The best honeymoon hotels in the Seychelles

Publish date: 2024-08-05
All hotels have been independently reviewed and selected. We will earn a commission if you book via the links below, but this never affects our rating. Our expert writers are usually hosted on a complimentary basis in order to gain the first-hand experience necessary for their review. These are unusual times, and the state of affairs can change quickly. Please check the latest travel guidance before making your journey. Please note our writers visited these hotels prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

There’s a reason that A-listers and royalty high-tail it to the Seychelles for their honeymoons and holidays – quite simply this is the closest thing to paradise on earth. Although many choose to simply fly and flop on talcum-powder-white beaches, the 115 islands are patchwork of tropical wonderlands encompassing prehistoric palm groves, blooming coralline atolls and cloud forests – enough to fill days with stunning diving, hiking or sailing. So, if you’ve spent your wedding trying to please everyone, here's our pick of the most romantic hotels in the Seychelles for a dreamlike retreat quite literally a thousand miles away from anything stressful.

Frégate has just 16 large, very private villas each with its own pool. There are seven beaches – all of them gorgeous, and at least one can be reserved for private use each day with meals and drinks transported by the staff at the time of your choosing. Things are not private-island pristine, but that makes it all the more special: what could be more memorable than lying on grass next to one of 4,000 Aldabra giant tortoises that roam free on the island? Yes, the real charm of the island is its granite outcrops and resident turtles, tortoises, flying foxes and the feeling of being immersed in a tropical dream. Read expert review From £ 3,529

• The best hotels in the Seychelles

A luxury resort with just 11 large villas on a privately run island a short helicopter ride from the main island of Mahé. Designed to make the most of the stunning natural environment, North offers the ultimate in romance, superb beaches, watersports and immaculate service. The emphasis is on relaxation, and villas are individually fitted out to reflect barefoot luxury and views that inspire romance. It’s all bare wood, billowing cotton and colonial chic. On a romantic break? The slightly larger Villa 11 – George and Amal Clooney’s honeymoon suite – is reserved for couples and definitely the one to plump for. Read expert review From £ 5,520

• The best private island hotels in the Seychelles

This is as close to living on our own desert island as most of us will get. Surrounded by nature and the shining depths of the Indian Ocean, time passes as it should, exploring barefoot and scanning the water for a passing turtle. There are 25 beach cottages, one of which is adapted for families. One larger Beach Villa has its own outside pool (a boon given there's no central swimming pool), while Deluxe beachfront cottages have private gardens and sea-facing private decks. Unique for the Seychelles, Denis sources its poultry and pork from its own small organic farm. They even make their own cheese. Read expert review From £ 1,021

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Set on a steep, forested hillside on the southwestern side of Mahé, the 170-acre Four Seasons enjoys a superlative setting on the picture-perfect bay of Petite Anse. Hats off to the clever engineers who solved the problem of the vertiginous site by perching its 67 vernacular Seychellois villas on soaring stilts that ensure everyone’s deck peeks above the treetops for a slice of that fabulous view. Inside, the villas feel like treehouses, particularly in the evening when fruit bats fly past and evening swims shatter the perfect reflection of champagne pink clouds in your private infinity pool. Read expert review From £ 805

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Situated in a tropical garden on Praslin’s lofty Pointe Cabris overlooking the Baie St. Anne is this romantic, nine-room boutique retreat, the Seychelles' only Relais & Châteaux property. It's more like the sprawling home of a good friend than a hotel thanks to its low-key, elegant ambiance and highly personal service. The main house, open-air restaurant, small pool, spa and secluded suites are set in a gorgeous garden brimming with oleanders, frangipani trees and trails of bougainvillea. Inside, French style meets safari chic with exposed-stone walls, driftwood fixtures and Latanier palm-thatched roofs. Read expert review From £ 660

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This exclusive resort conceived as a relaxing, private sanctuary has just 30 rustic-style villas and an outstanding Balinese-style spa. Set on a granite headland beside the idyllic Anse Louis beach on the wild and wonderful southwest coast of the main island, Mahé. The villa experience is central here and most guests spend their time holed up by their private pools or on the quiet beach. As a result, the main hub with the restaurant, bar and dramatic black lava pool (complete with kitsch tiki poles) is smaller than most resorts at this level and is largely deserted throughout the day. Read expert review From £ 1,100

• The world's best honeymoon hotels

This desert island idyll is located on a coralline island fringed with white sand beaches in the midst of a deep blue ocean. A sympathetic blend of contemporary and traditional Creole architecture characterises the beachfront villas while a glamorous open-sided restaurant, bar and deli wrap around an infinity pool. There's plenty to keep you entertained, including a spa. ‘Rooms’ is something of a misnomer for the 71 beachside villas, which come in various configurations. All are expansive and unfold out to a decked area and a private garden with pool, gazebo and two-person hammock. Read expert review From £ 732

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Le Nautique may be small but it is perfectly formed, poised on a prime waterfront plot where, at high tide, the sea washes right up to the pool wall and you can gaze at wrasse and parrot fish from the thatched restaurant. Standing centre stage like a totem is a single sinuous palm tree planted by the owner’s grandfather; they built the guesthouse around it in three smart, pitched-roof Creole cottages with deep, shaded verandahs and gabled bedrooms. Facilities may be limited to the pool and restaurant but the whole point of La Digue is tooling around on your bicycle to the stunning nearby beaches. Read expert review From £ 254

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This private-island resort offers 30 gorgeous villas and a spectacular spa wedged between granite boulders at the ocean’s edge. The turquoise infinity pool merges with the mesmerising colours of the sea, while bamboo hammocks, coiled bar stools, rope swing chairs and mesh cargo nets (for the ultimate over-the-water sunbathing) hold everything together in a subtle seafaring theme. Nested discreetly in the tropical forest are the villas – the wood-shingled roof and Balau-wood cladding make them almost invisible from afar, while inside the furnishings and fittings are cool rather than classic. Read expert review From £ 1,125

• The world's most romantic hotels

This bijoux resort is set against a deep green tropical canvas dotted with the fiery red flowers of the flamboyant trees. A narrow path meanders up from the jetty to the delightful open-sided bar and restaurant and then snakes around the island to the 10 seaview villas and quiet hilltop spa. The small scale and thick foliage full of sweetly singing birds make for a secluded and romantic atmosphere. The villas, styled in the Creole vernacular, sit naturally within the vegetation looking out over the mesmerising turquoise water. If ever there was a honeymoon destination this is it. Read expert review From £ 344

Contributions by Tim Ecott & Lizzie Porter

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