Alphonse Island – The remote Private Island

Quick Select

• Restaurant & Bar
• Activities on Alphonse Island
• Fly fishing on Alphonse Island
• What we like at Alphonse Island
• Great social & environmental responsibility
• Where is Alphonse Island?
• How to get to Alphonse Island?
• Who is the owner of Alphonse Island?
• History of Alphonse Island
• Other private islands in Seychelles
• Video Alphonse Island

Alphonse Island, one of Seychelles’ most isolated inhabited islands, is located just 7 degrees south of the Equator, giving a tropical temperature and a richness of unspoiled natural beauty. Miles of pristine shorelines, lagoons, and sea flats with white sands, as well as lush natural forest interspersed with coconut palms, can all be found on the island. There are plenty of colorful birds and slow-moving tortoises for wildlife aficionados to enjoy.

Only a few carefully arranged bungalows, apartments, and villas make up this island hideaway, each with its own magnificent ocean views and sense of isolation. The main lodge has a beach bar and lounge, as well as a swimming pool, tennis courts, restaurant, and spa where you may participate in a variety of activities.

On the eastern shore, accommodations are placed among lush vegetation alongside white sand beaches, many with ocean views and meant to blend in with the natural environment. The lead-in room type is the Beach Bungalow, which is built in the classic Seychelles A-frame design, while the five larger Beach Suites include a separate living area, plunge pool, sun deck, and garden, as well as indoor and outdoor showers.

Two luxurious Beach Villas are also available, each sleeping up to 8 adults and 4 children and featuring four double bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, vast living and dining areas, a private pool and sundeck, a large garden, and a dedicated club car.

Restaurant and Bar

The main restaurant and bar are located next to the pool. The soul of Alphonse Island Lodge is the Le Lys bar and the Bijoutier restaurant, which are both located immediately on the beach. Guests can spend long, pleasant evenings tasting different food inspired by the sensuous island ambiance and accompanied by a broad wine list in a welcoming atmosphere.

The cuisine at Alphonse Island Lodge is created around freshness, using garden produce, forest harvests, and local fish. Dishes reflect its Indian Ocean history, drawing on the influence of indigenous Seychellois Creole and French cuisine.

The hotel offers breakfast, lunch, and supper. Breakfast is served at the Bijoutier restaurant and includes a hot option of your choosing as well as a continental buffet. Lunch can be eaten in the restaurant, or guests can pack a picnic lunch and head to their favorite spot on the island for a picnic. The majority of dinners are served under the stars on Le Lys beach or on the patio of your bungalow or suite.

A secret beach picnic on adjacent Bijoutier Island, private cocktails, and a private chef’s dinner experience are just a few of the priceless, exclusive drinking and dining events that may be booked.

Activities on Alphonse Island

Air conditioning, ceiling fan, ensuite amenities, hairdryer, safe, mini-bar, beach towels, laundry service, mosquito net (on request), Nespresso machine, public Wi-Fi, private bicycles, sun loungers are all included in the activities package.

Other amenities include a main pool, an Azure Spa, a fishing center, a PADI-5* dive center with a PADI bubble maker, an ICS Research Center, and a tortoise sanctuary.

Cycling and running pathways, kayaking, stand-up paddleboards, snorkeling, tennis, table tennis, giant chess, reef flats adventure, Alphonse bike tour, sundowners on the beach, Flats lunch, de-tackling beverages & snacks are just a few of the complimentary activities. Bijoutier Island tour, sunset lagoon cruise, St Francois nature trek, Signature snorkeling expeditions, scuba diving, and all fishing trips are all charged activities and excursions.

Fly fishing on Alphonse Island

The flats of St. François and Alphonse, collectively offering over 10,000 acres of ideal wading and amazing shallow-water chances, are considered by many anglers to be the best saltwater fly fishing destination in the world. When you consider the number of species in this fishery, as well as the isolation, stunning environment, and action, it’s clear that this is a fishery unlike any other on the earth.

Anglers are escorted by competent, experienced experts who use the most up-to-date skiffs and equipment. Alphonse redefines the concept of angling diversity with a track record of landing over 60 different species on the fly. Bonefish, as well as numerous different species of trevally, milkfish, triggerfish, permit, and a slew of other reef and flats species, may be found in abundance here.

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What we like at Alphonse Island

• Green and Hawksbill Turtles have nesting beaches and feeding places here.
• Incredible quiet and isolation, along with a worry-free package that includes a full board.
• Explore the fascinating flora and fauna on foot or by bike.
• There are 21 bungalows and 5 suites, all of which are stretched over the beach and flanked by huge palm trees.
• Fly fishermen have a very easy time spotting and casting to fish.
• The ongoing study, rehabilitation, and monitoring are all part of the island’s conservation efforts.

Great social and environmental responsibility

Alphonse Island is dedicated to the island’s conservation efforts, with continuous research, rehabilitation, and monitoring programs in the works. The Island Conservation Centre was founded in 2007 and has since maintained the protection of vital components of its ecology.

