Starwood Properties in Seychelles [Master Thread]
Starwood Properties in Seychelles [Master Thread]
Jun 4, 2006, 9:52 pm
#2
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Jun 5, 2006, 4:28 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2000
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posts: 1,960
I spent 5 days at the LeMeridien Barbarons, which is on the west coast of Mahe. It was a good time.
Like many of the LeMeridien resorts of that era (80s, I think), it has a huge open-air (but roofed) "lobby" building, with checkin, gift shop, tourist businesses, and a few restaurants. There's a buffet style restaurant, a sit down restaurant and a bar area with a stage for entertainment. The rooms themselves are in long wings (separate buildings), with down-four-stairs lower level rooms, and up-six-stairs upper level rooms. There is a pool bar which has reasonably priced lunches, a big pool, and a long beach with white sand.
We patronized all the restaurants; surprisingly, the best food is the buffet, which features a nightly change of "theme". The resort was only about 50% full most of the days we were there, so there was never any problem with a reservation. (One day, the place emptied out, and when we went to go have lunch we were invited to eat with the staff, for free, as they thought there were NO MORE GUESTS or something and hadn't planned on a full service. It was nice, despite the oddity, and we talked a little with the staff, who are very nice, but quiet).
It's well worth it to have a car and see sights on the island. The north end is interesting and I recommend the perfumerie up there in a thread I wrote a couple years ago on the Hilton Safari (we finished the vacation with a visit to the Seychelles); visiting the Banyan Tree is pretty cool, too, with what has to be the best beach on the island. It *IS EXPENSIVE TO LUNCH THERE*, though, which I suppose befits a place with $1500 rooms.
Note that the Seychelles are quiet at night. Staying in at the Barbarons wasn't too bad, though. Usually the lounge act was OK, and drinks are good. Only problem then was getting my miles to post to AA. They never did, despite multiple mailings to LeMeridien, AA, etc. (This was a feature of staying at LeMeridien properties all over the world: chasing after getting any miles at all. Hopefully SPG will not be a problem.)
My favorite eating spot of all on the whole island was a little shack about 3/4 of the way down the west island road toward Banyan Tree. It's an open air hut next to the water, I think called La Sirene. Enjoy. It was the best fish we had on an island where fish, for the most part, is superb.
Like many of the LeMeridien resorts of that era (80s, I think), it has a huge open-air (but roofed) "lobby" building, with checkin, gift shop, tourist businesses, and a few restaurants. There's a buffet style restaurant, a sit down restaurant and a bar area with a stage for entertainment. The rooms themselves are in long wings (separate buildings), with down-four-stairs lower level rooms, and up-six-stairs upper level rooms. There is a pool bar which has reasonably priced lunches, a big pool, and a long beach with white sand.
We patronized all the restaurants; surprisingly, the best food is the buffet, which features a nightly change of "theme". The resort was only about 50% full most of the days we were there, so there was never any problem with a reservation. (One day, the place emptied out, and when we went to go have lunch we were invited to eat with the staff, for free, as they thought there were NO MORE GUESTS or something and hadn't planned on a full service. It was nice, despite the oddity, and we talked a little with the staff, who are very nice, but quiet).
It's well worth it to have a car and see sights on the island. The north end is interesting and I recommend the perfumerie up there in a thread I wrote a couple years ago on the Hilton Safari (we finished the vacation with a visit to the Seychelles); visiting the Banyan Tree is pretty cool, too, with what has to be the best beach on the island. It *IS EXPENSIVE TO LUNCH THERE*, though, which I suppose befits a place with $1500 rooms.
Note that the Seychelles are quiet at night. Staying in at the Barbarons wasn't too bad, though. Usually the lounge act was OK, and drinks are good. Only problem then was getting my miles to post to AA. They never did, despite multiple mailings to LeMeridien, AA, etc. (This was a feature of staying at LeMeridien properties all over the world: chasing after getting any miles at all. Hopefully SPG will not be a problem.)
My favorite eating spot of all on the whole island was a little shack about 3/4 of the way down the west island road toward Banyan Tree. It's an open air hut next to the water, I think called La Sirene. Enjoy. It was the best fish we had on an island where fish, for the most part, is superb.
Jun 5, 2006, 7:49 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 2,098
Le Meridien Barbarons
My partner and I stayed at the Le Meridien Barbarons a few years back. The property is as SST mentions, however, I was somewhat disappointed in how worn the rooms were. Unlike the other Seychelles property in Fisherman's Cove, the Barbarons is in a rather secluded area and a car rental is highly recommended to see the area sights and to visit the smaller towns on the island. The Fisherman's Cove location is located in an area where there are other hotels, shops and restaurants and a quick trip into town. I preferred the Barbarons, as it was quieter with the nice little bay. I understand that it recently was renovated. The Plantation hotel and resort is not too far away, where you can you can try your luck in the casino too. On our second trip to Mahe, we were actually bumped from the hotel and were sent to The Plantation hotel, which was a nicer property, but there was no hotel affiliation for points.
