The sharks don’t bite – but the giant tortoises do!...This is a very high-end resort, while others have more than their share of newlyweds – on our way back to the airport for the flight home we visited the Sainte Anne resort and it seem to be full of honeymooners.

1. Date 20 January 2013
Page 16,17
Model Elen Rivas thinks it’s well worth shelling out for the wonderful wildlife of the Seychelles
The sharks don’t
s
bite – but t
the
giant torto
oises do! WATER BABE:
Elen with a
young turtle
T
he Seychelles has long were then whisked away – as were
been on my ‘to visit’ list my best friend Nicola and I. We were
so I was excited at the taken straight to our four-bedroom
chance of finally being villa with its own infinity pool and a
able to go there. The only private beach . . .
other destination I’ve We were in seventh heaven and I
been to in the Indian Ocean has been felt like Robinson Crusoe. You’re
Mauritius – we stayed at St Geran, suddenly in your own ultra-private
which we enjoyed, but Desroches part of paradise.
Island is in a different league. We felt so relaxed that I was walk-
This decadent island resort in the ing around my villa and my beach
Amirante archipelago in the Sey- half-naked (and sometimes com-
chelles is rated as one of the most pletely naked!) because it was so
pristine and untouched islands avail-
able to the public. The archipelago of secluded and quiet. There is no one
115 islands lies about 1,000 miles off around and with this level of privacy,
the coast of Kenya and is known for you can see why Desroches is popu-
its sandy beaches, clear waters and lar with heads of state, celebrities
secluded hideaways. and Hollywood royalty, as well as
To get to the Seychelles we flew via Royalty themselves.
Dubai to Mahe. From there we took a After the wedding of the Duke and
smaller plane for the 45-minute hop Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 there
to Desroches. was widespread speculation they’d
On that short flight you realise spend their honeymoon in Desroches
Desroches is very, very, remote. I because they had holidayed here in
was so excited as the plane descended 2007, a stay which Prince William
– all I could see was this magnificent had told islanders was the best holi-
island, edged with pure, white day he had ever had.
beaches in the middle of the Indian The Seychelles and Desroches
Ocean. What a sight! clearly have the Royal seal o f
Desroches is described as ‘a refuge approval.
for romance, adventure and pam- Given the publicity surrounding g
pered relaxation’, which is a fair Wills and Kate, I wondered whether
summary. Unlike many resorts, you Desroches would have a lot of honey y-
won’t hear the roar of speedboats or mooners. There were a few, but it has
the whizzing of jet-skis. a broad mix of guests.
The island is renowned for its com- This is a very high-end resort, while
e
mitment to protecting the environ- others have more than their share o of
ment and the only sounds we heard newlyweds – on our way back to the e
were those provided by Mother airport for the flight home we visitedd
Nature. Utter bliss. the Sainte Anne resort and it seemed d
As soon as we landed, the friendly
staff greeted us with a cold towel to be full of honeymooners. I was
scented with eucalyptus. Our bags
Copyright Newspaper Licensing Agency. For internal use only. Not for reproduction.

