|
Bar-hoppers, discos divas, night owls and others in search
of dusk-till-dawn partying will find fairly thin pickings
in the Seychelles. Nightlife, with a few notable exceptions,
is largely a low-key DIY affair, perhaps understandably so
given that many visitors are here on their honeymoon, accommodated
in inspirational surrounds and thirsting for little more than
to get to know each other better.
However, the scattering of bars, casinos and discos are undoubtedly
lively, friendly and fun, and mainstream hotels do a good
job of making sure their guests are kept entertained. Just
don't expect anything on the lines of Bali or Phuket.
Nighlife in Seychelles By Type
There are relatively few independent bars outside the islands'
hotels. The main drinking hole in Victoria is The Pirates
Arms (Independence Avenue; tel: 22 50 01) which opens out
onto the street. Gently revolving ceiling fans set the pace
here; it's the main place to meet in town and service is friendly
but unhurried - after all, it's not as if anybody has to rush
off somewhere else. A rank of slot machines in the games room
provides some alternative diversion.
Many of the larger hotels put on live shows in their bars,
whether it's a straightforward band playing covers or some
form of Creole cultural fest, with guests enjoined to get
to their feet and join in towards the end of the show.
Another entrée into local culture is via the islands'
locally distilled rum, or rather more exotic tipples such
as Coco d'Amour. Barmen are more than happy to whip up a cocktail
or two employing one or the other or even both these beverages.
Hotel bars tend to close early by international standards,
with few serving beyond midnight.
 There
are currently just four discotheques in the Seychelles,
two on Mahé and two on Praslin. The most sizeable is
Katiolo's (tel: 37 54 53 / 51 11 69) on Anse Faure
between the international airport and Anse Royale. The oversized
dance floor is usually packed out at weekends, with the adjoining
beach providing respite from the decibels. Like all of the
Seychelles discos, Katiolo's is not open to under-18s and
maintains a strict dress code (slightly at odds with its surrounds
and the islands' generally ultra-casual ambience), forbidding
caps, sleeveless T-shirts, sandals and trainers. "No
shorts" means that gents should wear trousers. Security
staff make no exceptions to these rules, to the dismay of
more than one dressed-down celeb in recent years, Jamaican
reggae DJ Shaggy being the most prominent example.
Katiolo's rival on Mahé is Ozone (La Plaine
St. André, Au Cap; tel: 51 65 25), which tends towards
more organised jollity, with raffles, and prizes awarded for
best-dressed patrons and best dancers. Half-price admission
on Sundays usually ensures a good house.
On Praslin, The Jungle (Grand Anse; tel: 51 26 83)
is currently regarded as rather more chic than Oxygen
(Baie Ste Anne; tel: 51 23 00 / 23 29 39), though both guarantee
a good time. At Jungle, local artists such as Joseph
Sinon and Jean Marc Volcy perform live on a regular basis,
and Neddy the barman helps give the evening a boost with an
assortment of alluring cocktails.
 Perhaps
the ritziest entertainment the Seychelles has to offer is
provided by its gaming houses. These range from a fairly
routine agglomeration of slot machines, to three full-fledged
casinos.
The Amusement Centre (Oceangate House Extension, Independence
Avenue, Victoria; tel: 22 58 78) contains 200 fruit machines,
reputedly the most generous in the archipelago when it comes
to spitting out jackpots. Despite its workaday surrounds,
it applies a dress code in the evenings.
Mahé's major gaming outlet is the Berjaya International
Casino (Beau Vallon; tel: 24 74 00 / 28 74 24) with 16
blackjack and roulette tables and 55 slots as well as a private
"high stakes" room. Bets can be placed in any major
international currency, with winnings paid out in US dollars.
Berjaya faces off against the Planter's Casino (Baie Lazare;
tel: 36 13 61), with ten tables and 27 slots. Planter's offers
free nightly gaming lessons, though tips on how to beat the
house consistently are likely to be rare.
On Praslin, the white neo-colonial Casino des Iles
(Côte d'Or; tel: 23 25 00 / 22 59 32) can hold up to
300 guests, who can indulge in slots, roulette, blackjack
and backgammon - the last being a particular passion of one
of the owners, a one-time Dutch champion.
A rather more gentle strain of entertainment is provided
by the Seychelles' solitary cinema, the Deepam, in
Albert Street, Victoria (tel: 32 25 85 / 32 26 17 / 61 01
97). The Art Deco exterior houses a 261-seat split-level theatre
and is equipped with a DTS and Dolby Digital Sound system.
Movies run the gamut from Hollywood blockbusters to Bollywood
favourites, as well as French and Chinese titles, in an attempt
to appeal to the widest possible audience. Hotel DVD libraries
may be a more acceptable alternative for some visitors.
Other possible after-dark entertainments in the Seychelles
include taking a sunset cruise (which many resorts
put on daily), or digging into a romantic dinner on the beach,
a meal which owes as much to its surrounds as to what's on
the table. Again, many major hotels are dab hands at setting
up such events. In a similar vein, some hotel spas feature
couples' programmes in which clients are scrubbed, massaged
and otherwise therapy'd before being left to enjoy themselves
for the rest of the evening in the privacy of the treatment
suite.
|
