Boutique resort with superyacht parking aims to become a hot stopover in Seychelles

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Boutique resort with superyacht parking aims to become a hot stopover in Seychelles

A boutique resort in Seychelles, L’Escale Resort Marina & Spa, has joined the portfolio of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), the first establishment to be selected from the island nation.
The resort — which has its own superyacht parking — said it is honoured to join the Small Luxury Hotels of the World community and that “it has been selected because of the high quality and uniqueness of its product, superb location and exceptional food and beverages and wellness offerings.”
Situated at the site of the previously existing Wharf Hotel located in the central Mahe district of Roche Caiman, the resort took almost three years to move from conception to a soft opening in December.
The resort’s commercial director, Michiel Zoonen, told SNA that the intention was to have a grand opening in January, but was unable to do so due to the current COVID-19 pandemic situation.
“We did open our doors last month and slowly we are receiving more guests. Once the government eases the restrictions, we can welcome more guests to our resort. However, all services and facilities will be upon reservation for now. At the moment our commercial team is working hard to create awareness and promote the hotel through different channels, both locally and internationally,” said Zoonen.
The philosophy of the resort lies in its name, which is ‘L’escale’ — French for stopover.  
The general manager, Cyrille Carofano, said that “therein lies the concept at the heart of L’Escale Resort Marina & Spa – a luxury boutique hotel where you disconnect from the rest of the world to fully connect with the beauty of the Seychelles as you explore, relax and unwind safely in our care.”

The lounge of the boutique resort which will welcome more guests once COVID-19 restrictions are removed. (L’Escale Resort Marina & Spa) Photo License: All Rights Reserved) 

The resort which is located a few minutes from the Seychelles International airport at Pointe Larue aims to be known as the preferred luxury stopover for accommodation, yachting, culinary and wellness experiences, said Carofano.
Zoonen, the commercial director, said that the resort is focusing on the main target markets of Seychelles, which includes the traditional target countries such as Germany, France, UK, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, UAE, and Russia.
“However, looking at the product we offer, being a very intimate and private resort, we are targeting small groups of friends or families who wish to have an exclusive and luxury boutique resort experience. For these groups, we are offering a complete buy-out of the resort, which makes it more personalized in a safe and secured environment. That is also definitely a plus looking at the current situation,” he added.
As an extension of the resort, the private marina – designed to complement the aesthetics of its natural surroundings – has been upgraded to accommodate superyachts. It has the capacity to berth approximately 19 vessels, with a maximum length of 100 metres.
“We are proudly the only resort in Seychelles with a private marina. That definitely sets us apart from the other hotels on the island,” said Zoonen who added that their main focus is to target superyachts from 70 metres onwards and with that in mind there are three to four spaces available in one go.
Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, depends largely on tourism as the top pillar of its economy. The island nation remains open to visitors with travel requirements as part of its COVID-19 prevention measures in place.
The island nation expects to reopen for any visitors in mid-March when it has vaccinated 70,000 of its 98,000 population.

Source: Seychelles News Agency