Acajou Beach Resort

Local ownership, a planted garden and direct access to Côte d'Or beach give Acajou Beach Resort a distinctly island-facing character. You stay beside the sea on Praslin, with the choice of a garden room, a beachfront room or an apartment when a little more domestic space makes sense. It is a resort, but not one that requires you to spend every waking hour beside a loud pool.

The setting works particularly well if your ideal day has several acts: breakfast, a boat or a walk, a swim, something cold to drink and a proper dinner. The beach is white sand with gentle waves, and loungers are available for the serious business of doing very little. Families have a naturally easy stretch of coast here, while couples can make use of the garden, the pool and the more deliberately arranged dining options.

You are in Baie Sainte Anne, on Praslin in the Seychelles, directly on the Côte d'Or beachfront. The sea is not an excursion from the hotel; it is part of the address. Anse Volbert Côte d'Or Beach is around 200 feet away, while Anse Gouvernment and Anse Matelot are each about 0.9 miles away by the listed route.

The village of Côte d'Or is a 15-minute walk, giving you access to restaurants, bars and dive operators without turning every evening into a transport exercise. The Praslin Museum is about 1,000 feet away. Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve is around 3.5 miles from the resort, and Anse Lazio is within about 5 miles. For further exploring, the concierge can arrange island tours and boat trips.

Praslin Island Airport is about 7 miles away, with the drive taking around 25 minutes. From Mahé, you can reach Praslin by a daily 15-minute flight or by daily ferry services from Victoria to Baie Sainte Anne jetty; from the jetty, the resort is around 10 minutes by car or taxi.

The room choice is less about collecting labels and more about deciding how you want to live between dives. Garden-facing rooms keep you among the resort's planted surroundings, while the Deluxe Sea View option gives the ocean a more direct role in the room. The Family Superior Room places two single beds alongside a king-size bed, making it the practical pick for two adults travelling with children. Children of any age are welcome, and the Côte d'Or beach has the sort of gentle waves that make family swimming less of a military operation.

For couples, the honeymoon versions and the Sky Deluxe Room put the emphasis on a more special stay, while the one- and two-bedroom apartments suit anyone who values separation between sleeping and living space. The apartments are self-catering, with an electric kettle, so you have more flexibility than in a standard hotel room. The Sky rooms are described with rooftop jacuzzi access, a detail worth prioritising if your idea of post-dive recovery involves warm water and a view rather than conversation.

Every unit is air-conditioned and includes a flat-screen television with satellite channels, a digital safe, a hairdryer, a shaving socket and tea- and coffee-making facilities. Balconies or terraces, seating areas and garden or sea views add useful breathing space. Daily housekeeping keeps the practical side moving, while the air conditioning earns its keep when you return warm, salty and ready to stop being productive.

Breakfast is a buffet at Les Boucaniers, served in a setting inspired by the veranda of a traditional plantation house. The spread covers continental, full English or Irish, halal, gluten-free, Asian and American choices, with fresh local fruit making a sensible appearance beside the more substantial options. Dinner follows the same restaurant's French approach to ingredients and flavours from the Indian Ocean, with live performances on several evenings each week.

For a looser meal, Starfish Restaurant sits by the beach and pool. Its menu combines international bistro classics with Creole dishes, including grilled fresh fish and curries; the signature dish is octopus curry with coconut milk. You can eat at a terrace table or remain on a poolside lounger, which is useful when the day's energy budget has already been spent underwater. Lunch, dinner and drinks are available across the resort's dining venues.

There are two named bars. Chapo! Bar & Lounge has an island-style interior built around a collection of hats from around the world, while Starfish Pool Bar handles cocktails, cold beers, soft drinks and lunch beside the infinity pool. Room service runs from 6:00 to 24:00. For an evening with slightly more ceremony, the resort can arrange candlelit dinners by the garden fountain, romantic picnics or special beach dinners.

The infinity pool looks towards the ocean, with the Starfish Pool Bar and Restaurant close by. Pool and beach towels, loungers and parasols are available, so you can choose between a few lengths in the water and the far more demanding discipline of staying horizontal. Direct beach access makes a sea swim just as easy, with fine white sand and gentle waves along Côte d'Or.

The spa offers massages, including full-body, head, neck, back and foot treatments, as well as facial and body treatments and beauty services. A small fitness centre covers cardio and strength work when you want to loosen up without committing to a full island expedition. The resort's garden and palm setting provide the quieter option, while the on-site souvenir and travel boutiques give you somewhere to browse without putting your shoes back on for long.

Away from the water, you can arrange bicycle hire, island tours, boat trips, hiking, fishing and wildlife or cultural excursions. Cycling is available as an on-site activity, and the Vallée de Mai offers a straightforward reason to leave the lounger behind. Live music and evening entertainment add some life after dark, with several performances each week at Les Boucaniers.

The resort can arrange airport transfers through the concierge. From Praslin Island Airport, allow around 25 minutes by car; from Baie Sainte Anne jetty, the drive takes around 10 minutes. The concierge can also organise car hire, tours and boat trips, while luggage storage is available if your arrival and departure times refuse to behave sensibly.

Check-in runs from 13:00 to 23:00 and check-out from 09:30 to 10:00. You need to give the resort your expected arrival time, and photo identification is required at check-in. Wi-Fi is free throughout the property, private parking is available on site without a reservation, and luggage storage is useful around ferry or flight connections.

Packed lunches and room service are available, with room service running from 6:00 to 24:00. Laundry and ironing services are available for a charge, and babysitting can be arranged. Pets are not allowed. For honeymoon packages, bring a wedding certificate issued within the previous six months.

Acajou Beach Resort holds the Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Label, awarded since 2017. The resort draws 50% of its energy from photovoltaic solar panels, which is a useful figure rather than a vague promise about being green.

The wider approach includes recycling and waste-reduction programmes, local sourcing and support for environmental and community organisations. An on-site wastewater treatment plant deals with water management, while construction uses naturally sourced materials including ecologically grown mahogany wood. It is a practical sustainability programme tied to energy, waste, water and local involvement.