Four Seasons Resort Seychelles

Four Seasons Seychelles is built into the hillside above Petite Anse, one of Mahé's most beautiful bays on the south-west coast, its 67 villas and residences stilted among the canopy like treehouses, each with its own infinity pool, deck and a view over the bay. The hilltop Le Syel Spa is an award-winner with sweeping ocean views, and a coral-reef restoration project runs in the water below, with more than 16,000 fragments transplanted. Three restaurants span hilltop Pan-Asian at ZEZ, Creole-inspired cooking and a fish counter at Kannel, and relaxed meals on the sand at Petite Anse, with Creole cooking classes on offer. Accommodation runs from garden and ocean-view villas near the shore to hilltop and Serenity villas with the best views, two-bedroom suites for families and a seven-bedroom residence with a cascading infinity pool over the bay. The sister private island Desroches makes an easy second leg. On a bed-and-breakfast base, a scenic 30- to 35-minute drive from the airport, it pairs Four Seasons service with a genuinely lovely beach.