Discovering the Charm of Carana Beach Hotel, Mahé Seychelles
Having stayed at Denis Private Island a couple of years ago, I was eager to explore another property by the Mason family of Mason’s Travel, a renowned local Seychelles DMC (Destination Management Company). Returning to the Seychelles for the fourth time, we began our journey on the main island of Mahé at their Carana Beach Hotel, before heading to Félicité Island for our sixth stay at a Six Senses property, this time Zil Pasyon.
Nestled on the north-east tip of Mahé, Carana Beach Hotel is just a 30-minute drive from the airport. This 40-chalet resort is perched right on the beautiful Carana Beach, offering breathtaking ocean views from our ocean view pool chalet—one of only 12 chalets with private pools and larger wooden sun decks.
Carana Beach Seychelles
Our ocean view pool chalet provided an idyllic retreat with stunning vistas of the turquoise waters. The resort features a main restaurant, a beach bar/restaurant, a small boutique, and the rejuvenating Sens spa. Each amenity is thoughtfully designed to enhance the guest experience, ensuring a memorable stay, but also can be used as a base to explore the history and nature of the capital island of Mahé.
Carana Beach Hotel effortlessly combines rustic charm with modern comforts, making it a perfect base for exploring the natural beauty and vibrant culture of the Seychelles. Whether you're lounging by your private pool, indulging in a spa treatment, or dining with an ocean view, the hotel's ambiance and service promise a truly exceptional holiday.
Carana Beach Hotel Bar
Exploring Carana Beach Hotel: A Comprehensive Review
In this review of Carana Beach Hotel, I'll detail our experience with the stunning location, facilities available at the hotel, including the Sens spa, the best dining options, and the accommodation and beaches. Read below to find out everything you need to know before planning your next trip to the Seychelles.
One of the beaches at Carana Beach Hotel Seychelles
Fast Facts for Carana Beach Hotel, Mahé
Address - PO Box 404, Victoria – Mahé, Seychelles
Website - https://caranabeach.com/
Group website - https://masonstravel.com/
TripAdvisor ranking - #7 of 45 hotels on Mahé Island
Contact - info@caranabeach.com
Instagram - @carana.beach.hotel @masonstravel
Nearest airport - Seychelles (or Aéroport de la Pointe Larue in French) International Airport (SEZ) - 17.5 km or 11 miles (about a 30 min drive, traffic dependent)
Opened - 2016
Number of rooms / suites - 40 in total (28 Ocean View Chalets & 12 Ocean View Pool Chalets)
Number of floors - 1
Bars - 1 (Carana Beach Bar)
Restaurants - 1 (Lorizon)
Wellbeing - Various spa treatments, in your chalet, or your pool deck, or in the spa suite.Outdoor swimming pool.
Visited - July 2024
The main Carana Beach
“This Boutique Hotel has an ethos and spirit of its own for every guest to discover. When you come to CaranaBeach you come to uncover the true island experience, where the Seychelles spirit awaits you. CaranaBeach breathes a vibrancy and energy that is born of its past and of the passion of those that work devotedly to create an authentic Seychellois sanctuary.”
Beach and coastal view of Carana Beach Hotel
Hotel Accommodation: Spacious chalets with stunning ocean views
There are a total of 40 ocean-view chalets including 12 pool chalets, these are located across the resort all with stunning views of the Indian Ocean.
Facilities & Service at Carana Beach Hotel
The open-air welcome pavilion housed both the reception and concierge, as well as a small boutique for gifts and holiday essentials. Under the reception area was the Sens Spa (with a good selection of treatments, more on these later); and a separate building adjacent housed the beach bar/restaurant on the lower level surrounded by a large sun deck and pool overhanging the beach, and on the upper level Lorizon restaurant, for breakfast and dinner.
I’ve broken down the key facilities and services and shared my opinion on them below:
Our Room #8 (Ocean-view Pool Chalet)
The 12 pool chalets were concentrated towards the left of the resort (on entrance), most right on the oceanfront, with a couple of them one level behind, but still with full-frontal ocean views. The only (minor) drawback I would say is that to access chalets 1 through 4, you have to walk through the main car park, this apparently being the only access.
