Seychelles, being one of the founding members of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP), has been active in the promotion of different activities for the purpose of being able to enhance the tourism in the country. As a means of increasing the rate of...
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North Island
North Island is a small granite island in the Seychelles. The size of the island is 201 hectares. The island is one of the Seychelles’ 42 inner islands. North Island is a conservation project aimed at protecting the indigenous natural flora and fauna and is home to a luxurious luxury lodge resort.
The island has four beaches; East Beach, West Beach (or Grande Anse), Honeymoon Cove, and Dive Beach. It is 5.8 km north of Silhouette Island, and 27 km north west of Mahé. The granite island is also a sanctuary for endangered species of turtles and birds. The island seas welcome nesting sea turtles, and the palm forests are home to giant Aldabra tortoises and rare Seychelles white-eye birds.
North Island was the first Seychelles island to record a landing by seafarers. An expedition in 1609 by Captain Sharpeigh and the crew of the English East India Company vessel Ascension reported that the island had a large population of giant land tortoises.
From 1826 until the 1970s, North Island was owned by the Beaufond family from Réunion. During this time, the island had a plantation for growing fruits and spices, as well as producing guano, fish oil and copra. After the plantation was sold in the 1970s, the island fell into disuse.
In 1981, North Island was given to Marius Maier by his father. Marius Maier returned the island to its former pristine state before human settlers arrived there. He removed many unwanted animal and plant species, including pigs, rats, coconuts, casuarina, cows, Indian mynah birds, cats and a very intrusive weed called lantana. He re-introduced the Seychelles’ natural flora & fauna, including giant tortoises, certain birds, and trees such as takamaka, badamier and the famous coco-de-mer palm.
In 1982, Marius Maier and the villagers established a turtle nest monitoring center in the island. North Island was all but abandoned by its German industrialist former owner after the copra market crashed. Wilderness Safaris bought the island in 1997, and removed non-indigenous species, including more than two million rats, a herd of domesticated dairy cows and casuarina trees, which were recycled to build the villas.
In 2019, management of North Island Seychelles changed from Wilderness Safaris to Marriott’s ‘The Luxury Collection’ brand. But this resort is far above all other hotels in Marriott’s other luxury hotels.
Wilderness Holdings Limited, an ecotourism company from South Africa bought the island in 1997 for US$5 million. They opened a private resort in 2003, aiming at the ecotourism market, with 11 private villas each with a private plunge pool and direct access to the beach. Villas 1-10 have two bedrooms, while the slightly larger Villa 11 suite is reserved for couples. George and Amal Clooney had their honeymoon in this suite. The resort has helped to develop the island and increase its population. During 2014, the villas were refurbished with a refreshed colour palette, and designer bathroom fittings.
The resort has 10 standard villas, and a special villa (Villa North). A gym, a huge spa, and a library, restaurant are in the village. La Vie by Golden Hands, the Spa offers a full menu of treatments. A 30-minute complimentary welcome treatment is offered by the spa to all guests. TheTechno-gym is located just below the spa. The resort also features a boutique, a dive center, a main pool, and a bar. You can shop for accessories and gifts from the North Island boutique. Each villa has an electric buggy for the guest’s total convenience. The villa pricing includes breakfasts, lunches, dinners and all alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, except cocktails and drinks on the reserve list.
The villas one to ten are known as Presidential Villas. Each of them measures 450 square metres and can accommodate up to four travellers. Every villa has a large master bedroom with a writing area, change-room and dressing table. The massive en-suite bathroom is fitted with a marble bath, an indoor and an outdoor shower. An outdoor shower is useful to remove sand or muddy feet from the beach. It is also useful to rinse off deck furniture and even scrub an outdoor rug and wash items like paddle boards. The bedrooms are air-conditioned and have WiFi internet access.
