Review: Mango House Seychelles, Hilton LXR

We stayed at three hotels during our one-week trip to Seychelles, ending with the Mango House Seychelles. Although each hotel was nice in its own way, Mango House was a great way to end our epic trip – especially when the accommodation was essentially free.

LXR Hotels & Resorts is part of the Hilton family of hotels. The Hilton chain is not new to Seychelles, as it currently has three other properties on the islands: DoubleTree by Hilton Seychelles Allamanda Resort & Spa, Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa, and Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa. The Mango House is Hilton’s brand-new luxury property, having just opened on July 1, 2021. The original property was previously owned by the famous Italian photographer Gian Paolo Barbieri.

Mango House Seychelles – Booking

A night at the Mango House Seychelles can run up to €900 a night for their base-level Standard King Deluxe Room. Thankfully, the property can be booked on Hilton Honors points for wonderful savings.

Standard room rewards are typically capped at 95,000 points per night at Hilton’s top properties, including at the Mango House.

Initially, I booked two nights for 190,000 points, which otherwise would have cost me €767 ($1,122) a night. Considering that we value Hilton Honors points at 0.6 cents per point (CAD), I was getting a pretty good value.

Two months prior to our trip, I wanted to extend our stay by a night. But unfortunately, only premium room rewards were available for 230,000 points or more, which I wasn’t prepared to pay.

However, award space at Hilton properties tends to fluctuate daily, especially the closer in you get to the date. Sure enough, a week prior to check-in, the standard room reward for 95,000 points became available (of course, I did have a fully-refundable booking for another property in case things didn’t work out).

My points balance at the time was only at 89,000 points, but thankfully Hilton has a flexible Points & Money option, so for €49.50 more, I was able to secure my booking.

If you’re looking for a quick way to accumulate some Hilton Honors points, consider signing up for any of their four US-issued co-branded Amex cards; they all have elevated signup bonuses right now which makes it a great time to pick one up.

The Mango House Seychelles would also represent a decent use of Hilton’s free weekend night reward, which is another nice perk on the co-branded Amex US credit cards.

 

Mango House Seychelles – Location

The hotel is located on Anse aux Poules Bleues on the southwestern side of Mahé Island, the biggest island in the Seychelles. It is located about a 30-minute drive from Seychelles International Airport and 40 minutes from Victoria, the nation’s capital.

Seychelles is not well-known for its party scene or nightlife, but if you’re looking for more of that, you’ll want to stay closer Victoria or the north end of the island. If you’re looking for more peace and tranquility, then you’ll want to stay in the south end, where Mango House is situated.

Mango House Seychelles – Check-In

We unfortunately didn’t arrive at the hotel until past sundown, around 7:15pm, as we had to accommodate the limited ferry times leaving the other islands.

The drive from the ferry terminal was a tortuous one, and took almost 40 minutes. The road leading to the resort is unnamed and there is no hotel sign from the main road to direct you. If you see a sign for “Pineapple Studio”, then that’s the road to turn down.

The hotel entrance is gated and manned by security guards, who verified that I was on their check-in list before letting us in.

We drove up to the Arrival Pavilion, where we were warmly greeted, had our temperatures checked again, and given a house-blend tea to enjoy while we went through the check-in procedures.

When the staff handed us our “wooden” room keycard, rather than the plastic keycards I’m used to, I knew we were in for a treat.

At this point, we ran into possibly the only letdown of our stay: the staff advised us that they were not yet set up to take American Express!

Whenever I stay at a Hilton property, I like to use my Amex US Hilton Aspire Card to pay, so that I can earn 14x the points for spending at Hilton properties. With that off the table, I used my HSBC World Elite Mastercard, which at least gives 3% back in travel rewards for travel-related purchases and has no foreign exchange fees.

Then, we were taken on a quick tour of the property in a golf buggy before being taken to our room.

Mango House Seychelles – King Premium Room with Ocean View

We had booked the standard King Deluxe Room using our points, but as a Hilton Diamond member thanks to my Aspire Card, we were upgraded to the King Premium Room with Ocean View.

The resort’s rooms are located in separate “houses”, which are spread out around the property. Our room was located in the Cliff House, which, as the name suggests, is perched on a cliff, offering unobstructed views of the bay.