All 40 chalets were of the same design, semi-detached, the only difference being the pool variants had a much larger wooden sun deck and a decent sized infinity pool overlooking the ocean. On our terrace there was a large double recliner, two separate sun loungers, as well as a dining table and chairs. The pool was heated to a perfect temperature and our outlook was only to the ocean, the rocks below and the crashing waves (so relaxing at night), and surrounded by deep green foliage.
The entrance hall housed a large wardrobe (with lots of hanging space and hangers, on one side; on the other shelving, drawers, and a safe) then the room opened up into a bedroom area (huge king size bed, super comfortable) and a large vanity area with adjacent sofa.
Levels of Comfort
The chalet was superbly presented in terms of cleanliness, and serviced twice daily, always when we were at breakfast and dinner, which was timed to perfection. The large central bed was really comfortable, and very efficient air-conditioning kept the chalet at a good temperature, day or night. It was reasonably silent, and I like when there’s a button on the remote to be able to switch off any illumination from it.
There was a mini-fridge in the chalet, though not filled, a kettle and Nespresso coffee maker (and first time ever I’ve seen a charge for each capsule used), and mineral water was provided morning and night.
Bathroom
About a third to half of the chalet was an open-plan bathroom (albeit with corner frosted glass/wooden doors that could close off for privacy), with a standalone bath, twin sinks (which I always love) and a large shelf underneath for storage. The Grohe rainfall shower was wet-room style in one corner.
Carana Beach toiletries were provided (hand wash, body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash), as well as other items like a bamboo toothbrush each, cotton pads etc. As with the whole resort, the bathroom was serviced to perfection twice a day.
Breakfast
Breakfast was served in Lorizon restaurant (daily 7-10am), which had a very different feel to when dinners were served there too. Above the beach bar, this had stunning open views across the beach and Indian Ocean, and service was always exemplary. This was buffet style, with multiple tables serving locally-sourced fruits (lots of passion fruit which are one of my favourite fruits), freshly made on-site pastries, free-range eggs for freshly made to order omelettes, and many products (like homemade jams and preserves, along with bacon and sausages) coming from the family farm of the sister property, Denis Private Island.
Lorizon Restaurant at Carana Beach Hotel, Seychelles
There was also a full array of cereals, fresh juices (orange and passion fruit, or mixed fruit another day), cold meats, salads, etc. as well as a buffet of hot items, and made-to-order waffles, pancakes, and eggs any style from the live counter made by their chef. I would mainly stick to fresh fruits (there were always loads of freshly cut passion fruits, which I absolutely love), greek yoghurt, muesli, with some honey drizzled over it. The breads and pastries (the iced donuts were certainly an indulgence at breakfast) were always so good, or a couple of mornings I had freshly made French toast. All delicious!
Restaurant & Bars
Like Denis Private Island, the food at Carana Beach was excellent, and definitely honoured the principle of farm to table dining. Breakfast was always served in Lorizon restaurant, lunch in the Beach Bar, and dinner alternated between the Beach Bar and Lorizon.
Breakfast, as above, was always excellent, as was lunch by the pool where there was a whole array of choices from lighter bites (like bruschetta with optional Parma ham), to toasted sandwiches, salads etc. Such a good choice and everything freshly made to order.
Dinner, which was included within our half-board rate, varied between either a fixed three-course menu, or an A La Carte option with multiple starter and main course choices, including vegetarian options. When the menu was fixed, the Chef would come to our table to discuss our dietary requirements, me being a vegetarian that won’t eat tofu or mushrooms. Every time, I was given some excellent alternative options, or there was always a choice of various pasta dishes with a choice of sauces.
Each evening (other than a specific Creole night with a four-course menu), there was also a loaded buffet table with salad and antipasto options, as well as a very tempting (and ultra delicious) selection of freshly made breads and rolls - my particular favourite was a large focaccia with rosemary, garlic, and sun-dried tomato.
