Patatran Village Hotel in La Digue

We stayed at Villa Des Flots, (which has super steep stairs so not good for older people or with knee problems) after we arrived we were told to pay at this hotel the next day. Before we arrived we asked if we could pay in dollars, they said it was alright, but when we arrived they choose the most expensive exchange rate making it 50usd more expensive. They say this is the standard but this was the only hotel out of the 4 we stayed at in Seychelles that did this to us. Besides If they had a special rate they should have told us when we asked about paying in dollars, specially since their defence is that “it changes every day”. Other complains are they the rooms are very basic, the wifi is awful and only works if you are standing next to reception, and that the towels feel like sandpaper. Also while trying to pay the staff was very rude and unhelpful, the one that seemed like the manager was constantly making faces at us also because one of the dollars was an older one and don’t want it, and even after this they didn’t have change of 50 (though they knew we were arriving and paying in dollars). They also said that this is how every hotel works but I also work in hotels and that’s not how it works, and also friends that stayed in a different hotel in La Digue said they paid with a different exchange rate which was cheaper and made more sense (and checked in on the same date).

Firstly the views from the balcony are amazing and sell the hotel. Rooms are very dated (we stayed in a deluxe room called Bamboo) and in need of a refurb but we did have everything we needed in our room except a chest of draws for out clothing. It provided plenty of wardrobe space but no draws. That being said it would have been nice to have a bottle of water provided after travelling for 20 hours and the steep steps needed to be climbed to get to our room The Towels were very old, off colour and frayed. When walking in the main reception areas it also appears not to have been decorated for many many years, The pool area and communal areas are fair but again dirty sun beds. We have to leave a deposit for the beach towels again very stained, frayed and off colour which I found very embarrassing when using them on the beach. We paid for bed and breakfast and the food was appalling. Egg station when was ok but all the ingredients look liked it had been there for days. Fruit was cut up but dry and looked like it had been there for days. Food in the silver trays appears to be what was left over from the night before and perhaps a few sausages added to cover the breakfast aspect. One evening we decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant as a buffet was advertised. When we arrived there was not buffet and we were given the menu for full board visitors and there were only two choices, I did not like either and asked if there was a vegetarian choice and was told no. I asked what other options there were and she then asked if I would like to see the a la carte ( think she was trying to avoid preparing anything that was not on the menu). Again the menu had very little to choice. We opted for the chicken curry - well I really did not think we were given chicken as it was so tough and dry that we could not eat it. We charged the meal to our room and left. We have since been charge £70 for the meal which really was uneatable. We did not bother with breakfast again. Hired bike through the hotel bike hire, at an expenses, but we enjoyed this and it made getting around the island very pleasurable. Hotel at the far end of the island and not walkable at night as there is no lighting and it get very dark very quickly. If you do decide to walk to the port area I would advise you bring a good torch as riding a bike would not be advisable due to steep drops that cannot be seen. The Island of La Digue is very beautiful and we would return and stay at one of the better hotels. We chose to eat a a few and the there really was a huge difference. On our final morning we went to reception to settle out bill and my card was declined 4 times! I asked if she could try again as I had used it the night before and there was no problem with credit. Again it was declined. I ended up having to call my bank who had not received any requests. When I explained this the lady tried another card ready and it went straight through. All this took around 30 min

The hotel doesn’t deserve more than 2*. The only pluses of the hotel are a beautiful small intimate beach right next door and service people who really try to be nice. The hotel should have undergone a major renovation a long time ago. The rooms are old, dirty. There is mold in the room. The water pressure in the shower is a failure. Internet access only in the room. Beach towels are dirty, damaged and stained. Food is not good. Definitely not worth believing the photos from the Internet.