Savoy Seychelles Resort & Spa

You come here for a resort stay with the sea doing most of the scenery work. Savoy sits on Beau Vallon Beach, in a botanical garden on Mahé, with enough space to move from balcony to pool, beach, restaurant or spa without turning the holiday into a daily logistics exercise.

The hotel works particularly well if you want diving to fit into a proper holiday rather than take over every waking hour. English and French are spoken by the hotel team, so you can deal with the practicalities comfortably before heading out for the day. Families are welcome, with a daily kids' club, while couples have the beach, gardens, spa and several places to sit down with a drink.

You are in Beau Vallon, Seychelles, directly on one of Mahé's best-known beaches. The sand is white, the beach has sun loungers and parasols, and a beach bar keeps the shoreline within easy reach when the pool has had enough of you. Anse Marie Laure Beach is about 1.5 miles away, while Northolme Beach is around 2 miles from the resort.

Victoria is close enough for an outing rather than a separate expedition: the Victoria Clock Tower and Seychelles National Museum are about 3 miles away by road, and the National Botanical Gardens are roughly 3.5 miles away. Morne Seychellois is around 6 miles away. Seychelles International Airport is about 8 miles from the resort, with the drive taking around 20 to 25 minutes.

The rooms and suites are built for actual holiday use, not just for looking tidy in a photograph. Every category has a balcony or terrace, air conditioning, a minibar, tea and coffee-making facilities, satellite television and free Wi-Fi. A bath, shower, bathrobe and hairdryer cover the basic post-dive recovery routine, while soundproof rooms are available when sleep matters more than listening to the corridor.

For two people, the standard and deluxe rooms keep things straightforward; choose the ocean-side view if opening the door to a sea-facing outlook matters more than extra indoor space. The Junior Suite with Balcony gives you more room to spread out, while the Suite with Kitchenette is the sensible step up for a longer stay or a group of three. The Penthouse is the outlier: panoramic views, two bathrooms and personalised butler service, with room for up to five guests.

A 700-square-metre pool and direct beach access mean you can choose between a swim and the sea without leaving the resort. Daily housekeeping, room service, a minibar and breakfast in the room are useful details when your timetable involves early boats, wet hair and a fairly serious appetite.

There are three restaurants and two bars at the resort, so you have room to vary the evening without making every meal a field trip. Grand Savoy handles breakfast, lunch and dinner, with an international, Creole and seafood line-up. Breakfast is buffet-style, served from 7am to 10.30am; lunch runs from noon to 3pm and dinner from 7pm to 10.30pm.

Creole national dishes and fresh seafood give the menu a Seychellois anchor, while the wider international selection keeps things manageable for mixed groups. Themed buffet dinners add a change of pace, and Pescado overlooks the pool for the sort of meal that benefits from not having to put your shoes back on immediately after swimming.

You can book the stay with breakfast, half board, full board or an all-inclusive package, depending on the option chosen. The all-inclusive arrangement covers buffet breakfast, à la carte lunch, themed buffet dinner and unlimited drinks between 10.30am and 10.30pm. There is also a bar by the pool, which is exactly where a bar should be when the legs have stopped negotiating.

The large outdoor pool is the obvious base for a non-diving day, with a separate adults-only pool for quieter swimming. The beachfront also has loungers, chairs and parasols, while the gardens give you somewhere to wander when lying flat has become an activity in its own right.

Savoy Spa offers massages, body treatments, facial treatments, manicures and pedicures, with a relaxation area, steam room, hammam and sauna facilities. Couples' massages are available, as are yoga classes. Two saunas, a fitness centre and a tennis court give you options for moving about without pretending that a holiday needs a timetable.

For families, the kids' club opens daily and there is an indoor play area. You can also arrange walking tours, bike tours, hiking and island excursions through the resort's tour desk, while live music, themed dinner nights and broadcast sports provide a little evening activity when the day has already done enough.

A 24-hour front desk, concierge service, tour desk, currency exchange, luggage storage and free private parking keep the arrival and departure mechanics fairly simple. Wi-Fi is free throughout the resort, and an airport shuttle is available. Complimentary individual airport transfers are available for stays of five nights or more booked directly with the hotel.

Check-in starts from 2pm and check-out is by 11am. Bring photo identification and the card used for the booking, and give the hotel your expected arrival time. Early check-in and late check-out are available on request. The resort accepts cash, and children of any age are welcome; cots and extra beds can be requested according to the room selected.

The location also gives you practical alternatives beyond the resort itself. Restaurants including La Perle Noire and Mahek are within a few hundred feet, while Pescado is around 1,000 feet away. Beach access is direct, so a swim, a walk or a few minutes under a parasol does not require arranging transport.