This was the most ambitious, possibly the most expensive, and probably the most successful Indian Ocean opening last year. When North Island was bought
by the Johannesburg-based company Wilderness Safaris in 1997, it had been virtually uninhabited for 25 years. The new owners decided that it should be returned to its natural state, in effect turning back the ecological clock to a time before the land was farmed.
To finance this project, 11 huge villas were built for low-impact tourism. Designed by the South African husband-and-wife team Silvo Rech and Lesley Carstens, they are extraordinary amalgams of rough and smooth, with air-conditioned bedrooms, pine decks, pebble curtains and hardwood beds with soft fabrics. To complement the architects' 'haute-couture Robinson Crusoe' approach, chef David Godin creates dishes such as barracuda poached in tamarind curry broth with cinnamon-scented rice. North Island is a one-off; rest assured there is nothing else like it.
WHEN TO GO
It is hot and wet most of the year; July is the best month.
ROOM TO BOOK
Villa 11, built into the rocks overlooking the beach, is the biggest and most private.
CONTACT
North Island, Seychelles (www.north-island.com; email: info@north-island.com). Wilderness Safaris (00 27 11 807 1800;
(www.wilderness-safaris.com). Villas from £2,190, double occupancy, full board; villa 11 from £8,000
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