LA PLAINE ST. ANDRE
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Car parking
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Cocktails
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Credit cards
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Wifi
One of the oldest houses in Seychelles, a restored 18th-century Creole plantation home at Au Cap. Today it holds the Takamaka rum estate and a fine Creole restaurant under the same old timber roof.
A house from the plantation age
La Plaine St Andre is a rare survivor. Built in the late 1700s, it is one of the oldest standing houses in Seychelles and a genuine piece of the islands’ plantation history. The low timber and stone home, with its wide verandas and steep roof designed to shed tropical rain, was the centre of a working estate in the days when cinnamon, coconut and vanilla shaped island life.
After years of decline the house was carefully restored, and rather than becoming a static museum it was given a living second life. Walking the veranda and the grounds you get a clear sense of how the old Creole gentry lived, close to the land and open to the sea breeze, in a building that has watched more than two centuries of Seychelles history pass by.
Rum, restaurant and grounds
The estate is now the home of Takamaka, the best-known rum made in Seychelles, and the distillery and its visitor experience share the grounds. The old house itself holds a well-regarded Creole restaurant, where island dishes are served in a setting of polished wood and colonial-era calm. It is a place to slow down over lunch rather than rush.
The gardens around the house are green and gently kept, dotted with old trees and the odd giant tortoise, and they make an easy, atmospheric wander before or after a meal. History, food and a taste of local rum sit together on one estate, a few minutes from the south-east coast.
Know before you go
| Where | Au Cap, south-east Mahe, a few minutes inland from the coast |
| Built | Late 18th century, one of the oldest houses in Seychelles |
| Today | Home to the Takamaka rum estate and a Creole restaurant |
| Good for | History lovers, a long lunch, rum tasting, a calm garden stroll |
| Time to allow | An hour for the house and grounds, longer with lunch |
| Best paired with | A distillery visit and the south-east beaches |
What visitors say
★ 4.5 · 14 Google reviews★★★★Charming grounds for a rhum distillery, complete with cafeteria, souvenir shop, resting areas, tours of the distellery and of course, rhum tasting. Nice place to spend a couple of hours if you are interested in spirits.…
Gussykins · via Google
★★★Our first time visiting @takamaka_rum. La Plaine St. André is the rum destillery of Takamaka Rum. It is located in the district of Au Cap on Mahé 🇸🇨. The property was previously known as Eco-Musée, dates back to 1792. F…
Catherine Rose · via Google
★★★★★Takamaka made me reach here. One of the best beautiful Rum… ❌️🥂
Joel Chankan · via Google
★★★★★Lovely grounds. Girl giving the tastings was very entertaining.
Chris LeJeune · via Google
The old estate sits on the south-east coast within reach of the spice garden, the beaches and the rum distillery. A guided south tour ties them together, and staying near Anse Royale keeps it all close.
Traveller favouriteWild South full-day guided tourfrom €128 per groupBook this tourTours via Viator, stays via Booking.com. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Nearby Takamaka Rum Distillery · Le Jardin du Roi · Anse Royale
Come at lunchtime and give yourself time. The reason to visit is the combination of a genuinely historic house, a proper Creole meal on the veranda and a taste of the estate’s rum, all in one unhurried stop.