2. Date 20 January 2013
Page 16,17
surprised by how many families stay on to the beach. We watched in
at Desroches with children of all ages amazement as she carefully dug a
from babies to toddlers to young chil- hole and started laying her eggs.
dren and teens. That was a breathtaking sight and a
While people were generally keen very special moment.
to keep to themselves, everyone was One day we were taken ‘conserva-
very friendly. tion fishing’ (you catch a fish
It’s the sort of place that attracts then throw it back in the water)
well-heeled, discerning guests who and snorkelling.
know exactly what they want and are When you’re snorkelling you can
prepared to pay for it. see amazing fish – some are abso-
lutely huge. We saw massive tuna
The giant tortoises are one of the and giant black-tip sharks.
real delights of Desroches. They’re I’m happy to report that the sharks
so lovely but not entirely docile – don’t bother you at all, which is a
they are fairly quick and I felt one good thing because they look pretty
nip my finger as I was feeding mean and we saw four of them. This
her. They have little teeth like razors was all new to me because I’d never
– who knew? But really they are snorkelled before, but now I can’t
super-friendly. wait to go again. It’s my new hobby.
I regularly requested fresh fruit Swimming near the coral you’re
from the restaurant and told staff I agog with all the beautiful fish,
was going to give it to the tortoises. lobsters and, above all, the turtles.
They kindly provided me with a One of the guys who was snorkelling
small tortoise feast of mango, banana with us caught hold of a little turtle
and melon. and we had our pictures taken with it.
Similar to dogs, the tortoises come Another treasured outing was to
the spa where we had a ‘warm shell’
to you when you call. I swear, they massage, which was brilliant.
want you to touch them, to take their We were treated like royalty. For
pictures – they even pose. They are example, we were told that we could
such stunning creatures. have our lunch – sitting under an
The best way to explore Desroches umbrella – on a secluded beach. (By
is by bike and each guest is given a the way, the weather was fantastic –
complimentary one to use during we had only one fierce tropical storm
their stay. We became super fit by that lasted a few minutes.)
just exploring the island.
We also did a lot of exercise: up Breakfast, like all the meals, was
early in the morning, we would go to great. This was my favourite meal of
the beach and do some exercise, then the day and was usually served in our
some yoga followed by a little snor- spacious villa. The only time we saw
kelling – at 8am. other guests was when we went
One of the best forms of exercise is to the main restaurant, where we
had lunch and dinner; you get to the
the conservation walk on the island. restaurant by bike. At lunch and din-
Not only does it tone your legs and ner we enjoyed the fish and ate loads
bottom, the wildlife that you see of wahoo (known as kingfish in the
is amazing. UK), which is the local tuna. The
Stingrays swam in the water close focus is on healthy eating, but not to
to us for about half a mile and we saw any sort of obsessive extent.
several schools of fish, all in dazzling Desroches is a place where people
colours. But you have to be prepared go to relax and rejuvenate. There’s
for the wonderfully unexpected. really not very much nightlife – it’s a
One evening when we went for relatively small hotel – but I wasn’t
dinner, and it was almost dark, one looking to dance the night away.
of the girls working for the conserva- There is a small bar that serves
tion team came up to us and said: delicious cocktails and super smooth-
‘Come, come, look!’
W
ies. After dinner, we enjoyed going
back to the villa for an early night.
e crept silently Another plus is that unless you spe-
along the beach cifically ask for a connection, there
and she pointed is no wi-fi and your mobile phone
out a turtle that
was coming
up out of the sea
Copyright Newspaper Licensing Agency. For internal use only. Not for reproduction.

3. Date 20 January 2013
Page 16,17
won’t get a signal.
You are totally isolated, which is
great – you switch off completely.
Normally, when I’m choosing a
holiday, I’m looking for somewhere
easy to reach because usually I’m
travelling with my two daughters. As
they are fairly young, I’ve done Dis-
ney World and Orlando with them
twice and we all enjoyed that.
I come from Barcelona so I enjoy
returning to Spain and my daughters
love it there.
I would really like to return to
Desroches and take my girls. They
would love to see the tortoises and
turtles and all the other natural
delights. It’s like a real life version
of SeaWorld.
For people in the public eye, how-
ever, I think its greatest charms is
that it is impossible for Desroches to
be infiltrated by the paparazzi.
All the boat traffic is monitored
by the Seychelles government, so
no unwelcome long-lens cameras
are there to make your life uncom-
fortable.
Desroches can only be described a
‘paradise perfected’.
The one problem is that you have to
leave at the end of your holiday . . .
Copyright Newspaper Licensing Agency. For internal use only. Not for reproduction.

4. Date 20 January 2013
Page 16,17
CATCH OF
THE DAY: Elen
goes fishing,
right, and
makes friends
with a giant
tortoise, left
LU
UXURIOUS: Elen’s villa on Desroches Island
GETTING THERE
G
El Vacations (01707 371000, seychelleselite.
lite
coo.uk) offers seven nights at Desroches Island
(D
Desroches-island.com) on an all-inclusive basis in
a Beach Suite from £3,298pp in June/July. This
includes return Emirates flights from Gatwick and
inter-island flights to/from Desroches Island.
One-way Business Class upgrade from £770pp.
Da Emirates flights also available from
aily
Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle
an Glasgow. One night all-inclusive in a Garden
nd
Vi at Sainte Anne Resort & Spa costs from
illa
£3335pp per night.
Copyright Newspaper Licensing Agency. For internal use only. Not for reproduction.