Fregate Island Private

Fregate Island Private is one of the Inner Islands and has a sheltered shore which makes for easy swimming on the seven beaches, also ideal for body boarding, Hobie cats and excellent snorkelling. Each Villa has its own infinity pool, they all have large sitting rooms, comfortably hosting a family of four, or there are splendid two-bedroom villas, while a golf buggy gives you complete independence.

There is a wealth of marine wildlife around Fregate Island. Exotic fish, coral reefs and crustaceans make any excursion into the deep a voyage of discovery. Whales, dolphins and giant mantas make occasional visits to Fregate Island’s deeper waters. In the shallows by the beaches, large shoals of fish are easily visible, bringing colour and wonder.

When arriving at Fregate Island Private the sapphire sea view through the open Reception is framed to dramatic effect, people always pause to catch their breath and take in the beauty of the vista. From here you can reach two resort pools, a beach bar, boutique and the library. Fregate House is also home to the restaurant which is characterised by a plantation style casual elegance. At breakfast you are joined by scarlet red fodies dancing on the white linen, at night moon streaks silver light over the ocean below.

Fregate Island Private offers 16 Villas in three sizes of accommodation:

• Private Pool Villa: 400-450 m² for up to two adults and three children. The large living room transforms into a second bedroom for two children. One large and one small bathroom, each with its own outdoor shower. Spacious sundeck with large private infinity pool, jacuzzi, day bed and outdoor dining pavilion. Telephone, wireless internet access, TV, DVD/CD player, iPod station, air-conditioning and a ceiling fan, safe and mini bar and tea and coffee-making facilities & exotic fruit. Your Private Butler is at your service to arrange anything from water sports to night safaris.
• Private Pool Twin Villa: 600-750 m² of finely crafted indoor and outdoor space. Room for four adults and up to three children. Two separate bedrooms, living room and dining room. Two spacious bathrooms and one small bathroom; each with its own private outdoor shower. Spacious terrace with large private infinity pool, jacuzzi, day bed and outdoor dining pavilion, telephone, wireless internet access, TV, DVD/CD player, iPod station, air-conditioning and a ceiling fan, safe and mini bar and tea and coffee-making facilities & exotic fruit. Private Butler can arrange breakfast in the branches of a Banyan Tree, lunch on your beach with white linen, and a barbecue on your terrace. These villas make a special experience for close friends and family, choose your location by the beach or perched on the rocks above.
• Banyan Hill Estate: 1100 m² a haven in natural paradise on your own private peninsula, commanding views over pristine beaches fringed with tropical forests. Vast open living area, approximately 150 sqm. Additional TV lounge and library with office. Large terrace with private infinity pool, seating and a fully equipped kitchen. Three separate sleeping villas each for two persons and up to one additional child on a separate bed. Each villa has its own veranda, bathroom, telephone, wireless internet access, TV with a wide selection of channels, DVD/CD player, iPod station, air-conditioning and ceiling fan, safe and mini bar, tea and coffee-making facilities. Your Private Butler will make every feasible wish come true; beach parties, night safaris, round the island boat races, every day will become a lifetime memory.

With 7 entirely private beaches around the island and just 16 Villas, yours can often be the sole footprints in the sand, flip the ‘Beach Occupied’ sign to ensure absolute privacy. Whenever you arrive there is always a cooler box with iced drinks, towels spread on loungers, a freshwater shower and you can call your Private Assistant for anything more you wish.

Each beach has its own special character, from Victorin Beach there is excellent snorkelling just 15 metres offshore, Marina Beach is protected by a coral reef and always calm. To reach Anse Park you walk through a jungle trail past giant tortoises heading to their mud bath. Bamboo is just below Fregate House and has boogie boards and a beach bar for light lunch and crushed iced drinks. Grand Anse is the wildest and loveliest, you can hear the roar of the waves before you emerge from the jungle trail, order a cocktail and watch the magnificent sunsets. Anse Victorin has been voted the most beautiful beach in the world but is impossible to capture in words.