Mar 20, 2007, 3:42 am
#5
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: ARN
Programs: FB Plat, Eurobonus Silver, Starwood Gold, Amex Plat, Hertz 5*
Posts: 59
Seychelles
My time as lastely come to spend 5 night in the Seychelles for my hardly earned starpoints !
Just wondering, is it worth to spend 100 000 Starpoint @ "Le Méridien Fisherman's Cove" or should I just go for 40 000 Starpoint @ Le Méridien Barbarons?
Just wondering, is it worth to spend 100 000 Starpoint @ "Le Méridien Fisherman's Cove" or should I just go for 40 000 Starpoint @ Le Méridien Barbarons?
Mar 20, 2007, 11:34 am
#8
Join Date: May 2005
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5 NIGHTS ARE 80000 POINTS, but I don't feel worth it. Hilton should be better.
Oct 5, 2007, 3:07 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Paris, FRANCE
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Posts: 305
I'm planning to go there on a redemption for 3 nights in december and as well for 10 nights at the hilton.
Based on the reviews of tripadvisor, the Hilton looks to be the place to be and the Méridien Barbaron the place not to stay.
I'll make a trip report.... in 3 months
Based on the reviews of tripadvisor, the Hilton looks to be the place to be and the Méridien Barbaron the place not to stay.
I'll make a trip report.... in 3 months
Oct 5, 2007, 11:02 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Chicago
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Posts: 166
Dauphine - I look forward to your trip report.
would you happen to have done any research on scuba or island exploration / boating in the seychelles? If so, would you mind sharing any websites or agents that you think would be helpful.
In case it's helpful, I've received this links thus far:
http://www.whitetipdivers.com/home
www.seyexclusive.com
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/index.php
Just in case you hadn't noticed and it's of interest, both LMs in Seychelles are participating in the cash & points reward option. I think Fisherman's is 2800 points + $150
would you happen to have done any research on scuba or island exploration / boating in the seychelles? If so, would you mind sharing any websites or agents that you think would be helpful.
In case it's helpful, I've received this links thus far:
http://www.whitetipdivers.com/home
www.seyexclusive.com
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/index.php
Just in case you hadn't noticed and it's of interest, both LMs in Seychelles are participating in the cash & points reward option. I think Fisherman's is 2800 points + $150
Aug 9, 2008, 3:34 pm
#11
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Posts: 11,971
Are either of these properties on the same island as the airport? If not, what is the easiest/cheapest way to get there?
Aug 21, 2008, 3:04 am
#13
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Darmstadt
Programs: LH SEN, QR Platinum, Bonvoy Plat, GHA Black, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 760
was there 2 weeks ago.
LM Barbarons and Fishermans cove might be the same brand, but shows very considerable how the level within the brand varies.
LM Barbarons Bay is a typical 3,5 * tourist hotel, which could be in Hurghada, Rimini or Pattaya, with the small difference that on one of these places it would cost 100 € / Night and not > € 200 like in the Seychelles.
LM Fisherman's Cove is a true 5* Hotel with freshly renovated rooms, nice public areas and friendly service.
LM Fisherman's Cove and Hilton Northolme are in the same area of Mahe. (2 km apart)
Taxi ride to/from will be about 250-300 Rupies (€ 20) and take 20-30 minutes.
To LM Barbarons it will take longer.
LM Barbarons and Fishermans cove might be the same brand, but shows very considerable how the level within the brand varies.
LM Barbarons Bay is a typical 3,5 * tourist hotel, which could be in Hurghada, Rimini or Pattaya, with the small difference that on one of these places it would cost 100 € / Night and not > € 200 like in the Seychelles.
LM Fisherman's Cove is a true 5* Hotel with freshly renovated rooms, nice public areas and friendly service.
LM Fisherman's Cove and Hilton Northolme are in the same area of Mahe. (2 km apart)
Taxi ride to/from will be about 250-300 Rupies (€ 20) and take 20-30 minutes.
To LM Barbarons it will take longer.
Last edited by Olip; Aug 21, 2008 at 3:10 am
Sep 3, 2008, 2:14 pm
#14
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SEA - DL DM/2MM, *A Gold, SPG Lifetime Plat, some other car and hotel stuff
Posts: 5,649
I stayed at LM Fisherman's Cove for four nights on a honeymoon stay a few weeks ago, so will add some commentary.
