Luxury Raffles Resort – a welcome bonus for Praslin tourism |19 March 2011

It boasts one of the most beautiful locations, with all of its 86 villas looking on to a spectacular coastline – to the right as far as Anse Petite Cour and the cove and site of La Reserve Hotel, and to the left Curieuse itself, the only other place besides Praslin where the legendary coco de mer grows in the wild.

Raffles is also the hotel closest to Anse Lazio – five minutes’ drive away – claimed as the world’s finest beach and usually listed among the top 10 in every survey.

The resort also boasts the largest spa in Seychelles, with no fewer than 13 treatment pavilions having private outdoor decks and sea views. There is also a yoga centre and a gymnasium.

Raffles has a multi-racial staff of no fewer than 27 nationalities, which means many languages are spoken to make communication between clients and staff so much easier.

Seychellois make up the largest group, at 40%. Apart from deputy manager Roland Georges, others in senior positions. They are a courteous and seemingly happy team.

In just two years, a rocky and difficult terrain of 70 acres bought from private owners, has been transformed into a luxury complex. At the peak of the construction, some 1,200 workers were involved. As much of the tropical vegetation and pink granite boulders as possible have been left intact.

Visitors are welcomed either by general manager Olivier Heuchenne, who hails from Belgium, or Mr Georges and the sales and communications manager Jennifer Delord – who is French – before being driven by buggy to their villa.

They would already have been welcomed by a Raffles hostess on arrival at Mahe International Airport and helped with the check-in at the domestic terminal. Arriving on Praslin, the visitor is met by a smiling concierge and driver, who tells them about the Raffles Resort and the island.

The main road has been diverted into the hills amid pink granite boulders to give the Raffles maximum beach frontage. The diversion, frowned on by motorists initially, is now said to be the best stretch of road on Praslin.

Because of its height the sea view is stunning, and many drivers – locals and visitors alike – stop to take photographs. Curieuse island rising above an azure-blue ocean is something not to be missed.

Within the hotel, buggies are widely used because of the terrain. There are so many roads to get from a villa to a restaurant but the porters, mostly Seychellois, are very good drivers.

All this is not just for the benefit of the hotel. Locals and visitors alike are pleased to learn that the foothpath running parallel to the beach in front of the resort can still be used by pedestrians and cyclists who can enjoy the beach – near Pti Zil, a rocky islet on which a few casuarina trees grow – which used to be a popular picnic site. It can still be used as such.

“It is so nice for everyone to go for a promenade in the evening and contemplate such a beautiful view, with Curieuse island rising there in front of us,” said visitor Christine Bamberg from Norway.

Ms Delord told a Nation journalist on a tour of the resort: “We’ve tried to preserve the natural wildlife and everybody has the pleasure of enjoying it.”

The 86 villas all have a personalised 24-hour butler service. There are hillside, oceanic, panoramic and royal oceanview villas. All are spacious, with plunge pools and outdoor balconies.

In addition, all villas boast a bar in the outdoor sheltered pavilion, a sound bar with multi-channel TV and “plug and play” facilities. There is also a barbecue grill for most of the villas.

There is also a host of restaurants and bars to choose from – the Losean, open for  breakfast and dinner; the Curieuse, a seafood and pool bar and restaurant; the Danzil lounge bar, the main resort bar offering a choice of cocktails and cigars; the Takamaka terrace lounge for Raffles cocktails in a soothing ambience.

The Takamaka lounge also has shishas – hookah pipes – through which a guest can smoke tobacco blended with the scent of exotic fruits. You may have guessed right –our journalist was not brave enough to try it. 

He did, however, try the “stress relief massage” after being introduced by charming Seychellois spa host Eluna Constance – a Diguoise – to a treatment pavilion for a 60-minute workout by Balinese Puspa.
 
This sure made a different man of him and called for an hour’s rest before a strenuous swim near Pti Zil. The area is still intact and a mecca for snorkelers.

Over the years, Raffles’ relentless pursuit of service excellence has earned a legion of international accolades. These include Condé Nast Traveller’s “world’s best places to stay” and Travel and Leisure’s “world’s best” awards.
Each Raffles hotel has a unique hold on the affections of the country in which it is based. Each is a destination in itself, offering enchantment and discovery.
It is often said that the Raffles brand of hotels and resorts is seen more as a legend than as an establishment.

The first Raffles hotel, built in 1877 in Singapore, has become a landmark in the history of the island state. Already then, the hotel achieved a distinct blend of western comfort and a tropical style, which came to be referred as “uniquely Raffles”.

On Praslin, too, the resort is set to become “uniquely Raffles”.   

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