Villa de Cerf

We came here over Christmas and New Year to get away and relax. Lovely little Cerf island is calm and a really nice place to unwind. The shuttle boat to the villa leaves from the jetty on Eden Island and runs daily when requested. The villa has two ground-floor rooms with porches and two upstairs rooms with balconies. The staff were very kind and did their best to meet our needs. Breakfast was simple, with toast, fruit, eggs and coffee, and dinner offered a choice of two menus. I recommend taking the kayaks to Long Island or Il Moyenne. Both are easy to reach, and the trip is impressive.

Our stay at Villa de Cerf was a real disappointment. The ocean wasn’t clear; the water was muddy, mixed with sand, and full of seaweed. Rough waves meant kayaking wasn’t possible, and there was no path to the other side of the island. Water and other drinks were overpriced. Breakfast and dinner portions were small and didn’t taste good. Dinner wasn’t cooked fresh for us, just reheated in a microwave. Definitely wouldn’t recommend it.

The food was always delicious, but as vegetarians we were left with only the fish option. After the third day it was getting repetitive. I wish someone had told us we could ask to adjust the menu for our dietary needs. Let the staff know in advance if you don’t eat meat, since the chef makes some really lovely vegetarian dishes. The villa arranged a taxi from the airport to the harbour, where we waited briefly before taking a short transfer boat. A lovely manager greeted us with refreshments and showed us around the villa, our rooms and the area. Our room had a large bathroom, air conditioning and a balcony with a stunning view. We stayed for two weeks, which felt a bit long as there isn’t a great deal to do nearby. Once you’ve explored the corals, walked up the hill through the local rainforest and spent a couple of days kayaking, there’s not much else beyond relaxing by the pool. We did come away with beautiful photos of wildlife and beaches. If you’re into photography, consider a few days here, up to a week at most.

We stayed at this hotel in July 22, and it was a waste of time and money. The ocean and beach were filthy, with plastic bottles and other rubbish, and snorkeling wasn’t possible in the muddy water. Dinners were very poor, microwaved and worse than airplane food. The path to the other side of the island had been destroyed, so there was no way to get there. There’s no complimentary water and no shops on the island, and everything is overpriced.