Spectacular accommodations with plenty of indoor and outdoor space in which to indulge.
• Pristine beaches where you might spot stingrays and sea turtles.
• Restaurants serving everything from Seychellois classics to Mediterranean cuisine, sushi and sizzling steaks.
• Where else will you get the chance to hand-feed giant Aldabra tortoises?

Drawbacks

• The cost — including expensive interisland flights and on-property activities and dining — can be prohibitive, even for a resort of this caliber.
• Beach conditions and the availability of activities can be extremely variable depending on the weather.
• Although buggies are always available, getting to some of the beaches and activities can require a trek given the island’s size.

The vibe

Private island paradises abound these days, but every so often, you come across one that still feels so special you simultaneously think everyone should know how wonderful it is, but also that it should be guarded like a precious secret.

The Four Seasons Seychelles Resort at Desroches Island is just such a place. And while plenty of folks have expounded on the wonders of this island Eden, due to its remoteness few are actually able to make the trek to experience its natural beauty and languid luxury.

Those who do, however, are in for sun-splashed, breezy days bicycling to the various beaches that line its shores, unwinding with spa treatments accompanied by the gentle crash of the nearby waves and perhaps stopping in the Island Conservation Society village to visit the folks who protect Desroches and its waters to pet the local goats or check on the gardens that supply the hotel’s restaurants.

Time is what you make of it here, whether it’s brisk mornings of surfing the local breaks and Technicolor-saturated sunset cruises, or days spent commuting between your villa’s private pool and shaded hammock for siestas before a romantic dinner of grilled fish and steak next to the island’s lighthouse. And while you’ll probably make fast friends with fellow guests fawning over the lavish breakfast buffet or sipping Seychellois rums during an afternoon tasting, you can also have as secluded a sojourn as you like thanks to the self-contained footprints of the villas and residences.

The room

The resort’s villas are arranged along the island’s shore to the south and west of the airstrip that slices across its thickest section. Guests can bike or buggy to them in a matter of minutes, and though the standalone structures are grouped in clusters along diverging paths, chances are you won’t see or hear your neighbors during your stay.

The sunset-view pool villa I stayed in comprised nearly 2,100 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. The main room, with its high-peaked ceiling, included both a sheer-curtained king-size canopy bed, which housekeeping would unfurl during turndown service, and an antique-style trunk at its foot hiding a pop-out television. There was also an ample living room with a patterned rug, woven and beaten-metal art on the walls, a large dining table and both a daybed and a shocking-pink peacock chair for good measure.

Universal power plugs as well as USB-A ports are in drawers next to the sides of the bed. Guests should also appreciate free, if not so fast, Wi-Fi available in the villas and the main public areas of the resort, though there is no signal at some of the beaches and in the interior portion of the island.

A selection of vanilla-cinnamon iced tea, fruits and coconut sweets added an extra touch of sweetness to the welcome. The minibar held a variety of snacks and drinks including some Takamaka rum from Mahe, various bottles of beer and fruit juice, water and both a Nespresso machine for making coffee and an electric kettle so you could make yourself a cup of tea.

A closet area with plenty of space for suitcases and hanging clothes plus the enormous bathroom suite occupied the other half of the villa, directly behind the bed.

The two sinks and vanities were set to either side of the room on stone-topped wooden benchlike fixtures, while directly to the back of the space was a large, ceramic soaking tub. The hotel provides a range of Natura Bisse products including soap and body lotion.

To either side of that were the water closet with the toilet, and then the indoor-outdoor shower combination. The indoor shower had both overhead and handheld showerheads along with a bench and an array of Natura Bisse hair and body products.

The outdoor shower was shielded from view by canvas walls, and its stream was more of a single gushing torrent rather than your typical spray.

Large glass sliding doors led from the living room to an outdoor deck with a table and two chairs, while a spiral wooden staircase provided access to an upstairs deck with a daybed.

Across a small lawn, the villa’s private pool was mostly shaded during the day, providing a welcome respite from the tropical heat, and had an adjacent deck with a large cushioned pad and triangular pillows for lounging.

