Finding luxury in the Seychelles and how some giant tortoises taught me to slow down

There are a few things you expect when you book a luxury resort in the Seychelles. Beautiful beach? Of course. Turquoise water? Naturally. Great cocktails? I hope so. 

But what I wasn't expecting was spending my morning walk to breakfast looking to see if the giant tortoises were awake. But this was my daily ritual during a recent stay at Constance Lemuria. The resort has recently created a beautiful new home for its Aldabra giant tortoises, and while most hotels in the Seychelles have a few resident giants, when it comes to tortoise enclosures they're often a bit sterile. This one, on the other hand, feels wonderfully natural. There's space to roam, shady trees, and even a river running through it. It was the perfect place (for both the tortoises and myself) to stop, slow down, and enjoy life at an unhurried pace.

In fact, my morning walk with the tortoises became a type of metaphor for my entire stay at this resort. 

One of the things I appreciated most at Constance Lemuria, an award-winning Leading Hotel of the World located on Praslin Island (the second biggest island in the Seychelles), was how effortless everything here felt. 

I tend to avoid large island resorts. There's something about waiting for a buggy every time you want to go somewhere, having to wake up early to secure my beach lounger, and waiting in line at the buffet that just doesn't appeal. And although Constance Lemuria has 96 suites and 9 villas, it somehow doesn't feel like a big hotel. Here, someone always seemed to appear before we'd even thought about it. Staff managed to be everywhere without ever feeling intrusive, and by the second day they knew what drinks we wanted with dinner and not just our kids’ names but what fruit our girls liked at breakfast.

And it's no surprise that mealtimes quickly became our favourite time of day. As it should be on any good holiday, we’d happily arrive hungry and leave thinking we had eaten too much. At the breakfast buffet, our daughters loved selecting their eggs for the day (duck or quail anyone?) accompanied by an abundance of fresh pastries (yes, they had chocolate donuts for breakfast), cheeses, and freshly-squeezed juices. A visit to the cheerful fruit ninja was also a highlight. Add in spectacular views across the ocean, and I couldn’t think of a better way to start the day (aside from looking for giant tortoises, of course).

And with four restaurants, it was impossible to get bored. One of our favourite evenings was spent at The Nest Restaurant where we dined on prawns and fish with the ocean gently lapping the rocks below us. We could even see the occasional flash of silver as a fish was highlighted by the lights on the water. Another memorable night saw us dining with our toes in the sand while local dancers celebrated the country’s 50th year of independence. 

As a family, we were also genuinely impressed by the Kids Club. It isn't simply a room with colouring books. There's a dedicated pool, a large colourful jungle gym and a group of lovely ladies that organise a range of activities. You know its good when you go to fetch your child and she says, “Sorry mom, I was having too much fun, I forgot to miss you.” A special touch I really loved is that children can even enjoy a complimentary excursion to the Vallée de Mai, giving them the chance to discover one of the Seychelles' most extraordinary natural treasures while learning about the island's unique wildlife, without their parents slowing them down.

And then there are the beaches. Most resorts boast about having one spectacular beach. Lemuria gave us three, each with its own personality. There’s the wild beach which is left wonderfully untouched as it’s a place where turtles still come ashore to lay their eggs. At high tide it also feeds into a shallow lagoon at the end of the golf course where small reef sharks can be seen pupping. 

The main beach is where you come for sand castle building, lounging, and cocktails. And then there’s Anse Georgette, which is exactly the type of place you picture when you dream about the Seychelles. It’s only reached by a walk through the golf course or scheduled shuttle bus, and you’ll fill up your phone’s memory taking photographs here. 

Talking about the golf course, even if you've never held a golf club, you won’t want to ignore it. One of the cliffside tees lets you drive a ball dramatically out towards the Indian Ocean, with the hole somewhere below. There is frequent complimentary golf initiations for all ages if you want to introduce your kids to the sport or improve your swing. And if you're looking for somewhere unforgettable to pop the question, I genuinely can't think of many better spots. The team can arrange a private champagne cocktail or an intimate dinner overlooking the course, surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery on Praslin. It's one of those settings where the backdrop does half the work for you. 

The course is also home to a helipad where, after our magical stay, we took off with Zil Air for one of the most spectacular departures imaginable. The short 15-minute flight from Praslin back to the main island of Mahé was one of the absolute highlights of our trip, with the stunning resort dropping off beneath us and the views of the Seychelles with all its lagoons, islands and coral reefs the stuff of dreams.

Looking back, it's difficult to pinpoint the one thing that made Constance Lemuria special. It wasn't just the beaches, although they're exceptional. It wasn't the food, the golf course, or the beautiful suites. It wasn’t even the tortoises. It was the feeling that everything had been considered. Every experience felt carefully crafted without ever feeling staged. And somewhere between lingering breakfasts, empty beaches, and those morning visits with the tortoises, I found myself slowing down without even realising it. And perhaps that's the greatest luxury of all.