KEMPINSKI SEYCHELLES RESORT BAIE LAZARE

Located on Mahe island, this arguably is the best hotel I have stayed in. The beach is very clean, breakfast spread is huge and everything was tasty. There were always 3-4 Indian dishes in the menu. The restaurant is also decently priced (by Seychelles standards). Snorkeling and kayaking is offered complementary. The minibar is also stocked with soft drinks and is on-the-house. I would highly recommend for the stay! Kudos to the amazing staff that made the stay memorable.

My husband and I spent 6 nights at Kempinski in August. We were particularly unlucky with the weather as for the majority of our stay it was cloudy and wet. This certainly limited what we were able to do and the sea was quite rough so some days we could not go in it. We stayed in room 207 which was a sea view room. The grounds are nice and well kept, but we did not think the room was up to 5* standards. The extractor fan in the bathroom was broken and there was a substantial amount of mold visible on the walls and ceiling. We reported this twice during our stay, but the fan was not fixed, some of the mold was painted over but you could still see most of it. We also spoke to the duty manager on our last night just to raise this with her to ensure that it gets fixed for future guests; she was adamant this would happen. The food was good, we ate in Cafe Lazare every day as the buffet allowed for lots of different options. Each night is a different theme so it doesn't get boring. The breakfast buffet is plentiful and varied, with lots of fresh fruit, yoghurts, meats, cheeses, breads and hot food. The only thing we found lacking in the restaurant was the service; it seemed a bit rushed and disingenuous. We also found it shocking that water was not complimentary and you had to pay approx £4 for a 1 litre bottle. Also a service charge of 12% was added onto our bill every night, just for drinks. We were impressed with the grounds staff and the staff in the activity hut by the beach. They were friendly and helpful, especially when my husband stood on a sea urchin! They were quick to tend to him and reassure us. However, the service we received from the main reception was mixed. On a few occasions we called from our room with queries and couldn't get a straight response. Also, in the resort handbook in the room, there were some discrepancies - one page said breakfast starts at 7am, then another said 7:30am. A little error I know, but something you would not expect to find in a 5* resort. Overall, we would not consider the Kempinski to be a 5* resort. We had a nice enough time, but would not return here if we ever came back to the Seychelles.

The hotel, grounds, scenery and beach are stunning. The grounds are so well kept that we didn't encounter any insects or mosquitos, which meant no mosquito bites! The rooms were really nice and spacious and they were replenished daily. The first use of your mini bar is complimentary which was a nice touch as was the fruit, chocolate, macaroon baskets that were left in our room on the first 2 days. However we did find all 4 of our rooms really dusty. Better cleaning care could be taken. The couch which was used as a spare bed was also very uncomfortable. You are provided with a big beach basket in your room to use during your stay too. The food was excellent. We were on half board so breakfast and dinner were in the main restaurant and it was really very good. A good selection of dishes and lots for vegetarians to choose from too. We ate lunch at the restaurant on the beach and the food was excellent here too. Kids under 6 eat free which was a really nice touch. It was also great for dinner - if you have little ones that eat early the food is served until 5. We had excellent service from Gurpreet at the upstairs bar, Raymond - the buggy driver and Bessy, Nana, Alejandro and Gautam from the main restaurant. Also, on our last morning a great guy took us on a hike up the mountain - sorry I didn't catch his name. They were always friendly and cheerful. None of the local staff seemed happy or bothered about service or being friendly. This really lacked throughout the hotel. Marcus who did our check in at reception was absolutely miserable. When asked the simple question of "where could we get some tea'" he made it a point to let us know that this would have to be paid for. We hadn't asked for any freebies and this is not the kind of attitude i would expect from Kempinski. Alexandra at reception was also unfriendly and unhelpful. Now, let me come to the absolute star of our stay - Mike. He was down at the beach and really made our stay. He was attentive without being over bearing, polite, well mannered, friendly, helpful and even kept an eye on my child while I was tending to the other child - without being asked. We were family of 12 and he made sure that each and everyone of us were looked after and comfortable. Big thanks to this superstar. Much of Kempinski staff could learn from him.

Recently stayed with my wife on a weekend getaway from our home in Dubai. Lovely staff were so helpful, food was excellent, if pricey, and the rooms were nice. Would have given a higher rating if the rooms were updated, AC was a bit noisy too. Otherwise a great experience and would stay there again

We travelled to Kempinski Seychelles resort for our honeymoon. The resort is in an incredible location with its own beach that looks like its from a paradise island. Our room had everything we needed and was a good size with a massive bed. The food wasn't cheap but it was amazing, though i suppose you do get what you pay for and it is a 5 star resort. We had no need to travel from the resort to eat which was ideal as restaurants on the south of the island are few and far between. The staff were very friendly and couldn't do enough for us, the concierge service was knowledgeable in helping us plan excursions. Overall we were very happy with our stay and would happily stay again if visiting the Seychelles.