A completely separate, large second room is furnished with woven coffee tables and sofa beds in crushed velvet and linen. This room can be used as a study, lounge, theatre or, at an additional cost, to sleep children aged 19 or under. At night it can be transformed into a complete private cinema with projector screen and surround sound.
Between the two rooms is an open-sided lounge and dining area which leads seamlessly onto the outdoor deck, and to the back of this is the kitchenette, which is used by your butler to help prepare drinks and food, if you choose to eat in your own villa.
In May 2011, it was the site for the royal honeymoon of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Actress Salma Hayek, David and Victoria Beckham, Liz Hurley, Jennifer Aniston, Pierce Brosnan and J.K. Rowlingm have all stayed in this resort.North Island stood in for Tracy Island in the 2004 live-action adaptation of the movie Thunderbirds. The resort is a magnet for the rich and famous.
The resort is one of the most expensive hotels in the world. Rates start at a hefty $6,000 USD per night, excluding 21% in VAT and service charges. You will also have to pay extra for the transfers by helicopter from Mahé, most spa treatments, and full-day excursions.
North Island offers an array of dining options. At The Piazza one can enjoy a candlelit meal consisting of tapas-style BBQ snacks, pizzas and cocktails. In-villa dining is also offered as guests can choose from the home-style menu and snacks from the stocked pantry. Exquisitely light tom yum talay sour soup is served at lunch followed by a zingy lemongrass popsicle with tiny chips of pineapple marinated in Malibu. Sous vide hen’s egg is served with flavourful morels. Salty pancetta and charred asparagus or, the sweet scallops are served with coconut sushi rice ‘risotto’ with lime and thyme. All food on North Island is either grown in the organic vegetable gardens, reared on the island, or caught fresh from the sea.
Activities on North Island Seychelles range from snorkeling, diving, kayaking, paddle-boarding, fishing and sunset cruises to exploring tropical trails by foot, bicycle or private buggy.
Air Seychelles, British Airways, Air France, Condor, Lufthansa, South African Airways, Air Mauritius, Kenya Airways, Air Madagascar and Interior provide regularly scheduled air services from Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Africa and the islands of the Mascarene Plateau to the Seychelles International Airport on Mahe. Guests from the United States access Seychelles through Europe, through South and East Africa.
From Mahe, access to North Island Private Sanctuary is by a 20-minute private helicopter charter. Meet, and Assist service is provided at Seychelles International Airport and from all hotels on Mahe.
Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino
Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino is a 3-star hotel conveniently located only 9.7km (6mi) from the centre of Mahe Island. Local places of interest include Beau Vallon Beach and Sainte Anne Beach. The resort is located on the beachfront overlooking to the breathtaking Indian Oceans.
There are 232 air-conditioned rooms at Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino. Guests of the hotel can make use of the following room facilities: coffee/tea maker, in-room safe, direct-dial phone, balcony and CD player. Additional amenities in the rooms include minibar. Beds: Extra towels and bedding items can also be found in the rooms. Bathroom amenities include hair dryer and makeup/shaving mirror. Entertainment: Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino features in-room facilities such as premium television channel(s) and satellite television service and housekeeping services are provided.
All standard rooms are air-conditioned and have private showers, hairdryer, coffee and tea making facilities, mini bar, IDD facilities, TV with local reception and CNN, plus in-house video and music include ten non smoking rooms. Rooms are located in the main building on the first and second floors. There is no lift in the hotel.
All superior rooms are air-conditioned and have private baths and separate shower cubicles, hair dryers, mini bar, personal safe, coffee & tea making facilities, TV with local reception, CNN, in-house video and music include two non smoking rooms. All rooms are located on the ground floor of the main building with a sitting area.
All deluxe rooms (Chalets) spread out in 8 buildings with air-conditioned and have private baths, private balcony, hair dryers, mini- bar, personal safe, tea & coffee making facilities, TV with local reception, CNN, in-house video and music .
Garden Suite is air-conditioned and has private bath and separate shower cubicle, hair dryer, mini bar, personal safe, coffee & tea making facilities, TV with local reception, CNN, in-house video and a living room located on the ground floor of the main building.