When you walk into the room, you feel a distinct sense of grandeur, especially with the high thatched ceilings.

The first thing you see is the massive amount of closet space at your disposal. The robes, slippers, ironing board and iron are stored here.

The room was very nicely appointed. The decor was modern and luxurious, yet warm with the wood accents and neutral tones. There is also a small balcony with seating for two, overlooking the bay.

The furnishings were comfortable. A chaise at the foot of the bed makes it perfect to lounge on while watching TV (not that you’ll be doing too much of that here!)

The bed had a ceiling canopy around it, which was a romantic touch. The outlets on either side of the bed were equipped with USB outlets for easy charging. There are additional USB outlets on the alarm clock.

There was also a desk with a flat screen TV above it. Unfortunately, it was not set up for streaming.

The bathroom was clean and spacious, with warm tones. 

All the bath amenities, like the shower gel, soaps, etc., are all made locally, and so are the kimonos that are at your disposal for the duration of your stay.

Outside the bathroom is a cupboard which houses the minibar, which has a Nespresso machine and kettle along with cups and glasses.

The minibar fridge is stocked with non-alcoholic beverages which are complimentary for guests to use up, but any refills will be charged.   

Speaking of complimentary amenities, they seemed like they were never-ending. On the day of arrival, we were given a bottle of white wine, some baked sweets, and dried fruit. The last night, we were given a bottle of champagne in celebration of our birthdays.

Hung up on the wall in the room were also two beach hats and a lovely beach bag, which were also gifts. 

The King Premium Room was our accommodation for the first two nights. For our last night, we upgraded to…

Mango House Seychelles – One-Bedroom Bay House Suite with Plunge Pool

On the second night of our stay, I decided I’d try my luck and asked about the possibility of being upgraded to a one-bedroom suite. The staff said she would speak to her manager and see what they could do. The next morning after breakfast, I was informed that our request had been granted! 

We packed our bags and moved into the suite, which was located in one of the Bay House Villas.  Although the decor was similar, the suite was more than twice the size of our previous room!

The main area featured a dining set, a sofa and a couple of arm chairs. It also featured two full bathrooms, both with a shower and one with a bathtub. 

The bedroom was slightly larger, with a similar setup to our original room.

But where it used to open up to a tiny patio, both the bedroom and living room now opened up to a huge terrace, complete with loungers, arm chairs, a sofa, a dining set, and a private plunge pool!

The plunge pool was my favourite feature in our Bay View Suite. All the pools on the resort close at 6pm (due to staffing issues), which I found a little early, but with your own plunge pool, you have unrestricted pool access at any time. We had our own private oasis.

The suite officially accommodates up to four guests; however, I did inquire about our issue of travelling as a family of five, and the staff, being ever so accommodating already, assured me that they would be able to work something out should we choose to return as a family.

Mango House Seychelles – Hilton Diamond Benefits

Here at the Mango House Seychelles, breakfast is included for all guests as part of the room rate, regardless of your Hilton elite status.

What Hilton Diamond members do get is a complimentary room upgrade on arrival and an in-room culinary treat on the day of arrival. This consisted of some dried mango and coconut, some baked goods and a bottle of wine.

They also offer the use of a complimentary vehicle for one day, from 9am–5pm, so you can go explore the island.

Should you have rented a car already, they offer a bath and shower experience amenity instead. The experience consists of a body scrub and body oil ritual that you apply yourself, along with a complimentary jar of coconut body butter for you to use and keep.

Lastly, the staff had confirmed with us at check-in whether we needed late checkout. At any given property, the latest checkout time is usually 4pm. After learning that our departure flight was at 11:30pm, they very generously offered us a late checkout of 9pm!

Mango House Seychelles – Breakfast

As mentioned earlier, breakfast is included in the room rate, and is served at the Muse restaurant.

Breakfast is a combination of a staff-served continental buffet and made-to-order items off a menu. The breakfast here was the best I had on our trip.

For the continental part, it seemed like the staff kept coming out with more food. You won’t walk away hungry from breakfast, and in fact, if you enjoy a late breakfast, it could even save you from having to order lunch later on.

Mango House Seychelles – Dining

There are four main dining venues onsite, all of which offer ocean views. We tried out each venue over the course of our stay. 

