Located on the eastern corner of Praslin's Grande Anse beach, a major renovation in late-2024 has seen this small hotel of just 32 rooms being attractively elevated to 4-Star level. The transformation has been quite startling in fact – from being a very basic and quite dated old hotel lacking any real appeal, Indian Ocean Lodge now boasts open, airy and contemporarily styled public areas as well as some of the most family-friendly rooms on the entire island!

One of the first hotels built on Praslin, Indian Ocean Lodge (or “IOL” for short) lies on the edge of the island’s longest beach – the long stretch of white sand that is Grande Anse. With its shallow flats that extend out towards the fringing reef, it’s probably fair to say that Grande Anse isn’t in the top echelon of Praslin’s swimming beaches (the island is renowned as boasting probably the best beaches of all the main Seychelles islands) It nonetheless boasts one thing that many of the others lack: a stunning view of the sunset, best enjoyed whilst taking a long stroll along the long expanse of sand or (even better) whilst ensconced sipping a cocktail on the deck of  IOL’s new KokoSol beachfront restaurant and bar!

The KokoSol is the attractive new centrepiece of the IOL’s extensive recent renovation – with its expansive outside deck overlooking the beach, it extends into more intimate but still light and airy interior lounge areas that are both comfy and stylish. It helps too that the IOL holds a long-established reputation for the quality of the dining experience it offers, with Creole flavoured dishes like octopus curry a particular speciality!

The other main new feature (or should that be “features”) at IOL after the renovation are the 2 attractive new rim-flow swimming pools which are sunk half-in and half-out of the ground – they’re a way more appealing and stylish option than the rather old-fashioned pool that was formerly at the centre of the hotel’s public areas. Instead the 2 new pools are separated, with each of them located individually at the centre of the 2 “horse shoes” of room blocks which are located either side of the hotel’s main public areas. Having 2 large pools of course means it’s easier to find a vacant lounger to plop yourself onto to soak up some sunshine before enjoying a refreshing dip!

Talking of the rooms, these are also now a strength of the IOL’s offering. There are 32 rooms in total, split into 2 horse shoes (each lying on opposite sides of the main public area) each consisting of 4 blocks of rooms in the typical “2 up, 2 down” layout found at so many resorts. Previously quite dark and unappealing, the renovations have resulted in much more appealingly light décor and furnishings that exude a classy beach-house vibe. We particularly love the white coco de mer shaped lamps that hang over the beds which are both stylishly attractive and fun! But what perhaps marks out the rooms at IOL over other Seychelles hotels is just how family-friendly they are. Each room features 2 built in couches that can easily be converted into beds for kids under 12, whilst for families with older children, the ground floor rooms are interconnected.

Compared to many other resorts, the grounds of IOL are quite compact, with the resort tucked in between the island’s ring road and the 150 metres of beach frontage – this means it lacks the on-site facilities offered at many of the larger resorts. A full list of excursions are however available which can easily be arranged by the hotel – ranging from visits to the smaller islands off Praslin for snorkelling and diving, deep sea fishing charters, to excursions to the nearby famous World Heritage Site that is the Vallée-de-Mai. And with the hotel backing onto the island’s main ring road and with a nearby bus stop, it’s also easy to catch the local buses to enjoy budget-friendly access to the rest of Praslin’s many attractions!