Blog

North Island, Seychelles
 — 

Nicolas Louys steps inside the primary suite of an 8,000-square-foot villa in the Seychelles and immediately points to the bed.

“I’m led to believe that we have the biggest mattress in the Indian Ocean. And there’s a story behind it,” he says with a laugh.

Louys is the deputy general manager at North Island, one of the country’s most exclusive resorts. As he looks at the bed, which is more than twice the size of a king mattress, he recalls how an extremely tall guest visited years back and found the existing king-size mattress to be a bit small.

“On his second visit, we personalized his mattress without letting him know and surprised him. And it’s been this size [ever since],” he explains, adding that they change the mattress every five years.

Louys was asked multiple times if this visitor was a professional basketball player. But despite repeated attempts over the course of two days to get him to reveal a name, he doesn’t budge. He responds with mischievous smiles and laughter instead, dodging each question with charm. The island’s non-disclosure agreements bind him to protect guests’ privacy – which is one of the island’s most appealing qualities.

North Island is a luxury resort that aims to find a balance between opulence and the great outdoors. It’s located about 15 minutes away from the Seychelles’ main island by helicopter, which is the preferred mode of transport for guests. The private island has just 11 villas. Ten are nearly 5,000 square feet, but Villa 11 is almost twice as big.

Despite the size, Villa 11, which is also known as Villa North, is meant for two guests. It has only one bedroom, along with a study, private kitchen, plunge pool and multiple outdoor seating areas. Prices for this villa start at 13,000 euros, or approximately $15,000, a night, according to Louys.

Each of the island’s villas come equipped with an iPad and iPhone, which guests can use to call their personal butler for requests both big and small, day or night.

“We say, ‘any venues, any menus, anytime.’ I’ve had guests wake up at four o’clock in the morning and they want have their breakfast. They want to stick with their time zone from back home. So we accommodate it,” Louys says. “If you’re paying that price tag to come to this environment, you expect to… have that service that you experience back home.”

Given the island’s price point, Louys says that many guests are usually either well-known public figures or business executives who are accustomed to private chefs and butlers. Both British and Hollywood royalty have reportedly honeymooned on the North Island, and a number of celebrities have allegedly visited as well.

Louys, of course, can’t confirm either way.

“I’ve read a lot of reports about this kind of information. I’ve read many articles of various high-profile clients being at North Island, but I’m not too sure if they did or not,” he says with a smile.

North Island’s hefty price tag affords guests a luxurious vacation. But it also helps fund the island’s ongoing conservation work.

Long before 11 villas dotted North Island’s beaches, a Seychellois family established a plantation on the island in 1826. For over 100 years, farmers grew a variety of crops and raised livestock. Along with the plants and animals that were purposely imported, invasive species accidentally arrived as well. Eventually, this activity began wreaking havoc on local wildlife.

“They had the brilliant idea of bringing cats over because they thought it’ll kill rats that were obviously a problem for them… but actually the cats quickly jumped on the native birds,” explains Mathilde Le Gressus, North Island’s conservation coordinator.

“And after, they thought: okay, the cats didn’t work, so we can try with an owl – the huge white European owl that we find in Europe. And they also attacked the native birds. So it was just a combination of things that made it worse and worse and worse.”

Throughout this period, the plantation’s main crop was dried coconut, known as copra. As the copra industry began to collapse in the 1970s, the farm was abandoned, leaving domestic animals running wild. This phenomenon wasn’t unique to North Island – similar stories echoed across the country.

In 1997, a South African company and private shareholders purchased North Island, intending to both revive its biodiversity and develop a luxury resort. This coincided with a national island restoration program, in which the government partnered with non-profit organizations and private islands. The coalition worked towards removing invasive species, paving the way for native plants and animals to make a comeback.

North Island symbolically called its conservation program the Noah’s Ark Project, which is fully financed by the resort’s revenue. After a yearslong effort to eradicate rats, the team slowly began reintroducing endangered wildlife. Today, sea turtles nest on the shores. Aldabra Tortoises roam freely. And hundreds of birds that were once on the verge of extinction chirp away in the trees.

This symbiotic relationship between luxury tourism and conservation is a growing trend, according to Xavier Font, a professor of sustainability marketing at the University of Surrey, in the UK. There is always potential for greenwashing in this space, Professor Font explains, along with concerns such as carbon emissions from flights and displacing local communities. But he’s quick to point out the many ways in which high-end properties can benefit the environment if managed correctly.

“We can always look at this and be critical, but what could happen to some of those locations had they not been managed in this way?” Font says. “Would it be better if there was no tourism at all? Or would it be better if there was another type of tourism, maybe more volume of tourism?”

Back at Villa 11, Louys points out handmade glassware from the Netherlands that decorates the room. He highlights the Hermès toiletries. And at the foot of the bed, he presses a button hidden on what appears to be an upholstered storage bench, giving rise to flatscreen TV.

Each villa comes equipped with a personal golf cart, and the following day, Louys hops in his own. He’s searching for the island’s local celebrity, an Aldabra Tortoise named Brutus.

In 2003, the Noah’s Ark Project brought 15 of these giant tortoises to join the few that survived North Island’s plantation. About 170 roam the island today. Most tend to stay in a particular spot, but Louys explains that Brutus likes to wander everywhere. Because of his adventurous spirit, he’s had a few accidental run-ins with golf carts and now wears small white reflectors on his shell so drivers can see him at night.

These reptiles can live for well over a century. Louys says Brutus is at least 150, meaning he’s witnessed both the island’s farm and restoration. He’s also met many of the island’s well-known guests over the years. And given Louys’ professionalism and commitment to privacy, curious visitors have a better chance of getting Brutus to spill the beans than anyone else.

“He has seen all of the famous and non-famous [people] that have stayed with us,” Louys says with a chuckle as he pats the tortoise’s head. “And if you manage to convince him, he will tell you all the stories.”