Avani was a delightful place to spend two weeks in the Seychelles. This 4.5 star resort is located on the biggest island. I visited this place with my friend @laivi. The purpose of my stay was to work and relax. I only managed to do one of those things 100% though...

Room

What we loved the most about our fairly big room was he high ceiling! It felt like our own little cabana at the beach. While the bathtub IN the bedroom was a bit strange when I traveled with a friend, it sure looked nice. We were happy to see that the toilet had a door!

The room was clean, they provided bathrobes (which room service oddly removed some days before we left), the minibar was filled with local beer, juice, water and snack, and we could see both the pool and the ocean from our balcony.

But the best thing: the bed was 2 x 2 meters. Life goals right there!

Hotel area

Avani has a spa area, big pool, great gym with air conditioning, two restaurants, bar, gift shops, its own beach, parking, childcare and free WiFi.

The area inside the resort has lots of plants, cosy beanbags and decorations.

There was also a lovely rooftop terrace where we could enjoy the sunset and drink champagne if we wanted too.

The highlight of the area is the fact that this resort is in the middle of the “jungle” on the most gorgeous beach. Not the worst backdrop for breakfast.

Food

The breakfast buffet and the dinner buffet was surprisingly good. Many options, varied cuisines and good quality of food.
Creole chilis, pizza, beef stroganoff and pizza was just some of the things we ate.
They also made a heavenly creme brûlée!

But, the lunch options sold at the bar was kind of boring and not very tasty. I wish they had delicious salads and smoothies on the menu here!
The awesome pancakes and waffles they served for breakfast should’ve been on the lunch menu instead of fries, nachos and sliders. Or their yummy fruit salads, chapati, skewers or cold salads from the dinner. The spare ribs were good though!

Oh, and did I mention that our friend in the bar made us the best piña colada we ever had?
It was also the perfect location to enjoy that specific drink.

Service

Smiley, friendly staff greeted us upon arrival. We were given cold, fresh and wet towels and a fruit sorbet while the hotel checked us in. We were off to a great start! But later on that first evening we waited an eternity to get change after paying for a meal.
We quickly realized that this was the norm around here and that we had to be patient and tune in to island time. Not that we were in a rush, but the service here was sometimes shockingly slow. Thankfully when we actually got help, the staff was super nice and friendly.

We got a feeling that people usually stay one week or shorter here. So while we stayed for two weeks we made some friends at the resort. One lady we particularly liked was the smiling chef that made eggs for us in the morning. We’re gonna miss her!
She was so nice to us and she was just a lovely person in general.

They offered room service, laundry service and they cleaned the room every day. The staff in the reception was also very helpful, especially when I got sick to a couple of days.

So AVANI offers great service, but it’s just slow as a sloth!

Location

The hotel is about 20 minutes of driving from Victoria, the capital. And 20 minutes from the airport. It’s south west of the capital and you have to drive over a mountain to get there.

Great location for anyone that’s looking for peace and quiet. Which we were! It’s tranquil and relaxing and there’s no noise from anywhere around the resort. Just what we needed!

If you are a restless soul that needs to see the hustle and bustle, then this might be a bit remote for you.

A mini market outside the resort sold chocolate, fruit, water and snack.

You could catch the local bus to see the island, but don’t rely on the scheduled departure times, they might show up 15 minutes too early, 15 minutes late or not show up at all.

But getting a taxi to Victoria was only around 25 Euros.

Pros

The hotel has everything you need, so you don’t even have to leave the area. (But you should!)

The beach where the hotel is located is to die for, and there are no other hotels at his beach.

The food is good!

Cons

The WiFi didn’t work very well. Not at my room and not in any other area at the hotel either. I was connected, but it was so slow that that I wasn’t able to do all the work I was supposed to. I told the hotel about his two times, but never heard back or noticed improvements. So don’t go here to work.

The slow service will probably annoy you if you’re like me.

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I was sad to leave Avani today. I would recommend this hotel, but I’d say that one week there is enough. Also, don’t plan on doing anything WiFi related while you’re there.
Bring your snorkeling gear, sun lotion and your favorite book. And maybe your partner! This place is seriously romantic! I bet a lot of the people at the resort thought @laivi and I were a couple.

Thumbs up! (But the speed of the service unfortunately shows on the score.)

Overall score 7/10

Thanks for reading! The next hotel review will be the hotel I check in at tonight, in Cape Town! Stay tuned.

Written by @susanne for @hotelreviews 🇸🇨

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