Ixora Villa

This is a superb little gem of a find, you can tell the owners; Antoine and Sylvianne have injected their hearts into the bungalow. We found the villa to be perfect for our stay; it was cleaned regularly and to a high standard throughout our 8 night stay. It is also a short car ride to the beach and shops. We stayed as a family of four on this self-catering villa. This was our third and final villa on our tour of Seychelles having first stayed on Praslin and La Digue - it did not disappoint. The villa is a bungalow accessed by a side road (follow signage for Le Jardin Du Roi). In terms of safety the compound is walled and there is an electronic gate with designated parking. The layout is conducive for family time; there is an open kitchen living area where we would often sit with the patio doors open to watch the sunset vista together. Not once did we need to turn on the TV and we had decided to leave the ubiquitous iPads at home. There are two super comfy sofas with handmade cushions. It is these little touches of uniqueness that make it homely. The kitchen is very well equipped and the best out of the three self-catering villas we rented; there is a decent sized fridge already stocked with welcome essentials like milk, bread and eggs and a generous fruit basket from their garden! The ripened fruits taste incredible and nothing like what we experienced back in the UK supermarkets. The homemade star fruit jam made by Sylvianne was absolutely delicious. The hob emits a decent amount of gas flame for cooking and there is a plethora of cooking implements including stainless steel pots and a new non-stick frying pan for use . No flaking Teflon here. For the first time I had a dishwasher on my stay. I always check the washing machine drawer and drum as a sign of ongoing cleanliness and safe to say it was pristine and as an active family we had to use it everyday so a must. There was also an outdoor shower area to wash off the beach sand. The outside area is inviting, there is a BBQ area, outside sink and charcoal. Antoine was more than happy to give us a tour of the verdant garden which has an impressive assortment of fruit trees like papaya, passion fruit and breadfruit. The bananas grown from their garden were ripened naturally were sensational and a big hit. We later found out that Antoine had built a number of things including the beds as a qualified carpenter. The two spacious bedrooms are both have three piece en suite. The master bedroom has a generous King size mattress (the other villas we stayed in only had a double) and the children had two single beds which was more than adequate for our six foot two older son. There is also a decent amount of hanging and clothes space. Lastly, I cannot fault our hosts, Sylvianne and Antoine - we were warmly greeted by them as soon as the car was at the gates and they were invaluable in guiding us as to where it was safe to swim, recommended walking trails, places to visit and in what order

We've travelled all over the world, but this was hands down the best accommodation we've ever had. Clean, safe, with all the amenities you need, and above all, Sylvianne and Antoine go out of their way (and then some) to make the stay really comfortable. We were greeted with fresh fruit from their garden, freshly squeezed juice and chicken soup. They brought us local specialities almost every day and invited us to use the herbs from their own garden. Antoine even took us on a guided tour of the surrounding hills, where we experienced the most amazing view of the both coasts of Mahe and learned a lot about life in the Seychelles. When on the last day, the airline company cancelled our return flight and rebooked us for the next day, they took care of everything for us (they even phoned the car rental company to extend our rental period). Thank you once again, Sylvianne and Antoine - if we ever return to Mahe, we shall definitely try to stay at Ixora Villa. We shall also recommend it to all our friends, who may venture to the Seychelles in future.