North Island, Seychelles
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Nicholas Lewis stepped into the main suite of the 8,000-square-foot villa in the Seychelles and quickly points to the bed.
“We’ve come to believe we have the biggest mattress in the Indian Ocean, and there’s a story behind it,” he says with a laugh.
Louise is the assistant general manager of North Island, one of the country’s most exclusive resorts. Looking at beds that are more than twice the size of a king mattress, we recall that very tall guests came years ago and that the existing king mattress became a bit smaller.
“On his second visit, we personalized his mattress without letting him know and surprised him. And it was this size (since then),” he explained, adding that they change the mattress every five years.
Lewis has been asked multiple times whether the visitor is a professional basketball player. However, despite repeated attempts to get him to reveal his name over the course of two days, he is not upset. He responds instead with a naughty smile and laugh, glamorously avoiding each question. The island’s private agreement restrains him to protect the privacy of the guests. This is one of the island’s most attractive qualities.
Kitajima is a luxury resort aimed at finding a balance between luxury and great outdoors. It is about 15 minutes by helicopter from the main island of the Seychelles, making it a preferred mode of transport for guests. The private island has just 11 villas. The 10 is almost 5,000 square feet, while the Villa 11 is almost twice as big.
Despite its size, Villa 11, also known as Villa North, is aimed at two guests. There is only one bedroom along with study, a private kitchen, a plunge pool and multiple outdoor seating areas. According to Louys, the price for the villa starts at 13,000 euros, or around $15,000 per night.
Each villa on the island is equipped with an iPad and iPhone, allowing guests to call private butlers, large and small, for requests, day or night.
“We say, “Anytime, any menu, anytime.” I have guests wake up in the morning and they want their breakfast. “If you’re paying that price tag to come to this environment, then you … expect to have the services you’ll experience back home.”
Given the price range of the island, Louise says that many guests are usually either famous public figures or business executives who are used to private chefs and butlers. Both British and Hollywood royals reportedly made honeymoons on the North Island, and many celebrities were said to have visited as well.
Of course, you cannot check Lou either way.
“I’ve read a lot of reports on this kind of information. I’ve read a lot of articles from various well-known clients on the North Island, but I’m not sure if they’ve done it,” he says with a smile.
The large price tag on the North Island offers guests a luxurious getaway. However, it also helps fund ongoing conservation work on the island.
The Seycheroa family established a plantation on the island in 1826 long before 11 villas were scattered across the beaches of the North Island. For over 100 years, farmers have grown a variety of crops and raised livestock. Invasive species also arrived by mistake, along with intentionally imported plants and animals. Ultimately, the activity began to wreaked havoc for local wildlife.
“They thought they would kill mice, which is obviously a problem for them, so they had the great idea of bringing cats… But in reality, the cats quickly jumped on native birds,” explains Matilde Le Gusus, North Island’s conservation coordinator.
“And they thought. Well, the cats didn’t work, so we can give it a try – the giant white owls we found in Europe. And they also attacked native birds.
Throughout this period, the main crop of the plantation was dried coconut, known as copla. In the 1970s, the farms were abandoned and livestock ran wild as the copra industry began to collapse. This phenomenon was not endemic to the North Island. A similar story resonated throughout the country.
In 1997, a South African company and private shareholders purchased the North Island, reviving its biodiversity and developing a luxury resort. This coincided with the National Island Restoration Program, which the government partnered with nonprofits and private islands. The Union worked to remove invasive species, paving the way for native plants and animals to revive.
North Island symbolically calls its conservation program the Noah’s Ark Project, and is fully funded by the resort’s proceeds. After years of efforts to eradicate rats, the team slowly began reintroducing endangered species of wildlife. Today, sea turtles nest on the coast. The Aldabrachmes roam freely. And hundreds of birds that were once at risk of extinction were driven away in the trees.
This symbiotic relationship between luxury tourism and conservation is a growing trend, according to Xavier Font, professor of sustainability marketing at the University of Surrey in the UK. Greenwashing is always possible in this field, Professor Font explains, along with concerns such as carbon emissions from flights and community mobility. However, he quickly points out many ways high-end properties can benefit the environment when properly managed.
“We can always be critical of this, but what would happen if some of these places weren’t managed like this?” Font says. “Is it better if there were no sightseeing at all? Or maybe there was a different type of tourism, and perhaps more tourism?”
Back at Villa 11, Lewis points out the Dutch handmade glassware that decorates the room. He highlights Hermes toiletries. And at the foot of the bed he presses a button hidden in what appears to be a cloth storage bench to create a flat screen television.
Each villa is equipped with a personal golf cart, and the next day Louise hops himself. He is looking for an Alda Brachme, a local celebrity on the island, named Brutus.
In 2003, Noah’s Ark Project brought 15 of these giant turtles and joined the few who survived the North Island plantation. Today I’m walking around about 170 islands. Most tend to stay in certain places, but Lewis explains that Brutus likes to wander around everywhere. Thanks to his adventurous spirit, he has some accidental run-ins with a golf cart, and now he wears a small white reflector in his shell, so the driver can see him at night.
These reptiles can live for more than a century. Louise says there are at least 150 Brutus. That is, we are witnessing both the island’s farm and recovery. He also met many of the island’s famous guests over the years. And given Louise’s professionalism and commitment to privacy, curious visitors are more likely to spill beans on Brutus than anyone else.
“He’s seen all the famous and famous (people) who were with us,” Louise says with a chuckle as he taps the turtle’s head. “And if you can persuade him, he will tell you all the stories.”
