Stayed for our Honeymoon, a really good choice. It is not luxurious or 5* but rooms are very light and spacious. There is a large modern fridge/freezer, 2 electric hobs and a small oven. Good supply of utensils (maybe take a tin opener, ours wasn't very good) and a breakfast bar. In the bathroom there is a large sink, bidet and shower. There was a double bed and a childrens single bed with another pull out bed underneath. The patio leads directly onto a beach, the view from lying on the bed is amazing, the best view we could've wished for, and you can watch the sun rise. You can climb over a small wall to get to a large stretch of sandy beach. When the tide is out, the sea is only waist deep at most for a long way out, and you can see the drop off point where there are bigger waves. The sea is not an issue being so close to the apartment, as it is so shallow. The maid is very friendly, and had her children with her a few times who were really well behaved. She let them play in the sea whilst cleaning the rooms. (It's very safe, but best to bring water shoes, as sharp coral bits) We saw the lady owner the second night to collect payment, and she didn't seem in the best of moods then - a bit unfriendly and rude! However we saw her once more when she arranged a car hire for us and was much more pleasant! The car hire cost a bit more than she quoted, 40 euros if hiring daily ,and they drop it off and pick up from apartment. Glad we hired car, you can go round the whole island in a day. You need to drive carefully, very windy roads and steep drops in parts and be aware the buses come right at you! But do not let that put you off, it is nice to be able to pull over whenever you want a better look at all the beaches etc. We did find Victoria, the capital, a bit of a nightmare- very busy and hard to park! But a good day out. ( the market stalls are excellent for buying large shells, and we got a coco de mer for 1200 SRP) One other word of warning about Mahe in general - There are Palm spiders there. I am really afraid of spiders, and they are HUGE and about 7 in a web sometimes. They are everywhere (although not in or around apartment thank heavens!) even in the cables above the roads. It unfortunately changed our plans, and we didn't visit the other islands, go to the botanical gardens or do any hiking like we would usually do. This made for a relaxing break and we were on our own beach swimming a lot. If you are as scared of spiders as I am, I really suggest going somewhere else, as we could not make the most of everything :( Also, we had 4 geckos in our room! These were of no bother, but they did wake us up with their squeaking noises!
Overall, the Seychelles is gorgeous, but don't go for the shopping! (non existent) If you like swimming, snorkling and gorgeous surroundings it is for you! (unless you don't like spiders!) And if we went back, we would definately stay at La Desirade again.