Muse features Mediterranean and Italian dishes in a brasserie-style setting, and is also where breakfast is served daily. 

Moutya features Creole cuisine and pizza.

Azido offers Japanese dishes.

Soley is the hotel’s poolside bar and dining venue, offering a variety of snacks and light meals, like bento boxes and poke bowls. 

The food is no cheap affair here, or any big resort in Seychelles for that matter. Here’s a sample of their menus:

The menu prices are in Seychelles Rupees, which you can divide by 10 to get the price in Canadian dollars. A full three-course meal can put you over $200 per couple.

Aside from the price, the food quality is very good, so I would certainly recommend enjoying a meal or two here.

(Tip: If you’re travelling on a budget, pack some instant noodles in your luggage, or drive out and buy food from “take-away” stands or smaller, local restaurants.)

Mango House Seychelles – Bar

Kokoye is the bar located on the second floor of the Main House, which features indoor and outdoor seating where you can order from an extensive list of wines, spirits and cocktails.

And if it’s not on their menu, just ask and they’re more than happy to mix up your favourite concoction for you. They have a small dessert menu you can order from as well.

Mango House Seychelles – Pools & Beach

The resorts has three swimming pools onsite. The iconic infinity pool is located at the Main House. 

There is also a pool by the Soley bar, and a smaller, quieter pool at the Cliff House. All pools close at 6pm, but perhaps this may change once guest occupancy increases.

There is plenty of seating around the pools, including hammocks and under gazebos.

If there’s one possible thing to criticize about this property, it would be its beach. The beach is rather small, and once you get into the water, it is very rocky and not very safe for young children to swim in (although snorkelling is at least possible during high tide). 

On the other side of the property, there is an equipment shack for watersports that is complimentary for all guests. This includes the use of lifejackets, snorkelling equipment, paddle boards, kayaks (including a clear-bottom one which I found was pretty cool), and pool noodles and such.

Paddle boarding, kayaking and snorkelling tours can also be arranged.

Mango House Seychelles – Other Facilities

The main building of the resort is known as Main House, which includes a large common area with a computer station, three restaurants, a bar, the gym, the spa, and their iconic pool.

The large central common area features plenty of seating arrangements that can be used by guests for socializing, lounging, reading a book, playing a game or just listening to music from their record player (with a selection of records you can choose from). The setup is very warm and welcoming. 

There are chessboards and various board games in the common area of the Main House for guests to enjoy.

The fitness centre is furnished with equipment from TechnoGym. A range of machines including a rower, stationary bikes and treadmills, free weights, medicine balls and plyometric boxes are available for use.

Yoga classes are offered on certain days of the week, some complimentary, some for a fee. There is also a full service spa on-site, although we didn’t get to try out its services.

For a complete guide to Mango House’s onsite and offsite activities, scan the QR codes below:

Mango House Seychelles – Service

Service at the resort was excellent. It was clear to us that Mango House had put a lot of effort into securing experienced, friendly, and sociable staff.

The hosts at the Arrival Pavilion and Main House, Fransesca and Violet, made sure our every need and request was attended to.

The managers of the restaurants, Taur of Muse and Deepak of Soley, were incredible. They were always interacting with all the guests daily, making sure that everything was made to one’s liking and looking for recommendations on improving. They did an amazing job making us feel welcomed and attended to.

Conclusion

Sometimes it’s hit or miss when you stay at a brand-new hotel, as they work through their kinks and fine-tune their service levels.

On the whole, the Mango House Seychelles had it together, setting a very high standard for our first experience at a Hilton LXR resort. The facilities were excellent, staff were friendly and attentive, and service was top notch. Hopefully, the hotel will keep it up as they get busier.

The few negatives of our stay were the small beach, which unfortunately can’t be helped; the fact they couldn’t yet accept American Express, which is a temporary issue (and the manager was kind enough to work with me on a solution for); and the extremely expensive dining, which unfortunately is the trend at all the big resorts in Seychelles.

At the moment, availability for Hilton Honors standard room rewards redemptions at Mango House is looking pretty good. This may change once travel picks up in the future, and they may not be as generous with their complimentary upgrades once occupancy increases.

But hey, if you’re celebrating a special occasion, there’s no harm in asking, and I’m sure the Mango House team will do their best to make your stay amazing as they did for us.