Review of Club Med Seychelles
- Tristan Love
- 2 days ago
- 13 min read
Updated: 40 minutes ago
White sandy beaches, idyllic tropical islands and all-inclusive resorts... our Marketing Manager, Tristan, recently attended the Club Med Elite Partners conference, held at two of the Exclusive Collection resorts - Club Med La Plantation d'Albion in Mauritius and Club Med Seychelles. Here is Tristan's review of Club Med Seychelles.
Getting to Club Med Seychelles
We flew with Air Seychelles from Mauritius to Mahe, which was a little over 2.5 hours flight time. At time of writing, travellers need to obtain a Travel Authorisation before departure. This was completed online individually or you can do a group application if travelling with others. You'll need your passport, a selfie and proof of accommodation and flight out of the Seychelles. It cost 10 Euros each and took up to 24 hours to be emailed through (an app is also available). See Smartraveller for the most up to date information.
On arrival into the Seychelles, immigration was very quick - they use facial recognition before having your passport stamped. We were met outside baggage claim by a Club Med representative, who escorted our group and the other Club Med guests on our flight to the mini bus. It was just a short drive to the dock to board the speed boat to St Anne Island, the private island where Club Med is located.
On the dock, Club Med have a lovely reception area with a self-serve coffee machine, bathrooms, lounge area and outdoor terrace to wait while luggage is loaded onto the boat. The speed boat is exclusively for Club Med guests and takes approximately 15 minutes to reach St Anne Island.
Check In
Each group was met by a reception staff member, taken to a lounge area and offered a welcome drink (including an offer of champagne!) while they gave an overview of the resort.
Room keys are a digital bracelet - a small round disc on a ribbon. Beaded bracelets of various colours were available to purchase in the resort shop for roughly AU$30, although I've been told these aren't available at every resort and are much sought after by Club Med regulars!
As we arrived at 9pm, we were taken straight into the dining area for dinner while our luggage was delivered to our rooms. After dinner, we took a buggy from reception to our room.
The rooms
I was travelling with my husband and teenage son so we were given a ground floor Suite Interconnecting with a Superior room with sea views (see video). The rooms were huge! We had a shared lounge space with a balcony that ran across the length of the lounge room and our bedroom. The bathrooms were also really big, with separate baths and showers in both. There was also a powder room in the entry area.
Our room was located in a multi-level complex that was close to the Family pool (for younger kids) and a 10 minute walk to the main reception area, which also housed the main bar, restaurant and entertainment areas.
There was a buggy stop close to our room - buggies needed to be ordered well in advance and once we knew our way around, we found walking quicker.
The Deluxe room with private pool:
A Deluxe Room with private pool
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The resort
Being on its own private island, the resort is quite spread out. We needed to allow 10 - 20 minutes to walk to any of the facilities. Shared buggies left from the main reception area, but at busy times there could be quite a wait to get one. If you wanted a buggy to take you from your room to the restaurant during a meal service, these needed to be ordered roughly 20 mins beforehand. As the resort was nearly full, our wait time was sometimes longer than this. You can wait at a buggy stop for a lift but buggies were quite often already full, so we generally walked everywhere.
Walking around the resort is lovely - the gardens are very well kept with beautiful flowers, palm trees, lush greenery and ocean views. There are separate walking paths to buggy roads (although you can also walk on the buggy roads). I felt that there could be better and more signage as we did get lost a few times.
Rooms are located in three different areas so it's important to talk to your FBI Travel Advisor about which area would suit you and your travelling companions best. There is a great choice of rooms to suit both families and couples - some with private pools, some with interconnecting options and some near the resort's colony of free-roaming giant tortoises!
Food:
The main restaurant, Turtle Cove, served a buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner at set times. The restaurant is not open all day. Bookings are not required. High chairs are available. We didn't see any drinks menus but as it's an all-inclusive resort, you simply tell the wait staff what you'd like.
The restaurant is split into different stations, each serving a different type of food for lunch and dinner - stations included a plated entree, Italian, fish, meat, bread, desserts and more. As part of Club Med's sustainability focus and to limit food wastage, each station featured a plated dish of the day which was cooked on demand, along with one or two self-serve bain-maries, which were generally for things like pizza or accompaniments such as vegetables, noodles or rice, hot chips and so on.
It was a good selection of food that would suit most people, including kids (yes, there are chicken nuggets!). Most of the food was international with a couple of local options.
Breakfast was Western style with hot food including bacon, sausages, hash browns, pancakes, crepes, omelettes and fried eggs cooked to order, plenty of French-style pastries, blended juices made to order, fruit, yoghurt and cereal. Self-serve tea and coffee was available or ordered through the wait staff.
