Spoilt rotten in Seychelles

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  Four Seasons, Seychelles

There’s nothing worse than being bought back to earth too quickly after a treatment as you stagger out of the spa half-asleep and dishevelled back into the world.

You need time to get back to grips to reality, allow your ‘bed-head’ hair to calm back down in privacy before you face the world and gradually psyche yourself up to do complex things like walking.

No need to worry at the Hilltop Spa at the new Four Seasons Resort in Seychelles. The therapists could have happily left me in the open-plan lounge afterwards for an hour, drinking in the view and my herbal tea whilst I got my act together.

The whole hotel has been landscaped down a jungle-clad hill leading to the perfect beach at pretty Petite Anse bay. Whilst all the resort’s villas have wonderful views, the spa is the cream of the crop with easily the best look-out of the whole place. Perfect for zoning out as you lie cocooned in your robe and stare out to the Indian Ocean following a treatment.

Creole play

The spa was officially opened in June and is inspired by the local Creole culture in Seychelles. Many of the treatments incorporate island herbs and spices such as cinnamon, frangipani and lemongrass, combined in accordance with ancient recipes.

Weirdly though, the shells used in the Shell Serenity - where warm sea shells filled with sea minerals, dried sea kelp and algae are pressed along the muscles to release knots and tension and increase circulation - were sourced from some far-flung corner of the world. That flew in the face of the ‘local’ and ‘eco’ vibe being pitched otherwise.

The Seychelles is a laid-back kind of place, with immensely stunning scenery, beaches and creatures, making it the perfect atmosphere for a spa. But added to all these natural wonders is striking design that’s very different from what you would expect to find in a spa.

It was been designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates and has ‘award-winning’ written all over it. Blessed with generous indoor and outdoor space in the main area, the spa is made up of seven self-contained pavilions linked by timber sun decks.

Surrounded by coconut, mango and cinnamon trees, the main glass-fronted pavilion spreads itself over two levels, including a good-sized yoga pavilion and five more pavilions containing eight separate treatment rooms – five of which are doubles encompassing private lounge areas, steam rooms, rain showers and outdoor tubs.

Creole influences are also on view in HBA’s interiors with warm browns, gold, pale turquoise and soft greys as well as custom-made furnishings, including driftwood tables and pebble-covered chairs which look as if they should be the most uncomfortable things to sit on, but are deceptively the opposite.

Nothing but the best

The Hilltop Spa works with Sodashi – laudibly positioned as the purest range of products on the market – and Ila, whose whole essence is focused on channeling energy flow. Signature treatments include the Mahe Massage, which uses herbal poultices made from indigenous ingredients and combines European oil techniques with Asian pressure points. Or there’s the Kundalini back massage, designed to increase vitality and spiritual enlightenment using strengthening oils and Himalayan salt and marigold poultices to the charkas.

The spa also includes a juice bar, a library of well-being literature and skin-care, nail and waxing treatments administered from a salon. And for those who like something a little more active than being stretched, rubbed and pampered, the resort has a seafront gym and also hides a web of jogging trails weaving through the gardens at the foot of the hillside, as well as a more challenging hiking trail up to elevations which provide still more breathtaking views.

The resort’s 67 hillside villas all have their own super-stylish swimming pool, there is a chic chill-out bar in resort and restaurant choices with delicious dietary diversions from pizza to mezze, as well as a library of books and DVDs to while away the holiday days and nights.

With Petite Anse, the Four Seasons has secured for itself the most picture-perfect beach in Mahe, known by locals as one of the best on the island. And now, it has what is shaping up to be one of the best spas in the Indian Ocean too.

By April Hutchinson