La Cigale Now Offers Individual Room Bookings

When I reviewed La Cigale in 2024, I was there for one reason and one reason alone: an exclusive-use property. That’s where I get my kicks in life; when it’s all about me, me, me. My pool house, my butlers, my beach, guarded by a dude I’m sure would have fought to the death to keep intruders off it. So, with mixed feelings, I report that La Cigale is no longer exclusively exclusive; you can now book individual suites.  Exclusive use hasn’t gone away; you can still take the entire property, but I suppose the same can be said of anywhere.

I’d love to be outraged. Complaining is, after all, my profession. But the Seychelles is a honeymoon destination, and most people arrive as couples, not as a load of frat guys looking to fill nine bedrooms. In my review, I said building a clientele for this kind of property would take time. I obviously neglected to say how much – roughly until maths runs out of numbers, it turns out. With Four Seasons and Cheval Blanc dominating the islands, and no direct flights from most of Europe, and you can see why the owner decided not to wait.

The one major piece I flagged was the lack of a dedicated spa. There is one now, set in the garden, with an ice bath and an infrared sauna. I’d like to think they read my review and you’re all welcome.

When we stayed, the staff-to-guest ratio was four to one, and service was the best I’ve had in the Seychelles. The real test is whether that holds with several parties in residence. The press release also promises guests can “socialise in an intimate setting”, which as a Brit, offends my entire soul.

Conclusion

Interestingly, this is now the second exclusive-use property in recent years to launch and change their model, with Daunara also recently moving to the same model.  It’s a shame to lose an exclusive-use property, but this change opens La Cigale up to far more people, and it’s not like anything else has changed – they’ve not gone and removed the beach. It’s still a few metres from your room, and it’s still epic. For couples or families who’d rather skip the big brands, it’s now a very compelling alternative.