Seychelles

The Seychelles is the Indian Ocean's private-island capital — an archipelago of 115 granite and coral islands scattered across 1.4 million square kilometres of ocean, where the most exclusive hotels are not hotels at all but entire islands, available to as few as eleven guests at a time. North Island, Fregate Island, Cousine Island, and Desroches Island represent the pinnacle of this model: complete seclusion, complete privacy, and a level of personalisation that is impossible to replicate in a conventional hotel.

North Island is the most celebrated private island in the Seychelles — 11 villas, 11 staff per villa, and a conservation programme that has reintroduced giant tortoises, hawksbill turtles, and rare seabirds to an island that was once stripped bare. It is the most expensive hotel in the Indian Ocean and, for many, the most extraordinary. Fregate Island Private, with 16 villas on a 293-acre island, is the most biodiverse: the island is home to 2,200 giant tortoises and the world's largest population of the Seychelles magpie-robin.

For guests who want the Seychelles experience without the private-island price, Four Seasons Resort Seychelles on Mahé and Raffles Seychelles on Praslin offer the most complete hotel experiences on the main islands. The Four Seasons' hillside villas, suspended above the Indian Ocean on the slopes of Mahé, have the most dramatic views of any hotel in the archipelago. Constance Ephelia, on a 350-hectare private peninsula on Mahé, is the most complete resort — five restaurants, two beaches, and the largest spa in the Seychelles.

The Seychelles' underwater world is among the most biodiverse in the Indian Ocean. The granite boulders of the inner islands create extraordinary snorkelling and diving conditions; the outer coral atolls — Aldabra, Cosmoledo — are among the most pristine marine environments on earth. Every hotel offers guided diving and snorkelling programmes; the best dive sites are accessible only by liveaboard.

The Seychelles has no true off-season — the climate is warm and tropical year-round. April–May and October–November are the calmest periods, with the least wind and the best conditions for diving. May–September (south-east trade winds) is the best time for kitesurfing; November–March (north-west monsoon) is the calmest for the western coasts.