Beau Vallon is the only beach on the Mahe island on the Seychelles that has it all. A peaceful ocean laps onto a sandy beach offering two impressive snorkeling sites, several restaurants serving delicious food jostle for attention while the city beckons with an active and buzzing night life.
There’s also a range of 5 star hotels by Beau Vallon. The biggest is the Savoy Seychelles Resort & Spa hotel. Within its expansive grounds is a high-class Spa and fitness centre and 700sqm swimming pool – the biggest outdoor pool to be found anywhere on the islands.
If that’s not enough here are another 6 reasons to stay there. Once there, you’ll find more – we are sure of it. Here’s some to get you started:
1Ocean is by your side
Beau Vallon stands for “beautiful valley”. And this is indeed a beautiful valley with a curved ribbon of beach that stretches over 3km along the ocean. It is peppered with trees that hang lazily over the water and its soft sand.
The calm waters and sandy ocean bed has no underwater current, stones or corals making Beau Vallon a safe and ideal place for young families to holiday.
2Snorkeling
Close by are couple of excellent snorkel sites. One of them is Anse Major – a small bay in the northern part of the Mahe Island. You can reach it in around an hour by foot hiking through the forest or by taxi from Beau Vallon.
Reef Anse Major has well-preserved corals home to various fish and marine life that hide in their crevices. In particular you may find blue-spotted grouper, the green birdmouth wrasse, the white-spotted boxfish, or young specimen of several species of moray eels.
The other is Ste. Anne Marine Park. It is about 5 km by boat from Victoria. Fishing is forbidden but among the sea grass you can see big sea turtles and friendly fish who will swim right beside you. A huge amount of plankton attracts big manta rays into these waters throughout April to December.
3Bars and Restaurants
There are 7 restaurants and bars at the Savoy Seychelles Resort & Spa featuring local, Indian or orient cuisine as well as bars with local draft beer.
The best is the Mahek restaurant widely considered to be the best Indian restaurant on the islands. And it deserves its fame. Look through glass wall that divides the restaurant from the kitchen and you may pick up some tips as you watch the food is cooked.
4Spa Center
Relax in the calmness and comfort of the hotel’s Spa after an active day on the beach or a hectic long night filled with music. There are several treatments including massages, wrapping and some signature treatments that exclusively use Sothys products. Romantic couple treatments are available too.
5Local markets and fairs
The popular Bazar Labrin market opens on the beach every Wednesday and on the last Saturday of each month. There’s an abundance of fascinating stalls and the market gets particularly lively from around 4 pm until 8.30pm.
Stalls sell delicious food, spices and fish alongside local arts and crafts while barbecues offer freshly caught fish and banana St Jacques fritters, grilled breadfruit and plenty of other local delicacies including papaya chutney, mango salad or red lentils.
Live music ensures a party atmosphere, as local musicians and bands often hold impromptu performances.
6Night Life
For some heady nightlife hop into a taxi for a short 15 minute ride into the city. Located on Francis Rachel Street, the Gran Kaz Casino boasts a bar area with a widescreen TV that shows the latest sporting events.
Barrel Night Club on Revolution Avenue is a good place to meet local people, play some pool and to hear a mix of music including reggae, local Creole music, dance and hip-hop. Open from Thursday through to Sunday, it is spread over two floors – the lounge bar is on the ground floor and the music hall is in the basement.
The Boardwalk Bar and Grill on Eden Island, around 3.5km from Victoria has superb views of the mountains, marina and ocean. You can enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner and anything in between – including morning coffees and cocktails. Special events include karaoke every Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday with live music from La Mezcla, resident DJs and live bands on a Friday and Saturday.
Rogan’s Irish Bar (Level 3 Docklands, Latanier Rd) is an authentic Irish pub run by an Irishman. It is the only place on Seychelles where you can taste a legendary Guinness watch sports on big TV screens and even enjoy some karaoke.
But you can enjoy the night and the ocean staying at the hotel and on Beau Vallon. The Ocean Deck Bar is open till midnight and you can drink a draft Seychelles beer while being entertained by live music band.
