Seychelles is not your ordinary tropical beach destination. Understanding why is a lesson in geology that goes back millions of years, and helps to explain why the beaches that you see on the postcards look like nowhere else on earth.
The Acajou Beach Resort is a Seychellois-owned business that was formed in 1996 by experienced travel professionals who have been involved in the country’s tourism industry from its very beginnings.
With one of the best beaches in Seychelles as our front yard, an amazing infinity pool and on-site massage suite, you may find little motivation to leave the hotel grounds. Learn more about our on-site activities and services.
From its outset, the Acajou Beach Resort has been a proponent of sustainable tourism. Learn why we’re among the greener hotels in Seychelles by reading about our eco-friendly initiatives, including our new photovoltaic solar array that accounts for half the resort’s electricity needs.
Self Catering Apartment
Six self-catering apartments provide a home-away-from-home in both one and two-bedroom varieties, each with kitchen facilities and separated bedroom(s) and lounge. Our apartments are located near the entrance of the hotel, with convenient road access and proximity to the nearby shops in Cote D’Or village.
Deluxe Room
Our 14 Deluxe rooms combine size and space with a refreshing ocean motif to match their beachfront location. Spacious verandas offer views across Cote D’Or and the Curieuse Marine National Park.
Family Room
The 2 new Family Rooms, each with an additional bedroom, can suit a variety of different family units, ideal for those seeking suitable group accommodation of up to 4, without having to book multiple separate rooms.
Superior Room
Located on the upper floor, the 16 Superior Rooms share the same cozy earth-tones of the Standard rooms, but offer more space and additionally partial views out to the sea and garden from the private balcony.
Starfish Bar & Restaurant
The spot on Praslin’s Cote D’Or beach for casual, affordable dining in an exclusive atmosphere, Acajou’s Starfish Bar & Restaurant is open daily for both in-house residents and outsiders alike.
The menu at Starfish combines a delightful selection of international bistro classics, including snacks, salads and sandwiches, as well as traditional Creole specialities of fresh grilled fish and a variety of curries, among them our renowned signature dish of octopus curry with coconut milk.
Join us at the bar to cool off from the island heat, with always-cold soft drinks and beers, or refreshing cocktails made with fresh fruit picked on-site at the hotel.
Les Boucaniers
Just like the veranda of a traditional plantation house, Les Boucaniers offers an intimate dining atmosphere immersed in Creole flair and rustic beauty.
With its concept of French-style cooking using ingredients and flavours of the Indian Ocean rim, Les Boucaniers echoes the islands’ history as a crossroads for explorers, pirates and traders from a variety of cultures, each imparting their own influence on the islands.
The restaurant hence takes its name from the rock formations in the sea that lie directly in front of the resort, which were coined “The Buccaneers” or Les Boucaniers in French, in recognition of this fascinating history and the ambience we’ve strived to create.
Les Boucaniers is housed in the resort’s main concourse, serving a full American buffet breakfast every morning, and dinner service every evening. The restaurant is closed for lunch. See Starfish Bar & Restaurant for lunch options at the resort. Room service is also available.
Chapo! Bar & Lounge
Whether for afternoon tea or an evening aperitif, Chapo! Bar & Lounge serves up intimate island ambience for travellers from around the world to share company, conversation…and occasionally their hats.
Adjacent to the reception in the main concourse, Chapo! Bar & Lounge is open all day, and often serves as the evening meeting spot to unwind with an aperitif before dinner.
The bar was well known for the Creole-style hats that adorned the wall above the bar, and that tradition continues today, with hats from around the world on display. The venue also hosts live music several times a week.
Occasions & Room Service
Fancy something completely different? Our team can arrange a number of different private dining options for that special occasion.
Whether it’s a candle-lit dinner by our soothing garden fountain, a romantic picnic or table setting on the beach, or simply having a special breakfast brought in for you to enjoy in the privacy of your room’s veranda, we’d be delighted to help you add that extra touch to a unique dining experience. Additional charges may apply.
Exploring Praslin
Acajou Beach Resort is nestled just outside the main strand of the Cote D’or village, offering close proximity to shops, souvenir boutiques, restaurants, dive centres and excursion operators, a bank and an ATM , but with enough distance from the goings-on to allow total peace and tranquillity at the resort and along its beachfront.
In fact, if all you really want to do is soak up the sun and enjoy calm, crystal-clear waters, you may not have much motivation to go anywhere: Cote D’or beach is merely seconds away from your room at the Acajou Beach Resort.
Praslin’s best year-round beach for swimming is ideal for families, Cote D’or offers gentle waves lapping at the shore, fine white-powder sand and the panoramic beauty of the surrounding islands and marine park.
