WHAT IT IS LIKE TO LIVE ON A PRIVATE ISLAND? ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SPENDING HOLIDAY IN PARADISE
WHAT IT IS LIKE TO LIVE ON A PRIVATE ISLAND?
A private island seems to be an unattainable luxury, reserved only for Hollywood stars, Arab princes, or Russian businessmen. And so it really is, if we talk about the island exclusively for one owner. But what if we think about the island where there is just a single resort? It will still be very private...even though shared between a larger number of people. Such destinations are definitely more accessible - practically all travel agencies have them in their offer and it is often the simplest, sometimes even the cheapest way to reach such distant islands. Many private resorts are located in Maldives - I wrote about one of them HERE. This time, however, I would like to take you even further, although still across the Indian Ocean - and more precisely, to Seychelles, to an island that is a national park in 93% of its 20 square kilometers to protect its remarkable flora and fauna.
SILHOUETTE ISLAND
Silhouette is a very green island in the shape of a cone, overgrown with tropical forest. Although it's the third largest granite island in Seychelles, with population of only 200 people, there is only one resort there: Hilton Labriz, placed next to a small village where its employees live. It is not possible to visit this paradise unless you book accommodation in Hilton resort, therefore, apart from hotel guests and staff, no one else is staying on the island. Silhouette is very neat and cares about its natural environment. On the island grow, among others, cinnamon trees, coconut palms and banana trees. However, not many species of animals live there, but once a year at the beginning of May on the wild beach on the other side of the island to the resort, many small turtles come to the shore to lay eggs in the sand. Silhouette has a few wild beaches, but to get to them, you have to go through the jungle or climb and then descend from the highest peak of the island, which is 751m high (Mount Dauban). The climate in Seychelles is humid and hot all year round. It often rains here, but the temperature does not drop, and after the rain the intense sun comes out.
ADVANTAGES OF VACATION ON A PRIVATE ISLAND:
PRIVACY - even if the resort has a large number of guests, it is usually spread on a large area and can offer private corner for everyone. Often, the infrastructure of such places is well thought out, providing a lot of discretion, not only in the rooms, apartments or bungalows, but also in the restaurants or on the beaches - the main principle is: the more intimate, the higher the price.
LUXURY - it's no coincidence that a private island is associated with luxury and there is nothing to hide - in fact, regardless of what you call luxury, it can be: an exclusive equipment, expensive alcohol, proximity to nature, or just a clean beach - you can be sure that the resort will take care of them all.
EMPTY BEACHES – rubbish on the beach, screaming children and the worst: reserved sunbeds by the pool, although no one shows up all day...Isn’t it what drives you crazy too? You can forget about such worries while being on a private island. Here, guests do not hurry to the beach or swimming pool, because they either have their own or they know that there will be enough space for everybody. If, however, there is no free sunbed, you can always ask the staff for an additional one.
NO QUEUES - on a private island you won’t have to queue for food during buffet meals, because it is always enough for everyone and everyone knows about it. It may happen that the chef prepares something fresh on the spot in the open kitchen and you have to wait a while, but if you ask the waiter to bring you a dish to the table, there will be no problem. If you find a few people at the reception, you can sit back and wait in the lounge, or ask them to call you back when no one is there.
CARING PERSONNEL - there is no such thing as a problem - if a staff member did not think about something before you, he would be happy to help you in any matter and make sure that you feel satisfied in every way. The floor in the room got dirty with sand? Do you feel like eating some fresh fruit? Did you run out of toothpaste? The staff will take care of basically anything! Of course, if we politely ask and then reward with the appropriate tip.
HIGH QUALITY LOCAL FOOD - have you always thought that you would only taste real traditional food in a darkened shed, under which the locals hang out after work? Be assured that the hotel chefs have at their disposal local products of the highest quality, which are above all fresh; and they know exactly how to prepare the right meal. Of course, they have to try to satisfy everyone, so not every meal will be served with freshly grounded cinnamon from the tree growing on the island; but connoisseurs of exotic flavors will not be disappointed. Can’t you find avocado or dark grapes in the buffet? Ask the waiter, and he will definitely do his best to deliver them to you.
DISADVANTAGES OF VACATION ON A PRIVATE ISLAND :
LIMITED ATTRACTIONS - a beautiful, exotic island is an attraction itself, but not everyone likes to be lazy whole vacation but rather look for more adventure. In this respect, unfortunately, the islands do not have much to offer besides water sports, spa treatments or themed evenings; the main downside, however, is the sheer size of the island, because if there is only one resort on it, it will not be very big, so you can definitely forget about traditional sightseeing.
LARGE COSTS OF ADDITIONAL ATTRACTIONS - a decent resort offers its guests few attractions, such as diving trips to nearby islands, windsurfing lessons, or culinary workshops. Unfortunately, their prices are very high and it never pays to acquire new skills on such holidays, unless we have an unlimited budget.
HIGH TIPS - daily cleaning requires daily tips, and it is not appropriate to leave coins, so when you accumulate all the days of your stay, it comes out quite a large sum. It is not obligatory to leave tips, but it will definitely be noted by the staff, and further by the resort’s management. Sometimes it may affect the service - if they tried, and did not get a tip, in the eyes of the manager means that they are not doing their job properly.
A LONG JOURNEY - private islands are usually far away, situated somewhere in the ocean and to get to them, you have to take two flights, a ferry, a small boat, and then drive a bit by bus or taxi.
HARD TO GET SOUVENIRS - sometimes there is one small boutique in the resorts, but the prices are usually horrendous, and it always sells things that tourists forget to take with them on holiday, such as hats, sunglasses, sunblock creams, etc. Sometimes you can find there some souvenirs, but certainly not local spices or hand-made jewelry.
And what it is like with you: do you go on such holidays, do you dream about them or are they not really in your style? Share your insights in the comments :)
And what it is like with you: do you go on such holidays, do you dream about them or are they not really in your style? Share your insights in the comments :)