The famous Le Meridien Fisherman’s Cove hotel located at the tip of Beau Vallon beach on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles, which has been closed for nine months, has re-opened following a $12 million refurbishment.
Reardon Smith Architects, a leading London based architectural practice specialising exclusively in the worldwide hospitality sector conceived the ideas for the re-planning, refurbishment and new additions to the five-star property.
All existing guestrooms (62) have been re-styled and a further eight individual thatched guest rooms have been built. Some rooms have “open” bathrooms, others have showers in the middle of the room, while others have a private wooden deck accessible through the shower area.
The rooms, with magnificent views of the lagoon, are designed to offer a classic feel over-laid with the contemporary, somewhere where guests can create their own atmosphere and space with separately controlled lighting, sliding doors and fabric panels.
The location offers luxuriant mature tropical gardens and a fabulous coastline, which has been used to full effect by the introduction of a decked boardwalk to a new restaurant and bar, Le Bourgeois. This extends out to a rocky promontory where a new traditional-style Sunset Pavillion has been built providing the ultimate photo location.
Le Bourgeois, named after a local fish, is a casual restaurant where freshly caught fish are grilled in an open kitchen. Both the restaurant and the pavilion have been designed to provide a 360-degree view - the Indian Ocean on one side and the hotel and gardens on the other and, from the promontory, an unrivalled vista around the headland to the islands beyond.
The hotel’s second restaurant is the formal Le Cardinal, which is named after a local bird, which has kept its classical inheritance. Le Cocoloba Bar offers spectacular views over Beau Vallon bay and is an ideal place to enjoy a sundowner or chill out after dinner.
The introduction of water is central to the re-design for the entire site, the sight and sound of which now holds together the experience of Le Meridien Fisherman’s Cove. At the point of arrival, the entrance has been re-configured to accommodate a waterfall. From here the water travels down through the main public spaces and disappears and reappears until it tumbles into the new 70-metre infinity pool, which seems to flow into the ocean.
The addition of a new spa designed to provide tranquillity and peace of mind is located in a “Zen” corner of the grounds. It includes a hamman, plunge pool, exercise room and two massage rooms.
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