Frégate Island is by many regarded as the Seychelles’ most exclusive hideaway, and provides an absolutely idyllic, romantic setting for any holiday or honeymoon. International celebrities love the total privacy they enjoy here.
Only 750 acres in size, the island boasts seven stunning beaches, sixteen exclusive large-sized villas and three acclaimed restaurants and of course an award winning Spa.
Situated 60 miles across the deep blue of the Indian Ocean from the main island of Mahé, Frégate Island Private is the most remote and secluded of the Seychelles granite islands.
Not only does this private island feature the most beautiful beach in the world, according to the New York Times, but the guest will also be charmed by fresh spring water cascading down attractive white-granite rock formations, exotic fruit trees bearing almond, mango, golden apple and breadfruit, banyan trees, a palm-filled jungle, and the purest emerald and turquoise waters surrounding the island.
Frégate is one of only two islands worldwide where the giant tortoise roams wild. They can be sighted all over the island. Children will enjoy the fun of riding on their backs, although at tortoise pace. Other wildlife in the area includes rare birds such as the melodious magpie-robin or shama, which is found nowhere else in the world.
A nearby rock jutting out of the sea is a nesting place for more than 100,000 seabirds, protected by the surrounding coral reef.
The island has only 16 private villas spread out between the palm trees, just a little above the beaches, and offering complete privacy for each guest couple. They were constructed in native style with mahogany wood and African teak in a simple post-and-lintel style. Both the architecture and decor draw on Balinese and Thai influences. Each villa was situated to make it feel like a part of the surrounding landscape, and to ensure maximum privacy and seclusion for the guests. Sliding glass walls and French doors that can be opened to the elements help to further blur the line that separates inside from outside. A private terrace provides vast views of the sea and each villa has a jacuzzi and a small swimming pool. Despite their traditional appearance and supremely laid-back ambiance, the villas come well-equipped with DVD machines and CD players. And, of course, if the fresh sea breezes aren’t quite cool enough for you, there’s always air conditioning.
The culinary experiences on Fregate certainly match the island’s beauty and uniqueness. Fregate Island offers you five-star cuisine and what may be the finest Creole cooking in the Seychelles, together with the best wines in all price categories. Meals are served in the Plantation House or in the main restaurant where great emphasis is placed on personal service. Guests who want private dining experiences can also order breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner on the terrace of their villa or even on one of the two private beaches which typically only allow one couple on them at the time to ensure the ultimate in tropical paradise privacy and experience.
Fregate also offers many activities and day trips for its guests. Diving, fishing, sailing, swimming in the pool, tennis, lazing on one of the nine beaches or on the comfortable cushioned sunbeds, exploring the island in your own electrical buggy, or just enjoying a quiet afternoon in the library of the island’s Plantation House. Guided nature walks can be arranged to encounter Frégate’s spectacular flora and fauna and are highly recommend by guests who have stayed there. Celebrities who regularly visit Fregate Island include famous actress Emma Thompson and Roger Moore.
Frégate Island Private also offers its guests a twenty four hour in-villa dining service and caters for special dining requests such as beach picnics and secluded candlelit dinners.
Last but not least comes the amazing and award-winning Spa of Fregate Island, The Rock Spa.
The Rock Spa is indeed a haven of serenity and tranquility, perched on a cliff-top plateau overlooking the sea and the top of the island’s rain forest. Entered through a granite canyon, flanked by several freshwater pools and cascading waterfalls, the Rock Spa celebrates the island’s unique surroundings and embraces all elements of nature.
The finest holistic treatments from all over the world use ancient techniques from India, Australia and Polynesia with botanical treatments prepared from local ingredients. After your treatment, relax with a glass of cool coconut milk, champagne or tea and enjoy the view from the spa’s sublime vantage point high above the Indian Ocean.
Want to see all this beauty before you book ? Have a look at their own galleries here and don’t forget to also click on the Luxury Villas and Stunning Beaches link to the left.
So how do guests rate this unique place in the middle of the Indian Ocean ?
Below are some guest reviews as well as a professional review from Fregate Island :
Eco Hotels of The World has this review on Fregate Island from an Eco Luxury point of view :
The original eco-hideaway, Frégate Island Private is a private paradise located in the Seychelles, in the midst of the Indian Ocean. A multi-award-winning luxury retreat, Frégate Island Private has spearheaded the development of eco-tourism in the Seychelles.