The hotel is located on Mahe, in the northwest portion of the island. It is about 25-30 minutes from the airport, part of which is a very windy, narrow mountainous road.
We stayed on C&P at 8k points + $150/night.
Answer first: We had a fantastic stay at a very nice resort with good service. The value of the C&P redemption is tremendous.
The resort has about 68 rooms. Our C&P reservation was for a standard "hibiscus" room (or the like). However, we were upgraded to the very top level of suite on the property: Orchid Suite. There are only a handful of these onsite. Our room had a large, secluded patio area. It had a sitting area with tv, slightly recessed from the main bedroom and separated only by some moveable curtains. The entirety of the suite is a very open plan, as the sitting area flows right into the bedroom which opens right into the bathroom. The jetted tub has a sink on either side, and there is also a shower that is open to the entire room. Only the toilet/bidet is separated by a sliding door. As a honeymooner, I rather enjoyed the concept, though my wife points out that others may not be so enthusiastic. Regardless, it was a phenomenal room, and we appreciated and enjoyed the wonderful upgrade.
While I selected the points amenity upon check-in (they haven't posted, which is de rigeur with SPG in my experience), we were brought chilled white wine shortly after check-in. There was also a fruit basket awaiting in the room, as well as a collared golf shirt for me and a sarong for my wife.
Service at the hotel was very good overall. Upon arrival, bellhops quickly unloaded the car. Check-in was personalized and pleasant, with a welcome fruit juice. We were given our room upon our fairly early arrival. Throughout our stay, help was never far away. When our shower overflowed, for example, an engineer appeared quickly. Turndown service was always available on our schedule, not that of the staff. Occasionally, we had to wait a few minutes for a pool attendant to change our towels, but this was a minor inconvenience.
It seemed that all rates (including ours) included a buffet breakfast. It was an elaborate affair, with very good fresh juices, champagne, made to order omelettes, fruits, cheeses, meats, pastries, etc. We really enjoyed the breakfast.
Other F&B options onsite were very expensive. We did not eat in the hotel restaurants as most guests seemed to do. Instead, we always ventured to area restaurants, and were very pleased with many of the nearby options. La Scala (Italian) was a bit of a disappointment, but we were pleasantly surprised by Al Mare (also Italian) just down the beach as well as Le Corsaire, another short drive away. Overall, we strongly recommend car rentals to guests, unless you are the type to stay onsite the entire time. This would be a shame as it is fun to drive the windy roads of Mahe and see the amazing beaches and sites all over.
There was a manager's reception during our stay. It was a classy affair, with very friendly staff in attendance. The F&B manager, Flavien (a German) was particularly friendly, mapping out an itinerary for us to see his favorite beaches. The reception included copious passed canapes and a generous open bar. It seemed to run well beyond the one hour advertised, though we left before it was really winding down.
There is also a daily complimentary tea in the afternoon from 330-5pm. This included soft drinks (tea, water, coffee, etc.) as well as crepes and assorted cookies.
The clientele seemed to include the expected array of honeymooners as well as older couples and some families. Europeans dominated the mix.
The property is very well maintained and seemingly recently renovated. All of the touches are classy and sophisticated. The infinity pool is nice, and we never had trouble getting chairs together. I was very surprised to learn that the hotel was near capacity for much of our stay (93%+), as the hotel did a great job of maintaining an intimate feel.
The beach directly onsite is not the best on the island, but is serviceable. There are some complimentary activities on site, including snorkelling. In fact, there is a daily guided excursion which was very enjoyable. They also have non motorized boats which are complimentary. Of course, they can help arrange a number of paid excursions such as diving and the like. There is also a spa on site which we did not visit. I would have appreciated an outdoor hot tub by the pool, but this was not on offer. I should also mention that the hotel offers free wifi in several common areas, though this is not well advertised, and we did not realize the availability until late in our stay. Consider yourself informed!
Those are the most salient recollections for me at the moment, but if anyone has any questions, please fire away. All in all, this is a very nice high-end resort. It does not quite challenge the most luxurious out there (Banyan Tree, etc.), but we were very pleased with our experience overall, and particularly thrilled with the Platinum upgrade and value of C&P redemption.
Edited to add: Our 4 night stay was on back-to-back reservations of 3 and 1 night each. Despite our reviewing this at check-in, they never got this right. They swore it would be seemless, but they gave us checkout info on our third night, and sure enough, locked out our keys on day 4. At checkout, the clerk had little information about the entirety of our stay. It was quite confused, and they could have handled this more carefully.