The Reef restaurant, located next to the adults-only Zen pool, offered a late breakfast, late lunch and dinner service. For dinner, the menu is a la carte with a choice of 3 or 4 of each entrees, mains and desserts. There are specialty nights featuring lobster and tomahawk steaks for an additional charge. The tables are located in the small restaurant or on the beach with each beach table under it's own hut cover. While the pool area is adults-only, the restaurant is open to everyone. It is a walk-in restaurant for breakfast and lunch with reservations required for dinner.
Morning tea, afternoon tea and pre-dinner snacks are served in the main bar, which is in the same complex as the main restaurant. My son loved the crepes cooked to order and lathered in Nutella for afternoon tea while we adults enjoyed French champagne by the glass from 6pm!
There is also a beach bar located near the water sports area.
Bring a refillable water bottle. Depending on your room type, there was either bottled water in the room or a water fountain on the ground floor of your accommodation section. The staff at the bars were always more than happy to fill water bottles.
Facilities and activities:
The daily activity program is accessed via the Club Med app which also has a resort map, room service ordering and other general information such as the nightly dress code. If bookings are required (e.g. to book a tennis or padel court), this can be done on the app. Not all activities are available every day so it's a good idea to check ahead on the app to plan the activities you'd like to do.
Kids Clubs:
One of the great things about Club Med is their kids clubs. There are clubs for different ages groups, including teenagers, and the activities are tailored for each age group. We came across the groups throughout the resort and they all looked like they were having a fantastic time.
Pools:
The resort has three pools - the main pool which is located in the main reception area, a family pool for younger children and the adults-only Zen pool.
The main pool is in the main reception complex, next to the beach and has plenty of banana lounges and comfortable seats. A towel station is nearby. Drinks are accessible from the main bar just behind the pool. This pool was popular with families and teenagers. A beach volleyball court is nearby with the resort staff inviting people to play impromptu games, as well as being an activity for the kids clubs.
The family pool is for younger children and was in a quiet part of the resort. It had water activities for the kids, seating for the parents and a large grassy area for the kids to run around.
The adults-only Zen pool was huge and faced a different beach. The banana lounges filled quickly each morning but the staff were quick to remove towels from lounges that were clearly not in use. The pool is next to an adults-only beach, which was set up with banana lounges, with swimming in a lagoon.
All pools have a lifeguard in attendance during opening hours. The pools are not heated and close in the early evening.
Sports:
As would be expected, there is a focus on water sports with scheduled sailing lessons included for anyone aged 6 years up, and this was also one of the activities on offer in the kids club. If you have the experience, you can also take one of the boats out yourself. Snorkelling and kayaking are also included activities, with diving on request and at an additional cost.
My son and husband made good use of the padel courts and there are scheduled group lessons (included) available if you'd like to learn the rules and how to play. Tennis courts and group lessons (included) and private lessons (extra cost) are also available. While some of the more serious players came with their own padel sets, there were plenty of Babolat padels and tennis racquets free to borrow. There were also a couple of scheduled tournaments while we were there.
While we didn't have time to do any, there is a daily group hike that departs from reception each morning or you can hike one of the paths on your own/with your travelling companions. The hikes range from one hour to a few hours and I'm sure the views would be amazing! There is a big map in the reception area detailing the walking and hiking trails including distance and rough time to complete.
There is also a fully equipped gym, an outdoor yoga and weights studio, bocce, table tennis and archery available.
Beach parties and entertainment
We were invited to the evening Gold and Platinum Club Med members cocktail party with the Chef de Village, which was held at the Zen pool. Children were welcome to attend. The team put on a great finger food style BBQ with drinks and I was happily surprised to see just how many of the resort's guests hold these status levels.
A new addition to the entertainment is the Sunset Ritual, which is held on the beach near the water sports area. Guest DJs and musicians perform at this beach party, with guests enjoying specialty cocktails, mocktails, French champagne and a light BBQ. Children are welcome to attend. It was a lovely way to watch the sun go down before heading to dinner.
Nightly entertainment is held in the auditorium next to the main bar or at the outside stage next to the main pool. There is a great rotation of performances, live music and DJs.
Club Med Spa by Cinq Mondes
The day spa was really lovely with a tranquil atmosphere. There was a good choice of massages and facials, and bookings could be made in advance or depending on availability, on the day.
I enjoyed a one-hour massage where I was asked to choose my favourite colour from a chart, which determined the fragrance of the oils and creams used. It was a great way to relax after a very busy conference schedule!
Spa treatments are at an additional cost.
Day trips - La Digue
As Club Med Seychelles is on its own private island, there are various day trips available to explore the broader Seychelles islands or to head to the main island. Our group opted for a trip out to La Digue, which is an island a 2 hour boat ride away. Club Med has its own private boat for this purpose with both upstairs and downstairs seating available and a small bar onboard.
I've never been a good sailor and that was also the case for quite a few on board during the rather choppy ride. The crew were prepared for this, very kind and quick to help those who were unwell. We were advised that the sea is a lot calmer in the peak travel months.