Exemplary preservation, protection and nurturing of the unique natural environment of the island, and the utmost in exclusivity for guests, are the central principles at Frégate: This three-km square island offers seven dream beaches and just 16 luxuriously appointed villas, carefully positioned so that privacy is guaranteed and each with its own private infinity-edged pool; the island’s plantations produce fresh seasonal vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices to form the basis of the island’s culinary and Rock Spa concepts; and a resident ecologist and zoologist coordinate the ongoing work towards the seamless integration of resort operations into the conservation and protection of this beautiful island’s natural ‘Garden of Eden’ environment.
Frégate Island Private has become a leading example of how to establish a balanced coexistence between man and nature – or nature and man – and is one of the most important sanctuaries for rare endemic and indigenous animals, setting an inspiring example for others to follow with conservation projects that have yielded dramatic results.
A couple from Zurich, Switzerland had these praises for this tropical paradise :
This private island with just 16 villas is a real paradise and nature reservation… If you wish to have a beautiful beach with turquoise water on your own, a fascinating nature with giant turtles and rare birds surrounding you, your own private pool and jacuzzi or are eager to have a tête-à-tête breakfast, private lunch or dinner at your favorite beach or high up in a tree house in a Banyan tree this is the place to be!
You have your own butler who is fully at your disposal.
You never get bored on this island: Different dining experiences, guided nature walks, sunbathing, diving and snorkeling possibilities, boat trips and a SPA which definitively can compete with the best SPAs in Asia (the natural SPA products are all prepared from ingredients grown on island). And you have as much privacy on this island as you wish!
Food is marvelous, you can order something from the menu or have your special wishes… everything is possible and the very friendly staff is here to fulfill all your wishes. (Most vegetables and fruits are grown on the island itself, organically.)
The luxury of holidays on Fregate island is the privacy and space, the unique nature (you can find millipedes, geckos and birds everywhere) and the pampering you get from the very friendly and well trained staff. For us this island stands for tranquil, peaceful holidays in a beautiful, preserved and protected surrounding — ideal for everybody who likes a tropical paradise.
A London, UK couple also liked the beauty of the resort but do raise several issues that they did not appreciate during their stay :
My wife and I stayed at Fregate on the last leg of our 3 week African honeymoon…We were very much looking forward to our stay at Fregate given its reputation….We arrived by private helicopter, were given a tour of the island and were taken to our villa…The villa was tastefully done…Lots of dark wood with an outdoor terrace complete with a full size pool…Inside there was a central area with two wings on the side…In one wing was a bedroom and in the other was living room with a bar…It was honestly the nicest room that I could imagine…Spacious without being too big and tastefully decorated…We were lucky enough to be given the one villa that had direct beach access (via stairs)…We had our own butler who catered to our every need.
We were given a golf cart that we could use to tour the island…Most of the villas and, the beach club and the main building were all in the same area…There is a spa and fitness center within a few minutes drive of the villas…There are beaches all around the island (probably the nicest I have ever seen) and countless nature paths with giant turtles.
It sounds great but beneath the lovely veneer Fregate had some real issues…First of all it was the island is basically a bird sanctuary…When you landed you were confronted by the smell of bird poop…It followed us throughout our stay…There was no variety in the menu and there was one daily special, otherwise the menu never changed…Furthermore, at this price I would have expected there to be free wines and spirits (and a reserve list if people wanted it)…The cart paths and the villas were inundated with giant millipedes…They were harmless but you had to avoid them on the roads and couldn’t walk in the dark for fear of stepping on one…They even made their way into the bathroom of the villas…I read about this problem in past reviews but it is still a major issue…Many of the beaches required a walk down over 100 steps (and obviously back up)…The water was so rough that you could barely swim in it…I am not exaggerating…The current was so strong that it would knock you over as soon as you got in…There was no leisurely swimming….The island is not protected by coral and I was told it was calm enough to swim only a few months a year…The island has a problem with sand flies…My wife was had 50 bites and couldn’t go outside the last two days…When we asked about the flies we were told that since the island believes in conservation that they didn’t spray for them even though they knew it was a problem…Additionally, they do not have bug spray that is effective against sand flies at the resort…It was a bit negligent to not spray for sand flies and then not give guests the proper spray…For a place that was serious about the environment they did not give the option of splitting transfers to the island.
After we got back home I wrote an email to the management with some suggestions and there was no response…
All and all, Fregate is a naturally beautiful place with the prettiest beaches in the world…The villas are lovely and the service is great but I expected a lot more…It is owned by a German billionaire and he converted it into a resort after buying it…I think the guests are looked at as a way for him to fund the upkeep of the island and his environmental projects.
Finally, have a look at this video from Fregate Island Private :
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajvTpFtWCdw
Contact Details
Frégate Island Private
P.O. Box 330,
Victoria, Mahe,
Seychelles
Telephone: +248-670-100
Email: reservations@fregate.com