In both the bar and restaurant, there was an extensive selection of drinks, with everything from cocktails and mocktails, to soft drinks, wines and champagnes, as well as the classic selection of spirits. For me, there was a good selection of gins, from my favourite Tanqueray to Hendricks, and Gordon’s Pink.
If this wasn’t enough choice, there was also a similar Beach Bar menu as room service, or it was possible to have an in-chalet breakfast too.
Spa & Wellness
The Sens Spa at Carana Beach was a great surprise, with a choice of Signature Massages (relaxation, island bliss, detox, muscle relief, or indulgence) all with options of 30/60/or 90 minutes. There were also Sens Spa packages (after sun treatment or a Sens Spa signature of scrub, wrap, & body/hair massage), facials, body scrubs, hair treatments, or a Hands & Feet section with manicures and pedicures.
As I usually do, I opted for the 90 minute Muscle Relief, and after a very quick consultation card I was relaxing in one of their two treatment rooms (one single and one couples). Both treatment rooms were nicely designed, spacious, comfortable, and superbly clean; and I loved the large black & white framed images which I instantly recognised as various scenes from the sister property at Denis Private Island. I asked the therapists if any of them had been to the other island, and all of them had at some point. Treatments there were different, in that there was no central spa (like at Carana Beach) but instead massages and treatments would be in your luxury cottage. We had opted for one of the Beachfront Spa Cottages, which boasted a personal massage pavilion in your private bathroom courtyard.
My massage at Carana Beach was thorough and expertly carried out, and as I often comment they had separate men’s style disposable underwear, which shows a level of consideration where many other spas expect their male guests just to make do with a female version, which I can never work out what is front or back, or whether indeed they’re both the same!
Design & Architecture
This was casual and island style, with all the chalets looking like they had been recently refurbished. However, when I asked if this was the case, they apparently hadn’t but were just very well maintained to keep that newly refurbished look and feel. It’s not a vast resort, and it doesn’t have the space of (say) Denis Island for riding bikes, but all chalets were appropriately spaced out and surrounded by jungle foliage so you felt you were alone with just the Indian Ocean as your view.
What about the Carana Beach Seychelles location?
Arriving at Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) from the UK via Doha (Qatar Airways), after a very quick arrival process where a facial recognition scanner checks your travel authority. Please do remember when you visit that you have to apply for an electronic travel authority pass. This is easy to do, you just need to add passport details, upload both flight and accommodation confirmations, and take a selfie; either through an app or online. You do have to pay for the service, where the standard turnaround time is 24 hours, though premium options (which cost more) can guarantee delivery within an hour. You can check your application online, and once complete you will receive an email with a link where you can save your travel authority into your Passbook.
After collecting our bags, which did take a little while, we were met by a driver from Mason’s Travel, who told us a lot about the islands on the 30 minute journey north to Carana Beach Hotel. What seemed like a brand new car was excellent for the short ride, and our driver pointed out points of interest as we went along.
Although the location feels wonderfully remote (for the ocean scenery) and relaxing, the island of Mahé and its various sights and activities are only a short drive away, so easy to get out and about to explore from Carana Beach. Of course, when you come back, you have that great beach and the expansive ocean views to relax you.
Things to Do
I’ll be posting another detailed ‘Travel Diaries’ series post covering things to do when on Mahé in the Seychelles, and this will cover, among other things, the following things to do:
A Day Trip to the Capital, Victoria (including the Hindu Temple & Cathedral Church)
Victoria (Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke) Market
Mission Lodge, Morne Seychellois National Park
Jardin Du Roi Spice Garden
Highlights of our stay
There were so many highlights of the stay at the but here are just a few of the key points, which I hope you find a useful summary.
Location - easy not having to transfer to another island immediately after your international flight arrival, and although on the northern tip of Mahé, still very easily commutable to the whole island.
Pool deck - although all of the chalets were the same inside, it really was great having the option of using your private pool and having an extended wooden sun deck.
