‘My Favourite Hotel’ review – Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie Resort & Spa, Seychelles

Today’s ‘My Favourite Hotel’ is Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie Resort & Spa on LaDigue, Seychelles.

A fortnight ago we asked you to raise your hand if you wanted to contribute your hotel story.  We were overwhelmed by the response, and we’re sorry to everyone we had to disappoint. You can find all favourite hotels here.

Today’s hotel is a resort and spa in the Seychelles.  Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie Resort & Spa is reader Will’s favourite hotel and here is his review.  Click on the images to enlarge.

Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie Resort & Spa is located on the stunning island of La Digue in the Seychelles. It is the premier hotel on the island and offers two restaurants, a bar, spa, pool and spectacular rooms with views stretching out over the Indian ocean.

La Digue has a helipad if you want to make a statement entrance, but for everyone else the journey to the island starts by flying into Mahe International airport.  This is followed by a transfer to the port and then an hour-long catamaran ride. Make sure you have your sea legs as it can be rough.

More than just a desert island, like some resorts you find in the Maldives for example, La Digue is sizeable enough to offer vegetation covered peaks of over 300m, a rich Creole culture, varied wildlife and some of the most stunning beaches anywhere in the world.

Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie Resort & Spa overview

As with the vast majority of visitors, I disembarked the ferry, waited for my bag and then met a waiting hotel representative at the port. There are no motorised vehicles allowed on the island so the short transfer was made by golf buggy. The resort offers 63 rooms across 5 room types, so facilities are never crowded.

The resort stretches from the sea front to the top of a rising hill, with rooms scattered along its slopes. The higher the room category you choose, the higher up the hill you will be. On call golf buggies make the journey whenever you request them.

The pool, restaurants and bar are all located ocean side and have a westerly aspect to ensure the optimum sunset cocktail view! A small private beach is located to the side of the property but not used much as the world famous Anse Source d’Argent beach is just a 10 minute bike ride away.

Our room at Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie

After check in formalities were completed, alongside a refreshing mocktail and a cooling towel, I was driven to Villa 219, categorised as a ‘Ville de Charme’ room type, which is the resort’s mid range offering.

A small path led down to two large wooden doors and a thatched porch with another set of doors that took you inside the villa.

The room itself consisted of a very large combined bedroom and living room with a wooden balcony running along the length of it.

A half inside half outside bathroom sat at the end of the building and had two sinks, a deep tub and a shower (the toilet was inside).

Other room amenities included plush bedding with mosquito net (I didn’t use this during my stay and didn’t notice any bites), a mini bar, bottled water, fruit basket and oil burner. The 70 square metre room’s highlight was the wrap around balcony, complete with two sun loungers.

At this height on the hill, the room was located within the jungle foliage. It was possible to spot birds and bright green geckos with the shimmering Indian ocean down below.

Facilities

The main draw for visitors are the islands fabulous beaches.  For days when you don’t want powdery soft white sand in between your toes, the resort’s pool is large enough to swim lengths and the ‘Alambic Bar’, located to the side serves a range of snacks, cocktails, and beers. The local Seybrew beer or Takamaka rum are a top pick for refreshing in between dips.

The bar also served sun downers and after dinner drinks on the discreet terrace located above the lapping waves.

When booking, you can choose from Room Only, B&B, Half or Full Board.  I was initially wary of anything other than B&B as I didn’t want to be tied to one place for my meals, but in the end opted for half board. The choice of restaurants on the island is somewhat limited, so if you didn’t eat at the resort you’d probably end up at another hotel’s restaurant.

I needn’t have worried.  Whilst you are able to choose between an a la carte restaurant or a buffet (think Dubai / Singapore 5* hotel buffet style) I actually ended up in the buffet restaurant every night of my trip.  There was a revolving theme each night, such as Asian, creole, seafood etc. The service and quality of food on offer was extremely high and you cannot find anything better on La Digue.

Water was included in half board but alcoholic drinks were not.

The onsite ‘Eden Rock Spa & Wellness centre’ offered a range of massage and beauty treatments using organic and natural products from Seychellois brands. I didn’t visit during my trip, but the spa’s location on the hill looked very tranquil.

The hotel also offered bicycle and snorkel equipment rental and could organise a range of excursions such as scuba diving and catamaran rental.

Conclusion

A resort that can offer the range of facilities and services that Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie does, on such a remote island is impressive.  The choice of food and drinks was huge and everything I wanted was always available. The staff were welcoming and friendly without exception, available when you needed them with time for a conversation if you wanted.

The hotel is run independent of any chain, so you wont be able to use points here.  Bookings can be made on the hotels own website or via any of the usual booking sites.

As always, shop around for the best price and package that suits you. Prices change quite dramatically depending on when you visit, what board basis you choose and your room type.  The middle room type I stayed in was around £480 per night, half board, for 2 people.

If you’re in the market for a ‘post corona’ beach holiday with more to do than just a beach, you should seriously consider the beautiful island of La Digue.

The Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie Resort & Spa website is here if you want to find out more.

British Airways flies to the Seychelles so it is a potential Avios redemption, with Club World seats costing 125,000 Avios return off-peak and 150,000 Avios return peak.  Current availability in Club World is currently very tight although there is some in June and August.

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