Luxe Stay // Bayan Tree, Seychelles
I’ve never been one for a tropical island, sit on the beach or by the pool, do nothing type of person. When I plan my holidays, I do stuff. Lots of stuff. I see sights, I learn history, I meet the locals and I try to immerse myself into something new and unexplored.
Well in 2018, I decided I needed a break for my birthday. So I picked a tropical-like island. I booked a private pool villa. And soon after I arrived at the Mahe Airport, Seychelles, I was heading to the Bayan Tree Resort.
The Arrival
I arrived in Mahe on an Emirates flight from Dubai. It’s less than a 5-hour flight and arrives early morning. Although a small airport, I typically travel with carry-on so arrival was smooth. I met my driver in arrivals.
It was a 40-minute drive to the resort from the airport. And I spent the whole time chatting to the driver about life on the island.
Check-in at reception was in a beautiful, grand plantation style house. The service was impeccable and seamless.
The Island
Before heading to my room, I had arrived early. The hotel had organised a tour for me. So once checked in and freshened up, I headed off on a private tour of the island.
First stop was the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens. One of the top attractions of the Botanical Gardens is the Aldabra Giant Tortoise. These guys can live over 100 years and populated the islands well before the first settlers arrived. Today they are only found on the Galapagos Islands and Seychelles. The gardens are well laid out and it is a nice stroll around.
Second stop was the capital, Victoria – one of the smallest capital cities in the world. The Victoria Clocktower is the most prominent feature of the city. It is like a mini Big Ben and has acted as a focal point for nearly 100 years.
I always love wandering through a local market when I visit a new city and Victoria didn’t disappoint. Tropical fruits, spices and seafood were the prominent goods available. How colourful are those fish!
On the way back to the resort, we took the scenic route over the highest point on the island with spectacular views back down to the harbour.
The Seychelles archipelago is so remote it was left untouched by mankind until relatively recently. This is clearly evident when you drive around the island because the forest is so wild!
In the hill area, ruins from the Mission Lodge still lay untouched. A school was built here by the London Missionary Society in the 19th century to care for slave children who had been dumped on the island after the abolition of slavery.
The Villa
Back at the resort, I was shown to my villa. I actually think I had the best location on site. My villa was located on the cliff’s edge, right over the ocean. Complete privacy and only the sound of the waves crashing below.
The villa itself felt a bit dated. But it was comfortable, had great amenities and everything you could want. Plus it was the private pool that I came for! This is where my passion (possibly obsession) to find the world’s most beautiful pools first started.
The Resort
When you have everything you need in your villa, it’s difficult to actually leave. But I did explore the rest of the Bayan Tree Resort. There is a wetland area with boardwalks to stroll through.
Obviously, there is also the beach you can wander on.
There’s also another pool which is open to all the guests to use. It has a pretty spectacular view of the sunset.
The Food
There are several great restaurants at the resort. I tried the Rum Shack for light snacks and cocktails as the sunset. This place is great because you can sit on the beach, feel the sand between your toes while drinking the local rum, Takamaka.
My favourite restaurant would be Saffron which offers a Thai fusion-style meal. But I also tried the in-room dining, because honestly who really wants to leave this view? And then breakfast was held in the main house each morning with freshly cooked eggs and an amazing selection of tasty local fruits.
Seychelles exceeded all my expectations. So much natural beauty and the friendliest of locals. It really did spoil me and steered me to a passion for luxury, relaxation and beautiful pools!
If you enjoy luxe stays, then check out my other articles of luxury island hotels.
