Four Seasons Resort Seychelles

The beach at Petite Anse, on the south-west coast of Mahé, curves between two granite headlands, and above it the villas of Four Seasons Resort Seychelles climb the hill on stilts through takamaka and palm. The resort opened in 2009, built so that the forest on the slope would stay and the buildings would sit inside it rather than replace it.

History

Four Seasons chose Petite Anse for its first hotel in the Seychelles, a bay in the Baie Lazare district with a single sandy beach and steep wooded sides. The resort opened in 2009. Nearly a decade later the company opened a second property in the country, on Desroches Island in the Amirantes, but the Mahé resort is the one that set its style in the islands.

Architecture and design

The villas stand on timber platforms raised above the ground, which kept clearing to a minimum on a steep and rocky site. Each is a small group of pavilions in timber, stone and thatch, with white linen, wide doors and decks that open to the view. Paths and buggies connect them with the beach below and the spa above, and large granite boulders are left in place throughout the grounds.

The rock itself is part of the appeal. The inner islands of the Seychelles are made of granite hundreds of millions of years old, a fragment of the ancient continent that once joined Africa and India, which makes them unusual among oceanic islands, most of which are volcanic or coral.

Rooms and suites

There are 67 villas, each with a private plunge pool and an outdoor living area. Those lower on the hill sit close to the beach; those higher up look over the treetops to the whole bay. Larger residence villas with several bedrooms serve families and groups.

Dining

The main restaurant sits above the beach with views over the bay, and a second restaurant higher on the hill is used for dinner as the sun goes down. Creole cooking and fish from local boats appear on the menus alongside international dishes, and the resort arranges private dinners on the sand.

Wellness

The spa crowns the hill, with treatment pavilions and a yoga pavilion set high above Petite Anse. On clear days the view reaches across the water to the islands offshore.

Weddings and events

Ceremonies are held on the beach and on the hilltop, and receptions use the restaurants and terraces. The resort also takes small meetings and private dinners.

Location

Petite Anse lies in the south-west of Mahé, the largest of the 115 islands of the Seychelles. Its interior rises to Morne Seychellois, at 905 metres the highest point in the country, and Victoria is among the smallest capitals in the world.Seychelles International Airport, on the east coast, is about 45 minutes away by road, and the capital, Victoria, a similar distance. Morne Seychellois National Park covers the mountain spine of the island to the north, with trails through forest that hold some of the endemic plants of the granitic islands. The beaches of Anse Intendance and Anse Takamaka are a short drive south.

The waters off this coast are best for snorkelling and diving in the calm months between the monsoons. Praslin and La Digue, with the Vallée de Mai World Heritage Site and its coco de mer palms, are reached by ferry or a short flight from Mahé. As a luxury resort on Mahé, it is quiet: there is no town nearby, and the bay is calm most evenings.