A path led to a sandy patch with two loungers under an umbrella and a hammock strung between two trees before opening out onto the beach. There was another outdoor shower here, well-situated for rinsing off after a dip in the sea.

Thanks to its sprawling layout, including an enormous interior and copious outdoor spaces, my villa felt like a private island within a private island.

Food and drink

The Four Seasons Seychelles at Desroches Island fields five bars and restaurants plus in-room dining, not to mention the availability of private chef services and picnic setups. There is also an extensive 24-hour in-room dining menu with Western, Asian and Seychellois dishes.

The main dining options include the following:

Claudine

The resort’s primary restaurant is set poolside next to reception and the bar. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with short breaks between each meal, and tables are arranged along a terrace with a few seating setups on shaded decks alongside a water feature.

Room rates include breakfast, and guests can browse the extensive buffet as well as order off the a la carte menu. The buffet spread includes fresh-baked pastries, a cornucopia of fruits, cheeses, charcuterie, eggs, sausage, bacon and more.

The made-to-order dishes includes items like pancakes with berry compote, waffles with fresh berries and lemon cream, spicy tomato shakshuka, lobster fatteh with pomegranate and pine nuts, congee, prawn dim sum and cinnamon porridge with bananas and sunflower seeds.

The lunch menu proffers a large international selection of dishes like Caesar salad ($23); pan-seared job fish (a local variety of snapper) with artichokes, olives, capers and anchovies ($40); Mediterranean pizza with feta, olives, tomatoes, onions and peppers ($30) and sandwiches and burgers, including one of seared tuna with creole mayo ($35) that was both hearty and delicious.

The dinner menu typically includes continental classics like yellowfin sashimi with citrus, tomatoes and capers ($32); heart of palm salad with coriander and lime dressing ($23); seafood linguine ($39); coral lobster risotto with saffron and chili ($47) and corn-fed chicken breast with artichoke and baby potato ($43). The restaurant also hosts various themed dinners including Lebanese, Indian and seafood nights.

I happened to be there for a “La Tous Kreole” evening that included a huge sampling of Seychellois dishes served buffet-style and a la minute ($128 per person). There was octopus salad and smoked fish galore, grill stations cooking up lobster, wahoo, prawns and lamb chops, plenty of seafood, fish and vegetable curries, and desserts like pumpkin fitters and caramelized pineapple with Takamaka rum. I especially enjoyed the seafood curry made to my preferences by one of the restaurant’s chefs. It was piping hot, rich and laden with over a dozen spices.

The Deli

Next to Claudine and the hotel bar, the Deli is a casual Japanese izakaya and sushi restaurant that’s open for lunch and dinner and which provides a nice, light counterpoint to the other dining options.

Starters include edamame ($16), popcorn shrimp ($34), fried chicken karaage with soy-ginger-garlic sauce ($27) and ultrafresh salmon sashimi with cucumber, green apple, lime, coconut cream and chili ($31). There are also plenty of four-piece rolls like spicy tuna with avocado ($20) and a rainbow roll with avocado, cucumber, salmon, white fish and tuna ($26), as well as a few types of nigiri, some fish and beef sliders and main courses like simmered local lobster katsuobushi ($42) and chicken teriyaki ($40).

The Lighthouse

The hotel’s most upscale restaurant is the Lighthouse, which is open only for dinner Monday, Wednesday and Friday-Sunday, and comprises an indoor dining room on the base level of the lighthouse itself, plus outdoor tables surrounding the structure and an upstairs alfresco lounge for cocktails around a flickering fire pit.

The menu is that of a contemporary chophouse. Signature starters include tuna tartare with smoked eggplant cream and yuzu-tomato vinaigrette ($29) and a king crab tartlet with poached lobster, fennel aioli and remoulade ($43).

There are some fish and seafood mains including creamy lobster thermidor ($100) and pistachio-crusted black cod in beurre blanc with parsnip puree and baby carrots ($60). However, the focus is mainly on the selection of dry-aged cuts of steak from Germany and Spain including a 12-ounce striploin ($86), a 12-ounce rib-eye ($143) and a Kobe beef filet ($128) served with sides like mashed sweet potato with macadamia nuts, Lincoln Log-like french fries and garlic-rosemary portobello mushrooms (all for $21 each).