On Fregate Island, you are invited to dine wherever you want, it is part of enjoying complete freedom and immersing yourself in the natural surroundings. Imagine breakfast in the branches of a banyan tree watching snowy fairy terns feeding their young. Catch your own bonito and have a sashimi lunch on the sea. Step onto a soft sandy beach for a torch lit barbecue staged solely for you, amused by the hermit crabs’ shell swapping party. Take a stroll through the plantation to choose your exotic produce and dine there in the fields. Hike to the top of Glacis Cerf and your Personal Assistant will be ahead of you with high tea, or they can prepare a BBQ for you on your Pool Villa terrace. For a sociable evening please join the Team at Fregate House restaurant, where scarlet Madagascan fodi dance across the white linen, the gastronomy and ocean views are spectacular.

The flavours of Fregate Island Private are an inspiration for the chefs. There is lemon basil and ginger to zest up cocktails, papaya and star fruit for breakfasts, pumpkin leaf and coriander salads, coffee beans, courgettes and spices, together with an abundance of local catch. 80% of the fresh ingredients are organic products from their own plantation. The small island is fertile and bountiful, and the resort hosts the largest hydroponics system in the Seychelles, so any time of year if the chef makes a wish for an ingredient it could be grown in six weeks. The organic and pure food is a delicious part of a beautifully natural stay on Fregate Island Private.

Fregate Island Private has a picturesque private harbour, 4 sports boats, a dive club and a flotilla of Hobie cats. Snorkelling at nearby Little Fregate is like being dropped into an aquarium, there is also excellent deep-sea fishing, Fregate Island is the nearest to the Drop Off, you might sight marlin and easily catch something large. Anything you catch the chef will be delighted to transform into sashimi if you wish. The Yacht Club is quiet and relaxed with views over one of the calmest bays, it is one more location to choose for private dining.

Scuba dive by day or night, the dive masters know all the best spots and offer PADI certified diving courses for all levels. There is sailing, surfing and kayaking equipment, as well as windsurfing boards, water skis or banana towing for the kids!

For deep sea fishing enthusiasts the island is the nearest island in the Seychelles to the “Drop Off “where the seabed falls away to a thousand meters. Fishing along the abyss is some of the best in the world with frequent catches. This is the feeding grounds for Amberjacks, Yellow Fin Tuna and Striped Marlin. if you wish to sample an authentic taste of Seychellois lifestyle, local fishermen will be pleased to take you out.

The Rock Spa is a shaded sanctuary, a peaceful teak house on a granite hilltop, with views across the rain forest canopy to the Indian Ocean. Every guest receives a complimentary Yoga session and Welcome Ritual, helping all attune to the island’s rhythm. Treatments are created bespoke for The Rock Spa and use many of the botanicals and fruits on the island, the Garden of Eden healing book found in every villa, details many of the recipes. Guests can collect their own fruit and ingredients in the gardens, to create a delicious treatment for natural beauty. An infinity pool hangs over lush greenery; float and look up at birds soaring through the trees, all is a soothing precursor to one of the natural treatments delivered with gentle professionalism. There is an air-conditioned gym by the Rock Spa and a personal trainer if required.

Kids love hanging out with the ecology team at their Castaway Club for 3-to-12-year old’s. As legend has it, the notorious La Buse hid his pirate treasure on Fregate Island, inspiring many piratical hunts and games. The Castaway Trail leads them through parts of the jungle that are out of bounds for adults where the giant tortoises and many other wonderful animals and plants thrive. Together with the conservation manager, the young ones also get a tour of the island’s wildlife that is as educational as it is entertaining.

Fregate Island Private is a splinter of the former supercontinent Gondwana, home to many rare and exotic species from the critically endangered Wrights Gardenia to the indigenous giant tenebrionid beetle. The resort is dedicated to restoring the natural habitat, and literally saved the Seychelles Magpie Robin from extinction, one of their outstanding successes. The resort pays assiduous attention to sustainability, around 80% of their food comes from the bountiful island. Guests are always invited to participate in the conservation projects, observing free roaming giant tortoises and exotic birds, assisting turtle hatchlings and cultivating sea coral.

There are 11 km of trails criss-crossing the island, which you can walk, mountain bike or explore by golf buggy. A nature walk with the resident conservationist is an inspiring and encouraging journey into the island’s ecosystem, giving you a deeper understanding of the role conservation plays in island life.