It's easy to fall for the glamour shots of luxury Indian Ocean beach resorts. Just imagine the azure waters lapping against an infinity pool surrounded by soft white sand and presided over by palm trees swaying gently in the ocean breeze. Ah, that's the dream! But with seemingly infinite options, choosing where to stay among the many luxury Indian Ocean resorts can be daunting. That's why we've used our first-hand experience of island living to bring you the list of our top picks.
Your slice of Indian Ocean paradise, Image Credit: One&Only Le Saint Géran
Our Favourite Luxury Indian Ocean Resorts
Choosing your island is difficult because they're all just impossible to resist. The Maldives, with resorts occupying uninhabited atolls, offers pure tropical island beach escapes. Seychelles adds protected marine and land reserves to exclusive tropical beaches. On the other hand, Mauritius combines history, culture, inland nature and marine reserves with sprawling luxury beachside resorts. Then there are the islands off the coast of Mozambique and Madagascar that offer privacy, intimacy, and that dreamy beach setting.
And that's before we've even looked at the many luxurious resorts on offer. Here then, is a taste of what to expect on your luxury Indian Ocean beach escape.
1. One&Only Le Saint Géran, Mauritius
Le Saint Géran, occupying its own peninsula on the stunning Belle Mare coastline of Mauritius, is a destination within a destination. This lavish, sprawling resort is one of our top luxury Indian Ocean resorts for several very good reasons.
This exclusive private lagoon and beachfront has many award-winning restaurants, a wellness centre with 18 treatment rooms and a private pool. You can choose between the elegant and luxuriously appointed rooms, suites and villas and revel in the impeccable service and attention to detail. Now it's time to go out and play.
Highlights
- On a (private) peninsula with a (private) lagoon on one side and a (private) beach on the other
- Several fine-dining restaurants with Michelin-starred and award-winning guest chefs
- Extensive wellness centre with a spa, gym, yoga studio and a private swimming pool
- Elegant and luxurious rooms, suites and villas with lagoon or ocean views
Who’s it for?
With a grown-ups-only wing for honeymooners and singles plus a dedicated children’s club and family suites, Le Saint Géran is one of the few luxury Indian Ocean Resorts catering for all ages in equal measure.
Your luxury Indian Ocean resort in Mauritius, Image Credit: One&Only Le Saint Géran
2. Time + Tide Miavana, Madagascar
Miavana is a private island off the coast of Madagascar and easily one of the best beach resorts in the Indian Ocean. The island offers about 1,000 hectares of tropical paradise surrounded by reefs, pearly white sand and water so clear you'll do a double take.
Just 14 villas line the beachfront for a more exclusive stay. Furthermore, your visit contributes to the conservation of the island's flora and fauna and supports the mainland communities. With that in mind, you can enjoy the incredible scenery, forested hinterland, coral reefs, beautiful beaches and simply sublime evenings. Not to mention the luxury villas spilling out onto your private patch of paradise.
Highlights
- Maximum exclusivity with 14 villas on a private island off the coast of Madagascar
- Your stay contributes to the environment and people of Madagascar
- Incredible range of inclusive activities and an in-room wellness experience
- Variety of fine dining options in stunning settings, from the wine cellar to barefoot on the beach
Who's it for?
A special place to enjoy with your nearest and dearest, Miavana can be booked out for exclusive use. Therefore, it's great for families, couples and single travellers on a quest to find the most idyllic of all luxury Indian Ocean Resorts.
Your seaside home in Madagascar, Image Credit: Time + Tide Miavana
3. Constance Ephelia, Seychelles
Constance Ephelia is one of those luxury Indian Ocean beach resorts that you never want to leave and where you forget you have shoes. It's a staggeringly beautiful place where mornings blend into afternoons and then transition into evenings in a dreamy haze of luxury and indulgence.
Sunrise yoga sets the scene for action-packed or absolutely-do-nothing days. Either way, you'll celebrate the day's achievements at your choice of sunset bar, followed by your choice of fine-dining restaurant. The resort covers 120 hectares of forested hills and has two private beaches incorporating a protected marine reserve of Port Launay National Park.
