Mango House Seychelles: A Private Slice of Island Life

It’s approaching sunset at Mango House Seychelles, and someone has just put an Aretha Franklin record on the communal vinyl player as guests gather on the terrace. With Aperol Spritzes and Campari sodas in hand, we watch the sky over the Indian Ocean shift from gold to pink as we swap stories about our day. While plenty of resorts put on sunset drinks, this gathering has an interesting backstory.

The tradition harks back to the days when celebrated Italian photographer Gian Paolo Barbieri owned this slice of paradise on the southwestern shores of Mahé, Seychelles. Bewitched by its natural beauty while scouting a shoot location for Vogue, he made Mango House his tropical retreat and regularly entertained guests on the terrace overlooking the azure Indian Ocean.

Today, his former home is the heart of Mango House Seychelles, a boutique luxury resort that has very much retained its original owner’s convivial spirit. And as I settle down with a Campari soda of my own, I can quite understand why Barbieri chose to call this place home, and why the new custodians have made such efforts to preserve it.

A boutique brand

Part of Hilton’s luxury LXR Hotels & Resorts collection, Mango House feels worlds away from the sprawling international resorts typically associated with big hotel brands. With just 41 sea-facing rooms across several secluded buildings that climb the side of a hill partially hidden by lush trees and flowering plants, the property still has the relaxed atmosphere of a private home, with Barbieri’s photographs of Seychellois landscapes, people and traditions still scattered throughout.

Outside, the sea stretches out in varying shades of blue, interrupted by darker patches of seagrass, while low-hanging clouds gather around the forest-covered mountain peaks in the distance, hinting at the tropical showers that are apparently inevitable at this time of year. There’s a real sense of calm here, helped by the absence of the usual soundtrack of tropical resorts. Guests won’t find jet skis roaring across the bay, or boats ferrying tourists from one beach to another. Instead, there’s just a vast expanse of blue, the gentle sound of waves, and the rustling of palm trees in the warm ocean breeze.

Mango House is the kind of place where doing nothing is totally respectable; in fact, it’s expected. So, after an overnight flight sandwiched between an elderly couple who were sadly well past the desire to sit next to one another, I make my way to one of the resort’s three swimming pools to close my eyes and settle down in the sunshine. Out on the rocks, a grey egret stands statue-still, surveying his kingdom, while four white seabirds line up nearby, looking like sentinels. A Day Gecko scuttles past, stops to watch me inquisitively for a moment, then carries on its way.

By the afternoon, I’m getting so used to the idea of relaxation that I head to the Anpe Spa – meaning ‘at peace’ in Creole – for a 60-minute Calm Bai massage. I fully intend to enjoy every minute of the treatment, but somewhere between the strokes and spa sounds, I drift into a deep sleep and wake up only when it’s time to turn. Clearly, I’m taking this art of doing nothing quite seriously.

Suites and Sweets

After my massage, I’m shown to my one-bedroom suite at Cliff House, which is so enormous that I ask if there’s been a mistake. There are two bathrooms – a master and a guest – a living area that’s genuinely bigger than my sitting room at home, and a bedroom with a magnificent four-poster bed that makes me want to sleep again, even though I’ve already dozed off twice since arriving!

The balcony runs the entire length of the suite, overlooking the sparkling bay and shallow waters of Anse Aux Poules Bleues to the right, and the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean to the left, with forest-covered mountains framing the scene in the distance. To call it breathtaking is an understatement, and I’m sure my phone’s storage will be full by the time I give up on the futile attempt to capture it on camera.

But, vast rooms aside, there are some lovely examples of Mango House Seychelles supporting local businesses and artisans. In the bathrooms, all the products are handmade by Belish, a women-owned Seychellois beauty brand that uses organic island ingredients, while a beautiful kimono hangs in the walk-in wardrobe, featuring a bright island design by a talented local artist, Alisa Adams, whose family has a long heritage of art on the island. It’s a welcome change from the standard bathrobes and slippers found in so many international hotels.

And it’s not just local businesses that benefit. Mango House also works with local schools on projects such as planting medicinal gardens, helping to preserve a part of Seychellois heritage where knowledge of plants and their healing properties has been passed down for generations.

Keeping things local extends to the restaurants too, where the kitchens make an effort to source as much produce as possible from local fruit and vegetable growers and suppliers across the islands. Guests can even join the executive chef on visits to local markets and farms to meet producers and learn more about the island’s food culture.

