In the know

Our favourite rooms: With its stunning views over two different sections of the bay, Signature Villa 221 is the one to ask for. The Ocean Panoramic Villas have wonderful 180-degree vistas of waves and wiggling palm fronds.
Packing tips: Bring a snorkel. There’s a reef, teeming with the sort of primary-coloured sealife that you would normally only see in an aquarium, right in front of the hotel. Maia can also arrange scuba-diving excursions for an extra cost.

Current offers

Smith card offer: Members will receive a complimentary 75-minute Gentle Soul Massage.

Maia Luxury Resort & Spa

Seychelles, Indian Ocean[view map]

Style: Wholly holistic happy hideaway
Setting: Thatched villas with bay views

Offering all the peace and privacy of a monastic cell, but thankfully none of its spartan nature, this luxury all-villa resort, overlooking Anse Louis beach on the southwest coast of Mahé in the Seychelles, is where thatched roofs sit like dots of corn-yellow in a palette of greens and blues. It’s the ideal place to drag your knotted back and furrowed brow for a spot of proper relaxation – even the staff are required to do yoga each morning. All the Indian Ocean clichés – palms rippling in the warm breeze, white sand abutting turquoise waters – are made reality here, and all you have to do is roll out your rattan sun mat in the midst of them.

Need to know

Rooms: 30 villas.
Rates: Low season, €1,590–€2,200; high season, €2,300–€3,180. Includes breakfast, and tax and service at 17 per cent. A seven-night minimum stay applies between 22 December and 6 January.
Check-out: 10am, although this is flexible, subject to availability.
Facilities: Three swimming pools, spa, complimentary watersports, excursions to neighbouring islands, private 32sq m infinity pool in front of each villa, sunken outdoor double bath, flatscreen TVs and DVD players, iPod docking station, La Prairie beauty fridge.
Poolside: Made from black Seychollois lava stone, the main communal infinity pool offers an ideal vantage point over the hotel’s long, white-sand beach.

Food & drink

Hotel restaurant: Chef André Chiang knocks up exquisite Mediterranean cuisine with Asian and Creole influences – think stuffed baby squids with ratatouille and lobster, or seared scallops on a bed of herb barley compote – in the open-sided Tec-Tec.
Dress code: Linen trousers for the men; floaty, Jade Jagger-esque dresses for the ladies.
Top table: Intimate tables are beneath a high bamboo ceiling dominated by an enormous hanging light. Or ask your private butler to set up a candlelit table for you on the beach, where you can feed each other foie gras by the light of the silvery moon.
Hotel bar: Enjoy cocktails on the bleached decking of the informal Sunset Pool Bar, while looking out over both the complex’s main pool and the Indian Ocean.

Other facilities

Children: Little ones are welcome in the Ocean Front Villas, where under-twos stay free of charge. An extra bed for under-12s costs €625 per night. A free 24-hour babysitting service is available if you book an extra villa specifically for children.

Smith card offer

Members will receive a complimentary 75-minute Gentle Soul Massage.

If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).

Click here to become a Mr & Mrs Smith member

Smith concierge

If you’d prefer to talk to someone, or you’re having trouble booking online, ring our travel team on 0845 034 0700 (+44 20 8987 4312 from outside the UK). We guarantee you’ll get the best available rates, and we don’t charge a booking fee.