Hilton Northolme vs Hilton Canopy in Mahe, Seychelles

Hilton Northolme – Small and Luxurious

The Hilton Northolme is located on the extreme north of Mahe and is just a few minutes from Beau Vallon by car (which is home to many bars and restaurants to enjoy outside of the resort- arguably the most popular area for visitors in this regard). This one is said to be one of the world’s smallest Hilton properties and has a very limited number of rooms perched on the hillside overlooking the ocean.

To call this one small and luxurious is an understatement, as the rustic rooms are immensely comfortable, with great views, and the common areas of the property are just as beautiful. While the rooms are spacious, everything else in the resort is modest, and gives a relaxing and secluded feeling in all of the best ways possible.

This hotel is great for couples who are on a romantic vacation and want a high-end stay in a relaxed and quiet environment. To us, it is not as friendly for families and is, admittedly, a bit far from the rest of the island driving-wise (thankfully, Mahe is small, so you’re not looking at that much extra time to get to the south than staying elsewhere). But if you look at the property and are attracted to its small size as a highlight and are looking for an intimate space, this one is certainly an excellent choice.

To book a room at the Hilton Northolme, click here.

Hilton Canopy Mahe – Large Resort Vibes

The easiest way to describe the Hilton Canopy Mahe is that it is the complete opposite of the Hilton Northolme. It is large (we wouldn’t be surprised if it is one of the largest resorts on the island), has more conventional hotel rooms with modest balconies, and a large common area on the property with a beautiful pool, restaurant, special programming throughout the week, and more. It is everything you think of when you picture a beach resort.

This one is located in the southwest of the island, on a fairly large beach that is easily accessible from the property (with great sunset views), and is a short drive from Anse Takamaka and Baie Lazare- two of our favorite places on Mahe. 

But for those who wish to drive up to Beau Vallon, you’ll have a 45-minute or so drive from south to north, pending traffic in Victoria. If you are renting a car to explore the island, this may be less critical to you, since you’ll likely drive all over anyway, but if Beau Vallon’s amenities are something you are seeking, it is one of the longer drives you’ll have. Furthermore, the area around the Hilton Canopy is much more limited in terms of restaurants, and we found ourselves eating dinner on-site more than we otherwise would’ve preferred due to not wanting to drive too far at night.

Naturally, this one comes together for a family-friendly spot and is great for all types of travelers. We even saw airline crews using the property for their overnight stays and were told by some locals that guest passes are also available for non-guests to enjoy the property, too. For full resort vibes where you do not necessarily have to leave on any given day, this one offers it all (but we do advocate that you still rent a car to explore!).

To book a room at the Hilton Canopy, click here.

Both Are Great Properties – Just Different

If you are a fan of Hilton hotels and are trying to decide between the Hilton Northolme and the Hilton Canopy, we’ll be the first to admit that you can’t go wrong with either. They’re quite nice hotels and offer the amenities you expect from nice Hilton properties.

Of course, the design and layout of each lend themselves to certain kinds of travelers- Hilton Northolme for couples and Hilton Canopy for everyone. This is not a hard and fast rule, of course, but it is not an unreasonable comparison between the two. 

But we still keep going back to the difference in their sizes. For some, the Hilton Northolme may be too small. For others, the Hilton Canopy may be too large. Their respective sizes are very extreme, by general hotel standards and Seychelle standards overall, and we found ourselves in the latter category- the Hilton Canopy was trending just a bit too big for our liking.

If you’ve done all of your research on each and find these points to be a negative and not a positive, you may want to take your hotel search elsewhere when staying on Mahe. But if that either is an attractive selling point, each of the respective hotels deliver precisely that. The rest of your experience is what you make of it when visiting, naturally.