L’Archipel
1 Night accommodation at La Roussette on Mahe with breakfast
6 Nights accommodation in room types indicated with breakfast & dinner daily
NOTE: Rates apply only to SA residents
A long established favourite and indisputably one of the top hotels on Praslin, the L’Archipel with its 32 rooms poised above a gorgeous secluded beach also has perhaps the most authentic local character.
Perhaps the most authentic feeling of all the mid-range Seychelles hotels – there’s a real sense of Creole Colonial architectural style and atmosphere here
Excellent dining with some of the most delicious food we encountered in the Seychelles – dinners in particular are a classy, sophisticated affair
Lovely beach and the hotel enjoys a very attractive position with the rooms scattered around an amphitheatre-like hillside – it’s especially attractive at night with all the lights glimmering like jewels!
Great for honeymooners and other guests looking for peace and privacy in classy surroundings - a top choice for couples!
Lovely beach which avoids the seaweed problem during the windy May – September months that afflicts beaches on the south-west coast of Praslin
It’s a pity that the pool isn’t actually at beach level – instead it’s positioned upstairs next to the cocktail bar/restaurant
The beach has lovely white sand and a very manicured feel – this does however mean that it lacks the wild, natural beauty visible on other Seychelles beaches
this charming and intimate property, built along a lovely stretch of golden sand on Praslin’s north shore, oozes Creole colonial style and atmosphere
32 in total - 4 Superior rooms, 16 Deluxe rooms, 10 Senior Suites and 2 Family Suites
Perhaps one of the disappointing aspects for us about the Seychelles versus a destination like Zanzibar for instance, is that so many of the hotels here seem to lack any authentic local style or character – instead they are either quite bland and anonymous, or in the case of some of the more recent upmarket developments they have a transplanted Bali-style architecture and décor style.
The L’Archipel though is a lovely exception to this general rule – instead this charming and intimate property, built along a lovely stretch of golden sand on Praslin’s north shore, oozes Creole colonial style and atmosphere. The position of the hotel is also glorious with the 30 rooms lying scattered on a tree-filled hillside that forms a natural amphitheatre above the secluded and palm tree lined Anse Gouvernement beach. The L’Archipel lies at the far end of a short road leading off the northern end of the much busier Cote D’Or beach, so there’s no passing traffic to disturb the peace and tranquility and the beach is to all intents and purposes private due to the lack of public access.
Unlike most of the other Seychelles hotels where the rooms are found grouped in conventional blocks, the 32 rooms at the L’Archipel by contrast are primarily found as pairs of semi-detached cottages – some of them on the flat garden area close to the beach, with others perched on the hillside overlooking the turquoise waters of the bay below. Then there is the lovely plantation house also on the hillside looking down over the swimming pool which contains a number of suites.
The 32 rooms at L’Archipel are divided into 4 different room types – 4 Superior Rooms which are located on the ground floor of the colonial plantation house, 16 Deluxe rooms which are scattered on the hillside and gardens, 10 slightly larger Senior Suites and 2 Family Suites. As you step up the ladder so the rooms become progressively larger, but they all boast similar features and décor – the dark wood that featured prominently when we first started selling L'Archipel is now a thing of the past, replaced by lighter, brighter and more contemporary décor and colour schemes and whilst they perhaps still lack the very contemporary style of newer rivals, they do definitely have a more authentic local character. Funnily enough we really enjoyed the most common room type – the Deluxe Rooms – which had plenty of space including private verandas boasting great sea views. One thing to take note of is that (depending on exactly where your room is positioned) you could end up having to tackle quite a lot of steps, so the hotel is possibly not suited to those of limited mobility.
Moving on to the main restaurant and bar area, the feel again is very much of an authentic colonial style building - somewhat unusually, the swimming pool is located on a terrace adjacent to the bar located in the main building, rather than down close to the beach. Talking of the restaurant, the food at the L’Archipel is outstanding and definitely one of the highlights of the hotel and is probably of a higher standard than its competitors in our estimation. Service is also very attentive and professional and the ambience at night, when you dine in the upstairs La Feuille d'Or restaurant, is perhaps a little more formal than other hotels like La Reserve for instance.