Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort and Spa

This is an amazing location to unwind and feel at one with nature on a beautiful and unspoilt island. The boat journey makes this a special location - we found it fine however I imagine some might be a bit worried about a 40 min crossing however there is room to sit upstairs and enjoy the view. The hotel itself is hardly visible as you arrive beautifully located behind trees which run the length of the shoreline. We stayed in a beach villa which was amazing as we were only a few steps away from the waters edge. The villa itself was stunning and was kept immaculate by our room boy - Danish 10/10. The good choice was excellent and we were pleasantly surprised by the variety of restaurants for such a small hotel - we tried the Gran Kaz, Portobello and the Sakura - all v good and the service was excellent - the duty manager was constantly checking to see how things were and to raise any concerns. We self explored along the short hike to the 3 bays along the cost beyond the harbour - lovely walk however you wouldn’t want to swim as the waves were too high and the beaches were rocky in places. We booked a private round the island boat excursion which initially sounded expensive however at c£500 for 2 hrs we didn’t feel was bad value vs other options in the Seychelles and the experience was superb - crew were excellent - Christian, Mario and the skipper ( Sri Lankan ) . We learnt a lot about the island and had the opportunity to swim ashore in Anse Moron and walk into the small uninhabited village. In summary a great few hours to see the island which is untouched and remarkable - I called it Jurassic Park . The only downside of the whole stay was that drinks weren’t included. We were aware in advance and had packed soft and alcoholic drinks however we still wanted a drink at lunch at dinner - the prices were high and personally I would have preferred to have paid a higher all inclusive rate although I know this may make the initial price look less competitive - unfortunately the downside is you are a captive audience and the prices , plus 10% service and then 15% tax soon adds considerably to the checkout bill. Overall a great location hence the high score!

Our overall experience of the hotel, service and staff was excellent from the day we arrived. The surrounding nature and scenery was stunning. We particularly liked the eco friendly efforts, e.g. glass bottles refilled daily, reduced plastic waste, use of electric vehicles and how they helped us reduce the carbon footprint of our stay. From the excellent upkeep and maintenance of the grounds to the small details the staff took like fresh flowers as decorations, they do a fantastic job of making us feel like we are in paradise. The general location of this particular hotel on a marine protected island made for a truly unique and unforgettable stay. Great stay for gluten free - the only issue being varying level of gluten awareness in the staff and restaurants, but it has been identified early on during our stay and rectified by some really stand-out members of staff.

MUST READ! Will state the cons and the pros of our 5 night honeymoon stay here. First off Id like to start by saying this hotel only provides two ferries a day to the island from Mahe island 10am and 4pm. Therefore if your flight lands 330pm or after, you are forced to get a private boat 650 euro one way or a helicopter 638 euro one way (only if its available in the island). You also have to reserve a private car transfer from airport to boat ride which is about 85 euro per way. The boat ride is about 30min (if there is no wind or waves). The water going to the island and back has alot of waves. On the return we had to take this private boat back to Mahe island at 515am for our 815am flight. We almost missed our flight because the waves were 3 meters high and our boat with a crew of 3 people took over one hour to get to Mahe island. This was very dangerous as the boat was getting slammed around from the waves. Inside the boat smelled like pure gasoline and gave us the worst motion sickness. I highly recommend people using the helicopter to get to the island if its available as the boat ride was the worst thing we have ever experienced as at times we thought the boat might sink in the water from all the loud slamming and splashes we encountered. This hotel does not have luxury car to pick you up at the airport so they send you a 10-20 year old car that smells. Next I want to mention I do not know how this is a 5 star resort. It did not feel like it. I came to this hotel after staying at four seasons at Mauritius and lets just say four seasons puts this hilton to shame. Maybe I had high expectations but when you pay 9,000 euros for 5 nights you would expect top notch service. The service here was so poor I had to get a supervisor and manager involved and let them know how bad they were. Even the restaurant service was very poor and slow. You hardly get service at the pool or the beach. The next day they were following us around to make sure we were taken care of because of my complaints. The food was okay nothing very tasty. Not many options. We had a half board option but that only covered like 2-3 restaurants and buffet. Other upscale restaurants were extra charge. The pros were that the island is stunning, beautiful beaches, cleanest water we have ever seen and beautiful color. The rocks on the island are very beautiful. They provide bikes per villa and you can ride bike around everywhere. The island has activities you can reserve such as hiking l, snorkeling, fishing and more. Overall if I were to do this all over again I would stay at the four seasons at mahe island. It was pretty much same price anyway and would save me all the hassle I experienced. I hope this helps but will definitely cross off hilton off my list of hotels.