People - very memorable from Denis Private Island too, everyone was so friendly and there was a lot of staff on site to ensure your stay was perfect. From gardeners and cleaning staff, to wait staff in the restaurant and bar, the Spa ladies and reception/concierge team, everyone was there to ensure a friendly welcome wherever you went.
Food - all dietary requirements were taken into consideration, and all of our choices were excellent. A real focus on farm-to-table and ensuring an excellent standard of food throughout, regardless of the format - buffet style or a la carte.
Chat service - WhatsApp and other options were available through the website, whether this was to order room service, arrange an experience or book a spa treatment. Initially it was clearly AI driven, but I liked that there was an option (very early on in the process) to ask for human intervention. It made sense for an AI chatbot to try and deal with some simple questions, and it actually did a really good job of identifying that I wanted to book a spa treatment. With that being the first time we had used the chat, I gave our chalet number and name to identify us, so the only thing it (wrongly) assumed was that I wanted an in-chalet massage, which was available.
Pick up from the airport - great, new car and driver - first time ever seeing USB ports embedded into the seats.
Spa - good choice of treatments on site, lovely small spa area and very proficient therapists.
‘Secret Beach’ - not so secret as you’ll find steps down to it between chalets 20 and 21!
WiFi - though not ultimate speed, as you wouldn’t expect anyway from the location, it was consistently working in both the chalet and all public areas, and the average speed when I checked (yes, I know it’s geeky) was around 11MB, which was really fair. There was no limit to usage either which was good.
The main swimming pool at Carana Beach Hotel
Areas for improvement
Wherever we stay, I do always like to look at the positives on any property we stay in, and airlines we fly with etc. but sometimes you can’t help but notice things that (for me, but I realise this is always personal) might have made for a better stay.
Really nothing that I feel I could add of value here, as we didn’t have any negatives start to finish
One thing that did surprise me, and it wasn’t remotely an issue for us as they were able to accommodate a slightly later check-out time to suit our onward connection with Zil Air, was that a standard check-out time of 10am did seem unusual. I’d say the ‘standard’ normal was 11, potentially 12 noon in some hotels or resorts.
The chalet’s private oceanfront infinity pool
Would I stay here again?
We had a great stay here, and I would say our five days was perfect timing. If you wanted to explore the island a lot and enjoy all that Mahé has to offer, then easily you could be here for longer, but in the main we just relaxed in the chalet and on the expansive sun terrace with private pool, alternating with trips to the restaurant and bar to enjoy delicious breakfasts, lunches, drinks and dinners. That said, with the Seychelles archipelago of 115 islands, it would be a shame to come here and visit one only. If you wanted to combine a stay here at Carana Beach either before or after a trip to one, or both, of their other properties (Denis Private Island or Indian Ocean Lodge, on Praslin) then that could be a perfect two or three-centre stay option.
If I had a choice between the two Mason properties we have already stayed at, my first choice would have to be Denis Private Island because of the private island location, but the service, food, and cleanliness was consistent across both and Carana Beach is a good location for the main island of Mahé. So yes, definitely a contender that I would come back to and highly recommend.
View of the main swimming pool from the upper level Lorizon Restaurant
My final thoughts on The Carana Beach Hotel, Seychelles
From booking throughout our stay and the departure process, this Seychelles journey has been seamless and we really enjoyed the first part of our trip at Carana Beach Hotel. As you will have read above, everything was spot on and it was great to hear all about the Mason family history with the Seychelles islands, and to see the links and similarities between Carana Beach on Mahé to Denis Island, the Mason family home.
The ‘Secret Beach’ at Carana Beach Hotel Seychelles
Have you stayed at The Carana Beach before, or another property in the Seychelles? I’d love to hear your own thoughts and opinions on it as well as your impression of Seychelles as a holiday destination.
Comment below to share your thoughts and opinions.
Let me know which hotel I should review next!
Discover unparalleled luxury and serene seclusion at Six Senses Zil Pasyon, an eco-friendly haven on the private island of Félicité in the breathtaking Seychelles.