Canopy by Hilton Seychelles

I usually never write reviews during a stay — but this time I'm annoyed enough at reception that I feel I have to.

Bottom line: the biggest letdown is how reception handles Diamond members. I was told at check-in to keep asking over the following days about an upgrade, given my Diamond status. I did, repeatedly, and was told nothing was available — yet when I checked the app myself, numerous rooms across several categories were openly bookable for the very same nights. So the "nothing available" line simply doesn't hold up. Being strung along like that, rather than getting a straight answer, is what genuinely soured the experience. That's a shame, because the property itself — pool, beach, rooms — is excellent, and several individual staff are wonderful.

Overall A beautiful, modern beachfront property with a great pool and a lovely beach — the grounds really are a strong point, with different pools and direct beach access. Some genuinely warm staff stand out: Deepak at the pool bar, Vishal and Julia at breakfast, Jemmy, and the concierge. But reception is the real weak spot, above all in how it handles loyalty members: telling me to keep asking about upgrades while rooms sat openly available, and never delivering, leaves a sour impression that overshadows a lot of the good. Get the service and the loyalty handling right and this would be excellent across the board. The details follow section by section.

Arrival & Check-in: Warm and Smooth The check-in was very welcoming. Jemmy was an MVP, helping us in advance with communication, the transfer, and more — including organising a great trip to Praslin and La Digue. The process itself was pleasant and quick — we arrived early, so we had to wait a while for our room, but it was ready sooner than expected. A nice touch: we were given an ice cream on arrival, along with a lovely welcome basket of fruit, a coconut, and a bottle of wine. There was also a transfer lounge where we could change, shower, and repack, which was great.

Rooms: Well Appointed The rooms are attractive and well equipped, with a pool view and a small balcony. When we arrived, there was a lovely "welcome" spelled out in flowers on the bed, along with the fruit and coconut basket and wine. Comfortable and pleasant throughout. A fun detail: on the way back to the room you sometimes spot crabs or even baby rays, which is pretty cool. One letdown: in-room dining is disappointing on both selection and pricing — a Caesar salad for almost €25 is ridiculous.

Breakfast: Friendly Standouts, Inconsistent Service We seemed to have bad luck at breakfast each time. That said, a few people made the difference: Vishal is the real MVP from the kitchen — he greeted us and helped us with food throughout — and Julia in service was excellent, warm and attentive, and even remembered us. The station staff were generally friendly and lovely with our daughter. The weak point was the rest of the table service, which could be unfriendly and purely transactional: things get dropped off and then they're gone. Add long queues and wait times when it's busy, and breakfast was patchy overall. The food selection itself was good.

Pool & Beach: Excellent The pool area is wonderful — plenty of loungers, and both a smaller and a larger pool, plus a separate smaller pool in its own area, likely for kids. The pool bar was a real highlight: very friendly staff, nice drinks and cocktails, and fresh coconut, with the convenience of ordering right by the pool, including food such as pizza. A special mention for Deepak at the Sega Pool Bar — always kind and friendly, and a real asset to the team. The whole crew there was warm and smiling, and lovely with our daughter — the towel crew included. The beach right alongside is very pleasant: beautiful and not too crowded, and you can spot little fish and rays in the shallows. For a change of pace, there's also good local food nearby — burgers, wraps, pizza — just a 6–7 minute walk away.

Grounds The property is extremely modern and beautifully designed. If anything, it could use a few more shaded spots to escape the sun.

Service & Reception: The Weak Spot This is where the stay fell down, and reception above all. As a Diamond member I was explicitly told to keep asking about an upgrade over the following days — but every time the answer was that nothing was available. When I checked the app myself, plenty of rooms across several categories were openly bookable for the very same nights. Whether that reflects a genuine lack of interest in honouring loyalty benefits or simply not being straight with guests, the result is the same: it feels like being fobbed off rather than looked after. The rest of the service is inconsistent and often not proactive too — at one point I had a bleeding finger and simply asked for a plaster; they didn't have one, it took a while for anyone to come, and even then they couldn't really help. More broadly, Diamond membership brings very few benefits you can actually use here — beyond breakfast and some voucher discounts we didn't end up using — so there's little practical reason to return as a loyalty member. One genuine positive on the perks side: we did receive a breakfast-on-the-balcony voucher, which was a lovely touch.

Activities & Concierge The concierge was very good — helpful and full of useful advice. We booked an activity directly, though the Amex card terminal didn't work, so we ended up charging it to the room, which took a bit of time to sort out. The organised tour was very well structured and enjoyable — the only downside was entirely outside the hotel's control (an unpleasant fellow guest in the group).

We're still here for a few more days, so let's see how the rest of the stay develops.

Excellent service...quality n variety of choices available...one waitress named Olivia was one of a kind....keep up with the good services...thank u