For dessert, the mango-coconut flan with coconut sable and mango coulis ($24) is a sweet but light way to end the evening. The cocktail and wine list, meanwhile, proffers a selection of classics with tropical twists like a heady Singapore Sling ($20) and a variety of wines by the bottle and glass from South Africa and several countries around Europe.

Thanks to the romantic setting and splurgy price point, the Lighthouse is the place to go for a date-night ambience.

The Bar

The hotel’s bar is located adjacent to the main pool and offers a menu of classic cocktails, small bites and special experiences like private and group rum tastings. The events and menus can vary week by week, so consult the resort calendar provided in your villa or by the front desk to find out what’s on.

Amenities and service

Whether you’re a lounge-on-the-beach or fill-every-moment kind of vacationer, you can shape your own experience at the Four Seasons Seychelles at Desroches Island. The hotel provides arriving guests with a calendar of activities that includes everything from guided kayak tours to beach yoga.

Just in front of Claudine, the resort’s main pool fronts the ocean (beware of the splash zone when the tide is high), running between the bar and reception with shaded loungers.

Guests can pop by the Castaway Centre to pick up snorkeling gear and book activities including deep-sea fishing expeditions, sunset sails and surfing sessions as well as to learn more about the island’s unique flora and fauna with the resident naturalist. (Note that nonmotorized water sports are complimentary, and other activities are an additional fee.)

The center is also home to some activities for children (though kids are also led on excursions around the rest of the island to beaches, to spot birds and other wildlife and more) at the resort’s Kids for All Seasons kids club, which also has an outdoor playground and an air-conditioned indoor lounge.

Each villa also comes with a bike for each guest so they can cycle to the island’s various beaches, which are provisioned with kayaks and shaded beach chairs plus coolers of water, towels and restroom facilities for ad hoc lazing or spontaneous snorkeling (head to Aquarium Beach for your best shot at spotting sea turtles).

There is a boutique selling essentials and island-sourced souvenirs next to reception.

There are also afternoon excursions with the naturalist to visit the island’s population of giant Aldabra tortoises, who love being fed various leaves and fruits from the trees surrounding their vast enclosure — keep an eye out for George, who is believed to be around 120 years old.

Located next door to the Lighthouse, the Circle of Connection Spa is a breezy, oceanfront collection of cabanas with an outdoor lounging area and individual treatment bures. The menu includes a variety of massages, facials and body treatments incorporating high-end skincare lines such as TheraNaka. Signature treatments include a ginger-lavender poultice rub ($250 for 90 minutes), a vitality facial performed with different types of crystals like rose quartz and carnelian ($250 for 90 minutes) and a host of herb-infused body wraps to rejuvenate the skin after days in the sun ($250 for 75 minutes).

Active guests should also appreciate the on-site tennis court and air-conditioned indoor gym equipped with cardio and weight machines (personal training services are also available).

Accessibility

Unfortunately, the Four Seasons Seychelles at Desroches Island is not the most wheelchair- or sensory-accessible resort. Given the small-plane flights to get there, the island’s sandy paths between facilities, villas and beaches and the use of stairs in the accommodations and their pools, wheelchair users are not likely to find this an easy-to-navigate resort.

Those with mild mobility issues, however, should be able to enjoy the villas, since the main accommodations and bathing areas are all on a single level, and be able to take advantage of the on-demand buggy service to explore the island’s various corners.

Checking out

It may take a full two days of travel to get from the U.S. to the Four Seasons Seychelles at Desroches Island, but that odyssey feels well worth it once you set foot on this atoll’s sandy, sun-soaked shores.

Beyond the luxury of private pool villas and secluded beaches as well as that brand-standard Four Seasons service, the sheer beauty of the setting, the wonder of seeing giant tortoises and other endemic species in their natural habitat, and getting to snorkel, dive and sail some of the world’s most pristine waters all ground this over-the-top experience with a nature-based sense of place that simply can’t be replicated.

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