We stayed at the Banyan Tree on Honeymoon recently. I have stayed at two other Banyan Tree properties in the past and enjoy their ethos, decor and general ambience. Unfortunately there were a number of negatives on our stay at the Seychelles property that I think other people should bear in mind when deciding whether to stay.

Negatives:
1) From what we saw the hotel is in need of refurbishment. We stayed in villa 101, a beach front villa. On arrival (and for much of the stay) the doorbell did not function, the dvd player remote was broken, the player did not play discs available to borrow from the hotel lobby, the tv channels did not work everyday and the tv itself is extremely dated, the door to the villa did not lock properly, the airconditioning was too noisy to sleep at night (as there is an auxiliary unit that cannot be controlled in the room). 2) The housekeeping is rather uneven - sometimes quite late, sometimes did not appear at all. 3) The pool and jaccuzzi were not cleaned unless specifically requested. 4) The airport/island transfers by hotel car were expensive (USD50-60 for a 20-30 minute journey). 5) Meals in the hotel were 'okay' though not particularly varied over more than a 3-4 day stay. 6) The front staff did not show much anticipation or initiative though were happy to help when specifically asked to do so - this was very much the norm around the property. 7) The price of staying at the resort is prohibitive (1500+ Euros per night) given the issues above.

Positives:
1) The setting is beautiful - fairly remote and private situated around a pretty bay with a nice beach and clear (though strong) sea. They have obviously paid a lot of attention to not disrupting the environment. 2) The spa is of the high standard that is expected - plenty of treatments and well trained staff. 3) The resort staff do try hard and always try to smile and make you feel welcome.

Summary:
The resort has charm, good design and atmosphere and a good setting. There are various problems with the accommodation - some of them quite rudimentary - that you just don't expect to encounter at this price level. Consider other options carefully until the Banyan Tree addresses these issues.

The Banyan Tree is a lovely hotel in many respects - but it does need some attention and some refurbishment. We thought many parts of it are starting to look "old" - and given the category of hotel it is in, and the prices they charge - they need to do some work to get the hotel back up there. You could smell the drains around the swimming pool, the sun loungers and bar area are looking tatty etc. Food was good but not fantastic; service was mixed. Lovely in many ways but could be much better - needs some upgrading and some love and attention. We also stayed at Maia - the brand new hotel on Mahe - which was much better...

Introduction:
We stayed three nights at the Banyan Tree at the end of our honeymoon as a special treat. The hotel is the epitome of luxury, and customer service is excellent from the moment you arrive. We were very impressed at how our luggage was in our room before we were, and how someone had been to light incense and put on music ready for our arrival. This may sound like a small thing, but it is an example of the attention to detail offered by the Banyan.

The room:
We stayed in a Beachfront Spa Villa and I think we were very lucky with its location as it was very secluded; however some of the Beachfront Villas appeared to be more overlooked. The design of the villa is beautiful and the private pool and jacuzzi are fantastic. The pool really is a good size; we also had massage beds in a pavillion which we used once. However, we did feel that the villa was a bit of a health and safety nightmare and my husband actually fell over beside the jacuzzi when trying to switch off the lights and injured himself quite badly. Ultra-modern throughout; they provide you with everything you could possibly need; the toilet has piped in herbal smells. However watch out for Mr Steam in the shower - it burns your feet off!!

Food and drink:
Top notch but extremely expensive - about £15 for a cocktail for example. Breakfast was exquisite - we had it in our room one day (with complementary champagne for being honeymooners) and in the Jardin d'Epices the other days. Again everything you could possibly want. There were many options for lunch - bars and restaurants as well as pool-side snacks and in-villa dining. We went to the Saffron (Thai) restaurant one night which was excellent, although quite formal. Drinks, though expensive, were fantastic and the barmen would make you up any drink you wanted.

Facilities:
There is a temptation not to leave your villa but the facilities are good. The main pool is not big but is set in a fantastic location overlooking the sea. The beach is very pleasant to walk along, although the sea was quite rough. The public areas are naturally beautiful and clean. The spa offered a wide range of treatments; these were not cheap but actually were not as expensive as they could have been. There were buggies to drive you around everywhere, which arrived within minutes.

Staff:
Very friendly and professional staff who maintain an excellent balance between intimacy and privacy. However our consciences could not help being pricked by the latent sadness in a lot of the staff. Many of them came from the hotel in Phuket and were there on long-term assignments a long way from family. We made friends with a fantastic man who delivered in-villa food and he told us the hours he worked, which seemed dreadful as he worked split shifts and only had a few hours to sleep in between. In this respect the staff were different from those in other hotels in the Seychelles, where they were mainly local people living close to families.

One gripe!!:
Our flight did not leave until about midnight and so we enquired on our first day about the possibility of keeping on our villa on the last day. We were told that this should be no problem and that, if our villa was not available, another one would be. However, when the last day came we were told that there were no rooms to be had and that we must leave our room at noon. This was a disappointing end as we felt we had been promised this room for the day.

Summary:
This is no doubt the height of luxury, but to enjoy it to the max, you need to be prepared to spend a lot of money and try not to let your conscience be affected.

My wife and I stayed 8 nights at the BT in early April as the last leg of our honeymoon. Given the price, we had high expectations. We were not disappointed.

Staff is a key strength of the hotel. Very friendly and attentive, always smiling, even the back office and maintenance people. Personalised service.
Other strength is the design of the hotel, which ensures privacy for guests. Villas are well separated from one another (both video and audio wise). Our villa by the rock had a private pool and heated jacuzzi.
The restaurants and lounge areas also have naturally separated areas, so it never feels crowded.

The facilities are first class: spacious and luxurious. Although there is only one computer with internet (slow) access in the hotel - if you need to work, bring your own equipment.

Prices for everything at the hotel are high. Small bottle of water in mini bar is USD 8. Full dinner at the better restaurant (out of two) will easily cost USD 75 per person + drinks. Alcohol is expensive - bring your own, and don't hesitate to use the duty free shop in mahe airport at arrival.
The hotel has a colonnial style and architecture, but food and service are all thai inspired. The entire staff at the spa is Thai. Good for massage, not so good for manicure.
For the food, there is a greater Thai/Asian selection, even for room service, than international or local/creole. The food is good, but nothing special.

The beach is beautiful but the waves are strong. Don't expect to swim unless you are a good swimmer. Seychelles has equally beautiful and safer beaches in Praslin and La Digue.

Our stay was fantastic and very relaxing. Great destination for honeymoon and romantic holidays.