Breakfast at Muse, the resort’s Italian restaurant, is a good example of the hotel’s sustainability efforts. Rather than the enormous buffets common in many five-star hotels, Mango House has a 50:50 concept, which means guests can choose from a small buffet and an à la carte menu to keep food waste in check.

And quite the menu it is. I opt for shirred eggs baked in cream with goat’s cheese, spinach and fresh herbs, but other plant-based options include avocado toast with pomegranate seeds or oatmeal with almond milk, nuts, goji berries and mango jam. If you’re feeling particularly virtuous you can opt for a quinoa and avocado detox bowl, or on the other end of the scale, try tackling a towering stack of pancakes with roasted banana and dulce de leche.

Aldabra giant tortoises

As tempting as it is to spend another day at Mango House enjoying the art of rien faire, it would be a shame not to explore a little of Mahé. So, I meet my driver, George, and we set off along winding coastal roads towards Victoria, the island’s capital, a 45-minute drive away. I look out of the window, flanked on one side by dense tropical vegetation and on the other, stretches of powder-white sand and turquoise sea so crystal clear it makes me gasp.

Victoria, on the other hand, is a world away from the tranquillity of Mango House. The streets are busy, the market is bustling, and there’s no shortage of stalls selling souvenirs and bric-a-brac. As it’s the smallest capital city in the world, I don’t stay long, and anyway, it’s the botanical gardens and their resident Aldabra giant tortoises that I’ve really come to see. There are around 15 enormous tortoises in the enclosure resting in the shade and slowly lumbering around, oblivious to the scattering of tourists.

During my trip, visitors are surprisingly allowed to enter the enclosure without supervision, which is surprising, given that I see a group of tourists placing teddy bears on their shells for photos. Usually, I’m told visitors can enter the enclosure, but only under supervision, and for a small fee to feed them fresh plants provided by staff.

Giant tortoises were once widespread across the Indian Ocean, but many populations were wiped out by hunting. The fact they can survive for months without food or water meant they were a popular source of food aboard ships in the 19th century. This heavy hunting dropped their numbers to fewer than 1,000, but thanks to conservation efforts, there are now roughly 180,000–183,000 living on the Aldabra Atoll. Interestingly, that means there are more giant tortoises than people in the Seychelles. Although I sadly learned that the Atoll, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, is some 1,150 kilometres away.

The Reluctant Farewell

The journey back to Mango House includes a stop at a viewing point overlooking Mahé and the Indian Ocean. Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands and from here you can see a scattering of them. The road back down the mountain is nothing short of lush and when we reach the bottom, I’m taken in again by the talcum-white beaches and electric-blue water. It’s difficult to imagine ever tiring of these views.

Back at the hotel, I find a secluded spot overlooking the sea, shaded by a canopy of palms, and settle down for another hour of doing very little. Overhead, fruit bats flit between the trees, their dark silhouettes making them look like large blackbirds until they come close enough that I can see their furry brown heads.

That evening, there’s another gathering at the main house, followed by dinner at Moutya, Mango House’s Creole restaurant. The lovely Nadia, one of the many Seychellois employees who make up around 70 per cent of the resort’s workforce, serves me a fragrant vegetable and fruit curry with rice and a healthy dose of anecdotes before I head off for an early night.

The following morning, there’s just enough time for a final breakfast overlooking the bay before I leave for the airport. David, who has managed to remember how I take my coffee in just two days, appears with my double espresso and, an unexpected mimosa. It’s not quite eight in the morning, but with another flight ahead of me, who am I to argue?

As I take one last look across the glittering bay, I find myself thinking about Barbieri and his infamous sunset gatherings. Under the care of Hilton, Mango House still feels like someone’s beautiful private home, where guests are welcomed, well looked after and encouraged to stay a little longer. And as I pick up my bags with a sigh, I rather wish I could.

Details

Getting there: Emirates operates direct flights from Dubai International Airport to Mahé, Seychelles, with a flight time of approximately four and a half hours.

Mango House Seychelles is a 30-minute drive from Seychelles International Airport (SEZ), and a taxi will cost roughly AED 300 ($80) each way. Nightly rates start at around AED 3,800 ($1,000) per night.

For more information or to book visit hilton.com