Guests are encouraged to participate in activities offered by the Island Conservation Society (ICS), such as turtle patrol, beach clean-ups, giant tortoise viewing and feeding, and birdwatching. The Alphonse Conservation Foundation is supported by its members and a conservation tax levied on guests. The crew gives weekly talks on critical environmental themes to visitors in the island’s cinema room.

Where is Alphonse Island?

The Island lies about 400 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of Mahé and belongs to the Outer Islands. The island can be accessed by a 60-minute light aircraft journey. It’s part of the Alphonse atoll and one of the Seychelles archipelago’s outlying islands, and its remote location has helped to maintain its immaculate natural beauty. Guests can participate in aquatic activities or explore the island on their own.

How to get to Alphonse Island?

Alphonse Island is a 60-minute flight from Mahé, the capital of Seychelles. A flight from Mahé is scheduled to depart at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, with a second flight departing at 13:30 a.m.

Who is the owner of Alphonse Island?

In 1999, a modest resort hotel was erected on Alphonse Island, which was previously a private plantation that was only opened to the public 1999. In 2007, the LUX hotels section of Desroches purchased 50% of the company, which was eventually sold to Great Plains Group due to financial difficulties.

History of Alphonse Island

Since 1562, the entire Alphonse group has been referred to as San Francesco on Portuguese charts. The islands were later discovered by the crew of the Le Lys, and the biggest island was named after the ship’s captain, Chevalier Alphonse de Pontevez, on June 27, 1730. He also gave the group the name St. François, most likely after the Portuguese name for the group.

Pierre, Michel, and Joseph Huteau bought Alphonse in 1823. In the Alphonse cemetery, there is a twin tomb that is said to be that of a Monsieur and Madame Huteau. Henry Joseph, a freed African slave brought to Alphonse by the British in the 1860s, and Marcel Dupont, an island manager who died in 1908, are buried in other graves. Alphonse was sold to the Daubans in 1862, along with Silhouette.

The legitimacy of the sale was questioned by the British government, but Monsieur Dauban was granted legal title in 1866. However, disagreements over ownership of the outer islands delayed Alphonse’s legal incorporation into Seychelles until 1881.

Turtle meat, turtle shell, and pearl shell were exploited, while coconuts were farmed for copra. Due to guano deposits produced by large colonies of seabirds in the past, Alphonse was a very fruitful island. In addition, maize, pumpkin, banana, sweet potato, pineapple, and poultry were grown. On both atolls, there have been numerous shipwrecks, with the wreckage of some still visible today.

Island Conservation Society, Islands Development Company, Alphonse Islands Resort, and the Ministry of Environment founded the Alphonse Foundation as a new non-governmental organization (NGO) in 2007. The Alphonse Island Conservation Centre, the first conservation center in the outer islands, was established the same year. An agreement was made that established a long-term foundation for the conservation and repair of Alphonse’s ecosystems. Each stakeholder maintains its independence while acknowledging the importance of working together to achieve environmental goals.

ICS is responsible for all conservation and science projects on Alphonse and St Francois Atolls under the agreement unless a meeting of the foundation approves an alternative.

Other Private Islands in Seychelles

1. Four Seasons Resort Seychelles on Desroches Island, which reopened in March 2018 after a lengthy hiatus and complete restoration, is a magnificent island refuge for couples and families. Desroches is a Seychelles island that is 6 kilometers long and 1.5 kilometers broad. It is part of the Amirantes group of islands. Desroches is a coralline island, not granitic, with 14 kilometers of fine white sand bordered by a coral reef, rich in colorful marine life, and ranked among the top 15 fishing and diving destinations in the world. Guests are free to explore the island’s pristine beauty and interesting flora and wildlife, which is certainly a dream come true for every outdoor enthusiast and nature lover.
2.  Denis Private Island‘s 375 acres are surrounded by coconut trees, stunning white sand, and coral reefs and rise only a few feet above sea level. Denis Island, which is very lush for a coral island, encapsulates the Seychelles experience. It’s 53 miles (85 kilometers) north of Mahé’s main island, and it’s only a 30-minute flight away.
3. Six Senses Zil Pasyon is part of the famed Six Senses Resorts & Spas network, so it’s no surprise that it’s a fabulously decadent luxury hotel. There are 30 beautiful villas to choose from, ranging from lovely one-bedroom villas to big four-bedroom properties, all with breathtaking ocean views and private infinity pools with outdoor decking areas that gaze out onto the glorious horizon.
4. Fregate Island Private is a one-of-a-kind island getaway… exotic, exclusive, and remote! This beautiful island, barely 20 minutes by helicopter from Mahé, is beyond description. Lazare Picault, a French adventurer who discovered the island in 1744, was so taken aback by the local fregate bird’s ability to fly that he named it after them. Fregate is still a “distinct island experience” after more than 250 years.