Highlights
- Luxury beach resort with a variety of villa styles, sizes and settings to suit every possible occasion
- Fantastic range of activities and amenities, including a kids' club and a spa complex
- Private beach access and beautiful views of the marine park and 120 hectares of private grounds
- Fine dining at six restaurants and five bars, all with sublime views to match
Who's it for?
In a word? Everyone! Individuals can mingle or disappear as the mood takes, whereas families will make the most amazing memories. Furthermore, couples will find their love just that bit stronger after soaking up the romance and luxury of it all.
The perfect place to lounge around and admire the view, Image Credit: Constance Ephelia Seychelles
4. andBeyond Benguerra Island, Mozambique
Part of the Bazaruto archipelago off the coast of Mozambique, &Beyond Benguerra Island is the very definition of barefoot luxury. For its understated island-style elegance, this is one of our favourite luxury Indian Ocean resorts.
With as much or as little as you want to do, Benguerra Island serves up plenty of both. Watersports and wellness facilities dovetail nicely with romantic castaway picnics, beach dinners and sunset dhow cruises. And you can choose from palatial thatched suites of varying sizes and configurations, all featuring maximum luxury and seclusion with private decks, plunge pools and swinging daybeds.
Highlights
- On a beautiful island off the coast of Mozambique in Bazaruto Archipelago National Park
- Wide range of activities including beach rides, dhow cruises, scuba diving, romantic beach picnics, spa treatments and island community tours
- Luxurious suites with private verandahs, plunge pools, sun loungers and private salas with irresistible hanging daybeds
- Offering luxury with a purpose, your stay funds community projects and conservation programmes
Who's it for?
Benguerra Island is a luxury beach resort offering pure romance or family fun with a sustainable, conscious ideal for discerning couples and families with children of all ages.
A dreamy setting for sundowners, Image Credit: andBeyond Benguerra Island Resort
5. Azura Benguerra Island, Mozambique
Azura Benguerra Island is a delightfully pared-down luxury beach resort. A slice of St. Tropez on a Mozambican island where luxurious rooms and villas blend into the beach sand, and the azure water gently washes your (always) bare feet.
With a distinguished French owner, the food and wine will always be a feature, and the activities on offer are outstanding. This is one of the most intimate of our top luxury Indian Ocean resorts with only 20 villas, each with a secluded plunge pool and a personal butler anticipating your every want and need.
Highlights
- Eco-lodge built, staffed and managed in partnership with the local community
- Intimate and exclusive beach lodge with only 20 villas, butler service and warm hospitality
- Wonderful dining with a fabulous cellar and French takes on local ingredients in a different setting every evening
- Variety of experiences and activities, including a wellness spa, the Peri-Peri Beach Club, Sunday football with the islanders and a multitude of water, land and airborne activities
Who's it for?
What family can resist the all-out fun of a beach resort? And what romantic couple could fail to fall in love again and again in the throes of this magnificence? Welcome to the holiday destination of your dreams!
6. Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita, Mauritius
Occupying a private peninsula on the east coast of Mauritius, the Four Seasons Resort at Anahita is a standout destination as one of the original luxury Indian Ocean resorts. Leaving no stone unturned, this magnificent hotel features multiple fine dining options, incredibly luxurious rooms, a full-featured wellness centre, nature, sports and leisure activities and, of course, the glorious Mauritian beach life. All of it elevated to the highest level of quality and service.
The resort has its own island, a short boat ride from your beach, upon which Bernhard Langer designed a championship golf course and around which nature has devised the most beautiful, serene, tranquil and secluded beaches imaginable. Fill your days or clear them – whichever you choose, Four Seasons at Anahita will provide.
Highlights
- Superlative everything, from championship golf courses, private beaches, luxury rooms and trademark Four Seasons service
- Multiple fine dining options and sophisticated bar bistros
- Private island accessible by boat
- Kids club, spa, gym, aquatic centre with a menu of watersport activities
Who's it for?