Their Junior Suite (Chalet) comprises of 1 large bedroom with kitchenette are air-conditioned and have private bath, balcony, hair dryer, mini bar, personal safe, tea & coffee making facilities, TV with local reception, CNN, in-house video and music.
Their Royal Suite (Chalet) comprises of two large bedrooms with Jacuzzi, living room, modern kitchenette and are air-conditioned and have private baths, private balcony, hair dryers, mini bar, personal safe, tea & coffee making facilities, TV with local reception, CNN, in-house video and music.
Hotel Facilities include restaurants, currency exchange, gift shop, hair salon, picnic area, tennis court(s). spa services, spa tub and laundry service. Facilities for meetings, conferences and seminars are available. The Hibiscus Room can accommodate for up to 40 persons in theatre style.
The Silhoutte Bar plays live music and the other bar is in the casino area. Sand Station Beach Bar serves in the beach area.
Twice a day, a free shuttle bus to the capital of Victoria is offered to hotel guests.
Le Canton Chinese restaurant offers Cantonese cuisine with a wide selection of ala carte menu. La Canton is open daily for lunch and dinner from 12h00 to 14h00 and 19h00 to 22h00 respectively. For Italian fare is served at the rustic and breezy open air restaurant, Pizzeria which serves pizzas, pastas, salads and snacks. Pizzeria is open daily for lunch and dinner from 12h-00 to 14h00 and 19h00 to 22h00 respectively.The Parrot Restaurant serves American buffet breakfast and theme buffet dinner or the Teppanyaki corner for traditional Japanese grill. The Parrot Restaurant is open daily for buffet breakfast and dinner from 07h00 to 10h00 and 19h00 to 22h00 respectively. Tandoori Restaurant serves Indian cuisine. Indian restaurent is open daily for lunch and dinner from 12h00 to 15h00 and 19h00 to 22h00 respectively.
The in-house gaming tables operates daily from 8:00 pm till 3:00 am. Slot machines are functional from 12noon till 03:00. American Roulette Blackjack, Caribbean Poker and slots are available. There are 55 slot machines and 16 gaming tables plus there are private rooms for high-betting game tables. All games are played in Seychelles Rupees (SCR) and American Dollar (USD). The minimum on gaming tables are two and five US dollars on Black Jack and Roulette respectively. There is a bar serving snacks, special drinks and unique cocktails in the casino floor.
This beach is one of the largest and widest beaches in Seychelles. The beach lends itself extremely well to watersports in a way that the smaller, secluded coves found elsewhere in the country do not. Here, visitors can surf and water-ski on the waves, and it is precisely this level of activity that caused a small town to spring up around the beach. This is a convenient spot as everything you need can be found within walking distance of the beach. Despite this bustling atmosphere, the beach itself is not particularly crowded, even during high season. On clear days, it is possible to see all the way across the ocean to the Seychelles’ third-largest island, Silhouette.
Anse La Reunion Granite Rocks is a natural wonder and is considered a national monument. The rocks cover an acre of land, forming part of the L’Union Estate. L’Union Estate houses was a traditional copra mill with a kiln. Oldest specimens of tortoises are found in this estate. This property also houses the oldest Cemetery of the former settlers on La Digue and also one of the most untouched beaches of the Seychelles and one of the most photographed beaches in the world.
A large part of the L’Union Estate Park is a vanilla plantation and in the rear area there is a farm where chili, aubergines, passion fruit and much more are grown. There is also a “Boat Yard” on the premises, here you can see how boats and ships are manufactured and repaired.
The Plantation House has now been transformed into a small museum with a small art gallery.
This extremely impressive monolith is located at Anse L’Union on the west coast of La Digue. The granite boulder was formed around 750 million years ago, by the slow cooling of molten rocks (magma) deep within the earth’s crust which gave it its especially large crystals. The magnificent shape of this formation is due to its long exposure to the natural elements of weather.
