We had the opportunity to visit the Hilton Seychelles Northolm when we took advantage of an Etihad Mistake business fare from the Seychelles to Dublin.
Reason for choosing:
We chose the Hilton Seychelles Northolm for a few reasons, the first was that at the time, the only options we had on points were 2 Hiltons, and 1 SPG property. The other Hilton (The Hilton Labriz Resort and Spa) was on a separate island. Ultimately, we realized we’d need to rent a car regardless, and the Hilton Northolme beat out the Le Meridian Fisherman’s Warf. It also helped that it was a short drive from Beau Vallon, a nice little beachy area.
Lobby and Check in/Check Out Experience:
We arrived after about an hours drive (I made at least one wrong turn), and parked in the upper parking lot. From there we were first led to a “mini” reception, then driven via a golf cart down to main reception. It took a bit of time, but we were on vacation, and they gave us a fantastic room.
Front Desk
Where the hotel stood out:
The Seychelles are expensive, there is no mincing words there, but the Hilton Northholme also had a number of attributes that allowed us to really enjoy ourselves without spending a whole lot of money. For starters, the bungalow was absolutely amazing. Each unit is standalone, and each has a gorgeous view of the ocean. Sunsets from our lanai were some of the best we’ve ever seen.
Four poster bed
Sunset
In addition to the great room, we really enjoyed the beach. It is a semi-small beach, but this is also a “boutiquie” small hotel, so it worked. They had a number of kayaks, both singles and tandems, which were at no cost. I found myself really enjoying that, especially with the clearest blue waters I can recall. I must’ve kayaked out a mile offshore, and yet still could see the bottom (or the coral reefs). Absolutely amazing.
Ocean View Bar and Beach
Of course, returning from a day of kayaking left me with a bit of a burn, which brings me to what I will argue is a great amenity that every other beach resort (at least that I’ve visited) thus far has forgotten. Aloe Vera. The benefits of Aloe Vera, while not as trumped as Sunscreen, are many, such as shorter sunburns, less headaches for my wife, etc.
Single best amenity for a beach destination.
Where the hotel fell a little short:
Our biggest complaint was probably the food (aside from breakfast). Between the price and the quality, we found ourselves going off property for nearly every meal. Normally when we’re in a destination-type property, we don’t mind paying a little bit more, but the quality just wasn’t there, especially for me, a non-seafood eater. The last night of our trip, we did find a pizza on the room service menu that was well priced, and tasty, but aside from that, I’d say that’s the hotels biggest shortcoming.
Wrapping Up:
Overall, we really enjoyed our time in the Seychelles. It was truly one of those destinations dictated by the mistake fare, but it was so worth it. There are few beaches I remember as fondly as the one at the Hilton Northolm (the other one memorable beach being Manly Beach in Sydney, Australia). The challenge of getting there was an added bonus because of how few airlines serve the Seychelles, you can check out how to find what airlines do fly there with tools like Openflights.org.
We were there ten months ago and loved it, except for the restaurant/bar, where the service was terribly inconsistent, and every single order for either my partner +/or me came out from the kitchen with something wrong. We too ate at several other restaurants off property for that reason, and because it’s something we always do, even if we are staying at a resort. We spoke with the head chef about the difficulty he had with being able to find staff that really cared about doing their job well. He had been at the Northholme for two years at that point, and it was clearly a huge frustration. Breakfast was quite good however, an excellent buffet, with a few interesting local items available too.
I do have to disagree about the beach, it was quite small, and not really that picturesque, although certainly nice enough. The snorkeling there was quite good though. The absolute best part of our time in the Seychelles was taking a trip to La Digue and Praslin. The rock formations on La Digue are unique and stunning. To be able to swim in and around them was a 30+ year dream finally realized!
@Sgm – You were wise to speak with the head chef… We didn’t… We also didn’t do any tours, so for us, while the beach was small, the kayak “expanded” the beach and really made it much more enjoyable. I’m sure when we return we’ll visit La Digue and Praslin, but if you’re just visiting Mahe, the beach at the Northolme was pretty awesome.