The Four Seasons brand speaks for itself as the ultra-luxury resort hotel, welcoming all ages and all group sizes. This wonderful resort will appeal to both the active and the inactive, with plenty of options for enjoying both.
An aerial view of the Four Seasons, Image Credit: Four Seasons Resort Mauritius
7. The Oberoi, Mauritius
The shaggy thatch rooms at The Oberoi, Mauritius are a string feature typical of luxury Indian Ocean resorts. As a result, they invoke a sense of excitement and castaway chic affirmed by ultra-luxurious interiors. And everywhere you look, there are achingly beautiful views of the tropical ocean and surrounding gardens.
With various room types, restaurants, bars and beaches to choose from, there's a style of holiday to suit everyone, from wellness retreats to watersport adventure and family fun. Enjoy a meditative sensory revival at the wellness centre while your children run riot at The Hub. Laze on the beach or by the pool with your partner or head out to the open water to dive and fish. It's all in a day's holiday at The Oberoi, Mauritius.
Highlights
- The size of a small, ultra-prosperous suburb with services and amenities to make that suburb blush
- On the edge of a marine park and a pristine private beach
- Multiple restaurants with sublime settings, world-class menus and polished service
- A long list of activities and amenities, including an award-winning spa, aquatic centre, The Hub kids' club, as well as cultural and natural island tours
Who's it for?
Families, couples and individuals will all get swallowed up in the extensive gardens, and you can be as sociable or exclusive as you like. And there's a programme for everyone from active adventure to contemplative wellness and a whole lot of relaxing and enjoyment in between.
Sign us up for long, lazy days on this beach, Image Credit: The Oberoi Mauritius
8. Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa, Seychelles
Grand design and meticulous attention to detail characterise the Hilton Northolme Resort & Spa in Seychelles. Occupying the hillside above a private beach, the view from your luxurious pad is pure tropical ocean paradise. And the service, facilities and amenities at the Hilton Northolme glorify an already glorious location.
The three restaurants offer very different yet equally dramatic settings, and the wellness spa is a destination on its own.
Highlights
- All-villa resort with beach views and a variety of villa sizes and styles
- Sophisticated restaurants with dramatic settings and exciting menus showcasing Mauritian cooking and ingredients
- Swimming pool, spa, fitness centre and a private beach
- Guided tours of the island's natural and cultural highlights
Who's it for?
This is a quiet and refined resort with a spa and a variety of dining options ideal for honeymooners, couples and families with older children (the minimum age is 13).
Romantic hideaway in the Seychelles, Image Credit: Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa
9. 20 Degrés Sud, Mauritius
20 Degrés Sud is a charming boutique hotel at the edge of a sheltered lagoon on Mauritius's north coast. And with just 36 rooms, this is another one of the smaller luxury Indian Ocean resorts. Therefore, you can expect intimate service and exclusive luxury.
Being a Relais & Châteaux property, you can expect only the finest dining experiences aboard a vintage motorboat, on the beach or surprise venue. Furthermore, the resort features a wellness centre with a salon, spa and gym and a host of island, water and beach activities.
Highlights
- Intimate boutique resort hotel on the beachfront with a variety of room types and sizes
- Elegant and refined dining venues, including a dinner cruise on a vintage boat
- Complete wellness centre with a massage spa, salon and fitness centre
- Amazing activities above water, below water, on land and in the air
Who's it for?
Discerning couples and families with children over 12 will enjoy this boutique hotel's refined elegance and understated charm. Along with fine dining and a wonderful wellness centre, the activities are unique, varied, and with an almost infinite list of options to choose from.
Tranquility awaits, Image Credit: 20 Degrés Sud
Ready to Go?
Are you planning your honeymoon or a milestone romantic celebration? Perhaps you want to treat your family or friends to a memorable carefree, barefoot summer beach holiday. Or maybe you just want to escape the rat race for a while and rejuvenate your soul in the blissful calm of an exclusive island resort.
In all cases, you'll want to plan your trip with the help of our highly experienced Indian Ocean destination Travel Experts. So, contact us now to start planning your beach escape and make the most of your time on an island resort that suits you and your loved ones.