The hotel is located on Mahe, in the northwest portion of the island. It is about 25-30 minutes from the airport, part of which is a very windy, narrow mountainous road.
We stayed on C&P at 8k points + $150/night.
Answer first: We had a fantastic stay at a very nice resort with good service. The value of the C&P redemption is tremendous.
The resort has about 68 rooms. Our C&P reservation was for a standard "hibiscus" room (or the like). However, we were upgraded to the very top level of suite on the property: Orchid Suite. There are only a handful of these onsite. Our room had a large, secluded patio area. It had a sitting area with tv, slightly recessed from the main bedroom and separated only by some moveable curtains. The entirety of the suite is a very open plan, as the sitting area flows right into the bedroom which opens right into the bathroom. The jetted tub has a sink on either side, and there is also a shower that is open to the entire room. Only the toilet/bidet is separated by a sliding door. As a honeymooner, I rather enjoyed the concept, though my wife points out that others may not be so enthusiastic. Regardless, it was a phenomenal room, and we appreciated and enjoyed the wonderful upgrade.
While I selected the points amenity upon check-in (they haven't posted, which is de rigeur with SPG in my experience), we were brought chilled white wine shortly after check-in. There was also a fruit basket awaiting in the room, as well as a collared golf shirt for me and a sarong for my wife.
Service at the hotel was very good overall. Upon arrival, bellhops quickly unloaded the car. Check-in was personalized and pleasant, with a welcome fruit juice. We were given our room upon our fairly early arrival. Throughout our stay, help was never far away. When our shower overflowed, for example, an engineer appeared quickly. Turndown service was always available on our schedule, not that of the staff. Occasionally, we had to wait a few minutes for a pool attendant to change our towels, but this was a minor inconvenience.
It seemed that all rates (including ours) included a buffet breakfast. It was an elaborate affair, with very good fresh juices, champagne, made to order omelettes, fruits, cheeses, meats, pastries, etc. We really enjoyed the breakfast.
Other F&B options onsite were very expensive. We did not eat in the hotel restaurants as most guests seemed to do. Instead, we always ventured to area restaurants, and were very pleased with many of the nearby options. La Scala (Italian) was a bit of a disappointment, but we were pleasantly surprised by Al Mare (also Italian) just down the beach as well as Le Corsaire, another short drive away. Overall, we strongly recommend car rentals to guests, unless you are the type to stay onsite the entire time. This would be a shame as it is fun to drive the windy roads of Mahe and see the amazing beaches and sites all over.
There was a manager's reception during our stay. It was a classy affair, with very friendly staff in attendance. The F&B manager, Flavien (a German) was particularly friendly, mapping out an itinerary for us to see his favorite beaches. The reception included copious passed canapes and a generous open bar. It seemed to run well beyond the one hour advertised, though we left before it was really winding down.
There is also a daily complimentary tea in the afternoon from 330-5pm. This included soft drinks (tea, water, coffee, etc.) as well as crepes and assorted cookies.
The clientele seemed to include the expected array of honeymooners as well as older couples and some families. Europeans dominated the mix.
The property is very well maintained and seemingly recently renovated. All of the touches are classy and sophisticated. The infinity pool is nice, and we never had trouble getting chairs together. I was very surprised to learn that the hotel was near capacity for much of our stay (93%+), as the hotel did a great job of maintaining an intimate feel.
The beach directly onsite is not the best on the island, but is serviceable. There are some complimentary activities on site, including snorkelling. In fact, there is a daily guided excursion which was very enjoyable. They also have non motorized boats which are complimentary. Of course, they can help arrange a number of paid excursions such as diving and the like. There is also a spa on site which we did not visit. I would have appreciated an outdoor hot tub by the pool, but this was not on offer. I should also mention that the hotel offers free wifi in several common areas, though this is not well advertised, and we did not realize the availability until late in our stay. Consider yourself informed!
Those are the most salient recollections for me at the moment, but if anyone has any questions, please fire away. All in all, this is a very nice high-end resort. It does not quite challenge the most luxurious out there (Banyan Tree, etc.), but we were very pleased with our experience overall, and particularly thrilled with the Platinum upgrade and value of C&P redemption.
Edited to add: Our 4 night stay was on back-to-back reservations of 3 and 1 night each. Despite our reviewing this at check-in, they never got this right. They swore it would be seemless, but they gave us checkout info on our third night, and sure enough, locked out our keys on day 4. At checkout, the clerk had little information about the entirety of our stay. It was quite confused, and they could have handled this more carefully.
Last edited by andymo99; Sep 3, 2008 at 5:26 pm