Just below the granite monolith is the tortoise pen. Here, you can see some of the largest tortoises on earth. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is one of the longest living animals on earth. They can live up to 200 years and weigh over 300 kilograms.
There are a couple of small souvenir kiosks in L’Union Estate. These sellers have everything from local spices and rums to coco de mer nuts you can take home.
Old Pier Cafe is set on the waterfront just near the Old Pier, another great photo spot in L’Union Estate. Old Pier Cafe offers Italian, American, Cajun & Creole, European, and Asian cuisine. The Café serves grilled ribs, grilled tilapia, burgers, fish and chips and many more and the customers can choose the additions and sauces they want. The cafe also offers its customers a lot of vegetarian options on the menu, as well as some healthy options for its dieting customers.
Nature lovers will have the opportunity to seek out the rare black paradise flycatcher, once thought to be extinct but now protected in the La Digue Veuve Special Reserve which is also home to two rare species of terrapin.
The Veuve Information Centre manages the Veuve Reserve and the environment of La Digue and has available most information on the unique flora and fauna of La Digue, especially of the Paradise Flycatcher or “Veuve”.
La Digue island is forty kilometres (25 miles) from Mahé and 7 km (3.5 miles) from Praslin. It is the fourth largest island in the Seychelles after Silhouette. This granite island receives its visitors mainly by boat at the quaint jetty at La Passe and is a popular destination for holidaymakers wishing for a taste of the traditional. Bicycling is the most common mode of transport on the island.
The beach is very popular, with its dazzling white sands and shaded by craning coconut palms. The beach can get crowded partially because the beach area shrinks at hide tide. Coming in the early morning and returning in the late afternoon is a great way to avoid many of the island’s day visitors. During the day a couple of shacks sell fruit and refreshments, and there are glass bottom transparent kayaks for rent.
The beach is protected by a spectacular coral reef and is lapped by calm and shallow waters that allow you to bathe in total safety. If you want to swim or snorkel, you have to wait for high tide.
This is a National Monument. This is predominantly a timber constructed house and one of the real remaining examples of its kind in Seychelles.
The house once stood on large masonry pillars, but now rests on a habitable concrete basement. It has a façade verandah, with ornamental wooden balusters mansards on its roof providing adequate and habitable attic space. The design allows natural ventilation.
Hotel Chateau St Cloud is a mid-range 3 star hotel in an excellent location close enough to both the incredible southwest beaches and the port.
Le Nautique is a high-end hotel rated as one of the best waterfront accommodations on La Digue. It offers traditional Creole architecture with modern comforts including king-sized beds and rain-showers. There is an amazing outdoor restaurant and beautiful garden.
Dream Holiday is a self catering budget hotel located on the northern end of the island very close to the ferry terminal. This location is close to the bike rental shops, snack stores and even supermarkets. This hotel offers queen rooms with air-conditioning, TV, private bathrooms, and even a balcony.
Anse Source d’Argent is located in the south-west of La Digue Island. It has dazzling white beaches lapped by shallow emerald waters, backed by some of La Digue’s most beautiful granite boulders and shaded by craning coconut palms.Other interesting things to see in the island are vanilla plantation, giant tortoises as well as the most dreamy coconut groves with hundreds of coconut trees.
Access to Anse Source d’Argent is via the Union Estate, which charges 115 Rupees (about US$8) per person each day for access. Despite it being the only beach requiring admission, recent visitors say that Anse Source d’Argent is well worth the trip. While here, you can also take advantage of Union Estate’s facilities, including the restaurant.
Don’t expect a minivan or air-conditioned bus to meet and greet guests at the ferry jetty. La Digue Island Lodge sends an ox cart to transport guests and their luggage from the ferry. Visitors may rent a bike to get around La Digue, or ride the traditional way — on an old-fashioned ox cart.