Nonetheless, the central location of Cote D’or is ideal for exploring the rest of Praslin, with its rural coastal road lazily winding its way toward the world-famous beach of Anse Lazio in one direction, while the villages of Baie Ste Anne, Grand Anse, and of course, the Valle de Mai, await in the other.
A UNESCO World Heritage, the Vallee de Mai is a must-see for every visitor to the Seychelles. This primeval palm forest is the only place in the world where the coco de mer palm grows naturally.
The curiously shaped double-sided coconuts these palms produce which closely resemble the shape of the female pelvis have garnered considerable worldwide attention, dating back to even before the islands were discovered.
The hollow husks of the nuts would wash up on distant shores, leading to the belief they grew from a mythical underwater tree (coco de mer literally means “coconut of the sea”).
The thick concentration of 30-metre tall coco de mer palms, as well as other endemic palms unique to Seychelles that reside in the forest, together create a dense canopy overhead, leaving only nature’s brand of silence underneath, along with a few slivers of sunlight.
For a visitor walking along one of the trails of the Vallee de Mai, the atmosphere conveys a sense of timelessness that few places can re-create. For another excellent example of Seychelles biodiversity, you can also visit the trails of Fond Ferdinand for a hike along its verdant landscapes, with excellent views out to the sea.
To soak in local culture, a visit to the Praslin Museum, local churches and a variety of art studios can be arranged, and several operators along Cote D’or can offer snorkelling, diving and other boat excursions around the island.
Excursions
Praslin is surrounded by a handful of smaller satellite isles that each offer something unique for a visitor to discover, be it rare species found in protected island reserves, beautifully remote beaches in hidden coves only accessible by boat, or diving and snorkelling sites teeming with marine life.
St Pierre & Curieuse
From our resort one can look out onto the tiny islet of St Pierre, which falls within the protected Curieuse Marine National Park.
Featuring often in Seychelles postcards as the iconic desert isle it consists merely of an outcrop of granite boulders and a handful of swaying palms St Pierre is a wonderful spot for snorkelling or simply relaxing on deck with one of the world’s most picturesque islands as your backdrop.
Nearby, Curieuse Island itself is an ideal day-trip and picnic spot, where visitors can venture along nature trails winding through mangrove forests, visit its giant tortoise conservation project, or learn about the island’s colonial history as a leper colony at the Doctor’s House, a small museum.
La Digue
This sleepy island community is the third-most populous island in the Seychelles and is a favourite amongst visitors for its peaceful and quaint island atmosphere, where bicycle is the most common mode of transportation.
Day trips are easily arranged and ferries run often between the Baie Ste Anne Jetty on Praslin and La Digue’s only harbour and town, La Passe.
That’s plenty of time to rent a bicycle, explore the historic colonial Union Estate plantation, and laze on iconic Seychelles beaches like Anse Source D’Argent, Grand Anse, pr others, while enjoying the charm of the people and imitating the native island life at its slowest and most relaxed.
Aride
Oft-referred to as the seabird citadel of the Indian Ocean, Aride is a stunning example of a Seychelles island habitat restored to its original state before human settlement.
Aride hosts more breeding species of seabird than any other island in the Seychelles, and is also home to endangered endemic land birds, as well as a few species, such as Wright’s Gardenia and a curiously large species of skink, that are found only on the island and nowhere else in the world.
Trips to Aride, which is managed by the Island Conservation Society, can be arranged by boat and are typically possible between October and May, when landing on the beach is considered safer.
Cousin
A special nature reserve dedicated to conservation habitat restoration, Cousin is a sanctuary for endemic Seychelles plants, birds and reptiles.
The prospects for several critically endangered species of endemic land bird have been greatly buoyed by the habitat on Cousin, which is run by NGO Nature Seychelles. The island is also a frequent nesting site for sea turtles, and projects for coral reef restoration. . Tours are available all year round.
The Sisters (Grande Soeur and Petit Soeur)
These private islands are everything one would imagine in a desert island hideaway. On Grande Soeur, numerous snorkelling and diving spots fringe the island’s reef, where guests can land on the beach on one side, and walk across to the other in just a couple of minutes, where one of the most picturesque beaches in all of Seychelles awaits.
Coco
A tiny outcrop of granite and tropical foliage, with a small beach that’s barely visible at high tide, Coco is protected as a Marine National Park, and is an oft-visited site for the sparkling waters that surround it and the uniqueness of the island itself. Day excursions can often be organised to visit both the Sisters and Coco in the same day.