On arrival into La Digue's port, we were given a map and offered the choice of bicycles (included) or a buggy with guide (additional cost) to sightsee. As we wanted to see as much as possible, our group opted to take a buggy - it seated all 7 of us. The buggy hire is cash only and fortunately, there are ATMs in the quaint main street, along with restaurants, souvenir shops, clothing stores and corner stores.
We headed out to the giant tortoise sanctuary where you can hand feed the tortoises, who proved to be very hungry! We then went to a beach for a swim. The water was so clear, a stunning shade of light aqua and very warm. We were also surrounded by tropical fish! Fully clear kayaks were available to hire and there was a beach bar with soft drinks, snacks such as banana chips and small local dishes available to purchase.
After our swim, we asked our driver where we could enjoy some local food for lunch. He took us to the Natural Bar & Grill, a very casual and rustic outdoor local restaurant. The menu included entree, a choice of two meats from the grill (vegetarian options also available) and dessert. I chose the prawns and fish and the fish was one of the best I've eaten. Dessert was home made vanilla ice cream, with the vanilla grown on the island.
We then wandered through the small main street, shopping for souvenirs before the boat ride back to Club Med.
Day tours are at an additional cost.
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Dress code & Resort Boutique
During the day it's very casual. Shorts, t-shirts, linen shirts, beach dresses with flip flops, sandals or runners are all
fine. Bring some sports wear if you want to play tennis or padel, including runners - you won't be allowed on the courts barefoot or in flip flops.
Each evening has a dress code theme which is advised in pre-departure documentation and on the app. The themes include blue or pink and white, floral, white night, elegant, and the very popular 45 night which harks back to Club Med's heritage.
The evening dress code isn't compulsory and we found perhaps half the guests dressed as per the dress code, although the 45 night had a lot more participants - 45 t-shirts, polo shirts and caps are available to purchase from the resort shop and these items have the resort name on the back. On 45 night, it's apparently customary to wear a 45 t-shirt or polo shirt from a different Club Med and it was interesting to see all the different Club Med's guests had been to!
The resort boutique had a good range of resort wear inline with both the evening themes and general resort wear in case you'd forgotten anything, along with accessories including water bottles, jewellery and hats.
Staff
The staff, or G.Os or G.Es, come from both the local area and from all over the world. Many are stationed at a particular Club Med for a period of time before transferring to a different one. The G.Os encouraged guests to join in with activities but if you weren't keen, they left you alone. The staff were all very friendly and happy to answer any queries we had.
Weather
We were there in late July/early August, which is a low season. The weather was lovely and warm around 28 - 30 degrees each day. It was humid (but nothing like Asia) and on some days, it was very windy. It rained a few times at night. It was a good time to go.
Final thoughts
We had a wonderful time over our 4 days and would've loved a few more days here to take better advantage of all the activities on offer. I had never been to a Club Med before this trip and I can see why they are such a popular holiday option and why so many of our clients love staying at Club Med. It's ideal for those wanting a relaxing holiday rather than a sightseeing trip.
The all-inclusive nature was great given pretty much everything had been paid for before we left home and there weren't any nasty surprises when we checked out! Anything that wasn't included - such as private tennis lessons, day trips, premium wine and spirits, spa treatments and diving - were clearly marked as such.
At time of writing, there is a per person, per night government Tourism Environmental Sustainability Levy to be paid on departure - it currently can't be paid for in advance. The cost is based on the size and type of the accommodation and our charge was SCR 100 (roughly AU$10) per person, per night. Kids under 12 are currently exempt from the levy.
It's hard to compare Club Med to other resorts and hotels - as odd as it might sound, given it is all-inclusive, has a great range of activities, kids clubs, entertainment and day trips, it felt more like a cruise on land! It's very relaxed and I would say Club Med Seychelles sits in the 4 star or premium category.
It's a great option for multi-generational families or groups of friends as everything is 'there' - there will be something everyone will enjoy doing, the food will suit most people and payment is made before you leave home. The only decisions to be made whilst there, would be what time to meet for meals and which activities should we sign up for!
Despite the family focus, it is also a good option for couples given there are adults-only areas available to enjoy.
As expected, most of the guests we came across were from Europe and in particular, France. Resort staff spoke English and repeated in French.
I think Club Med Seychelles specifically, would be a great way to relax pre or post an Africa safari as it has flight connections to both East Africa (just over 3 hours to Nairobi) and South Africa (just over 5 hours to Johannesburg). It would also be a good option to combine with a trip to Sri Lanka as the Seychelles is a 4 hour flight from there.
FBI Travel is one of a very small group of Club Med Elite Agency Partners. As such, our Travel Advisors are recognised as highly experienced in helping plan and book the best Club Med holiday for you. We also enjoy early access to sales, promotions, resort openings and other booking bonuses. If a Club Med holiday sounds like the perfect getaway for you, please contact us!
Tristan and her family stayed at Club Med Seychelles and Club Med La Plantation d'Albion with the assistance of Club Med Australia and Air Mauritius.