The picture perfect beach has shallow, clear water, as well as the coral reef protection, means the beach is a great spot for families, and is also perfect for swimming and snorkelling. At low tide it is difficult to swim because the water is too shallow. You can swim only when the tide is high.
The long beach is divided into many little coves and nooks, all with iconic granite boulders, lush tropical flora, white sands and turquoise waters which makes it so quintessentially Seychelles. This surreal landscape is what makes this beach so unique.
On the beach there are no eateries or hotels, so pack some snacks, towels etc if you plan to spend many hours here. Also bring cash as there are kiosks selling some souvenirs, fruits and coconut water on the beach.
The largest hotel on the island, La Digue Island Lodge offers private chalets and bungalows as well as the many comforts of a small resort, including a swimming pool, restaurant and bars, and organized activities such as snorkeling, scuba and weekly boat excursions. Another island outpost is Choppy’s Beach Bungalows, a smaller hotel offering 10 rooms, a restaurant and planned day trips. Both hotels are walking distance from the legendary Anse Source d’Argent beach. There are other restaurants and fruit stalls nearby.
This open beach-restaurant in the Union Estate offers traditional local cuisine, and is the ideal place to enjoy some delicious delicacies. Enjoy freshly-grilled fish, a salad, or one of many other culinary treats with the sand between your toes!
This small hotel, located in the Beach House hotel, offers Creole cuisine, international dishes, and Indian food, as well as a beautiful view of the neighbouring island of Praslin.
This Italian restaurant situated in a beautiful tropical garden next to the sea offers authentic Italian cuisine, pizza, pasta, risotto and fish & meat dishes. Don’t forget to leave space for dessert!
The currency on the island is the Seychelles rupee. But you should use foreign currency or a credit card to pay for hotels, transportation and organized tours. For other expenses, you can change money on the island to get local currency.
La Digue is a small island with an area of 10.08 sq.km, which makes it relatively easy to travel around by bike or on foot. It is the third most populated island of the Seychelles, and fourth largest by land area. It has a population of 3,000 people. There is no airport on La Digue, so to get there, one must fly to Victoria and continue by ferry, usually via Praslin. The island has plenty of activities for tourists, including a dive centre and diverse wildlife .
The bicycle is the primary mode of transport. It is possible to rent bicycles near the ferry pier. Most cars and buses belong to hotel companies. There are only 60 cars in the island. Digueois have managed to limit traffic in order to protect the pristine beauty of their 10 sq km territory. Another method of transport on La Digue is the ox-cart, which has a slow pace suited to the island. Tourists also generally follow the local tradition and rent bikes to explore the island.
However, the rise in tourism related construction has made it necessary to import vehicles that has set alarm bells ringing, especially with locals.
La Digue has a post office which is closed on Sundays. There is a small police station that was mainly set up for tourists. There is a small hospital, although some inhabitants prefer to visit the hospitals in Praslin and Victoria. Women usually go to the hospital in Victoria to give birth.
The , Veuve Reserve, a national park and conservation area, set up to protect the endemic Vev, is a crowning jewel of natural beauty for the Digueois. This island is the natural habitat of flycatcher, which is an endangered species. Since 2008, conservationists have transported a few dozen flycatchers to neighbouring islands through a breeding programme that would provide this rare bird species additional suitable habitats. Conservationists believe that construction of buildings is detrimental to the flycatcher. La Digue has now stopped approvals for new building new tourism establishments until 2023, in an effort to preserve the local natural resources.
La Passe offers many accommodation options including smaller hotels, guesthouses, and cottages. Réunion is the only major town on the island. It offers an eponymous beach, banks, shops, restaurants, takeaways, and bike rentals.
La Digue’s tallest peak, Belle Vue (Eagle’s Nest Mountain), is more than 300 m above sea level.
Bird watchers from all over come to witness the rare sighting of the Seychelles Black Paradise Flycatcher bird, an endangered species endemic to the Seychelles.
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