Get up close and personal with wildlife at the Waldorf Astoria Platte Island resort in Seychelles

“Here’s a nesting spot,” beckons my turtle patrol guide, Dominique Dina, who gingerly leads me towards a dense canopy of shrubs, where the last batch of the hawksbill turtles have stealthily laid their eggs in late April, a stone’s throw away from the pristine beach.

“Judging by the number of holes dug by crabs around the spot, we know that the eggs are about to hatch — crabs are very sensitive to movement in the ground,” shares Dina, who is also the environment manager at luxury resort Waldorf Astoria Platte Island.

I am on Platte Island, a tiny 1.3km-long strip island 130km south of Mahe, the largest island of Seychelles, an African archipelago sprinkled in the middle of the Indian Ocean, with its closest neighbours being Madagascar and Kenya. Platte (French for “flat”) Island is one of a handful of nesting sites for the endangered hawksbill and green turtles.

Dina estimates that around 600 to 700 turtles come ashore from September to July during the nesting season. 

With the resort coexisting with these precious nesting sites, turtle patrol walks are one of the more popular activities for guests. During the peak nesting season, hawksbill turtles emerge from the sea to dig sand chambers along the beach to lay their eggs, which can number up to 200 each time.

If the stars are aligned, guests can be whisked away to witness the hatching process — newborn turtles sticking their heads out of the sand chambers and dizzily crawling towards the sea.  

During a morning walk around the coconut tree-fringed island, Dina shares that these hatchlings have a one in a thousand chance of surviving the short but precarious journey to the sea.

The path is fraught with predators, such as crabs (there are plenty of ghosts and brown crabs scurrying around the island) and cats. Rising sea levels are eroding coastlines and making nesting options more scarce. 

Dina conducts twice-daily patrols along the coast, scouting for new nesting spots and keeping track of the hatching status, which typically takes place two weeks after the nests are discovered. If a nest is at risk of damage, his team transfers the entire nest, egg by egg, to a safer spot.  

The Seychellois says, “While preserving turtles is hard work, I get satisfaction from seeing the number of turtles grow on the island, and guests become more aware of the environment.” 

Marine sanctuary 

Eco-tourism is a key pillar of the Waldorf Astoria Platte Island, which opened in January. The 50-villa resort, accessible only by private plane, is the most luxurious of the six properties of hospitality giant Hilton in Seychelles. The island was a guano-harvesting station and a coconut plantation before Hilton announced its hotel plans in early 2021. 

The US$200 million ($270 million) development, designed by Singapore architecture firm Eco.id, includes fan-shaped villas with roofs fashioned after the shell of a hawksbill turtle, a state-of-the-art spa complex shaped like the coco de mer nut, an emblem of Seychelles, and an Aldabra giant tortoise enclosure. 

Foodies can have a field day at the six dining establishments, including Maison Des Epices, helmed by local chef Colvin Beau, which presents innovative Latin-Creole dishes such as a moreish grilled octopus with papaya chutney and prawn and crab curry in salted coconut.

Other popular activities at the watersports centre include fly fishing, kite surfing and free diving. 

Despite the abundance of activities, the resort’s biggest asset is undisputedly the bowl-shaped lagoon in the crater of a prehistoric volcano. The island is encircled by a 13-km barrier reef, which forms a wildlife sanctuary for many young marine creatures. Crystal-clear waters are given in Seychelles’ world-class beaches, but one that is teeming with marine life is another.

 During my hour-long reef walk around the island's perimeter, Dina points out schools of juvenile mangrove whiprays and sea porcupines swimming around seagrass meadows in the shallow, tranquil waters.

Seeing saucer-like whiprays fluttering away at close quarters, followed by a sicklefin lemon shark skimming through, feels like being in a front-row seat in an open-air aquarium, but with sand between your wet toes. 

Tropical nirvana

The sheer solitude of the island is best savoured in the capacious one-bedroom Hawksbill pool villa that I stayed at for two nights (each villa comes with a personal concierge). The fan-shaped building encases a private pool that can be accessed from expansive glass doors that open out to a spacious wooden deck.

Looking out to coconut-framed blue skies from the pool offers blissful views of tropical nirvana. The villas are also designed to coexist harmoniously with wildlife — they are set back from the oceanfront and are shrouded in trees to minimise light pollution (a semi-private patch of beach is a mere 30-second stroll from each villa). 

The balmy outdoors is brought into the villa through a cream and taupe palette and design elements of rope, rattan, bamboo, and seashell drapes. The colossal poster bed is dramatically draped with white linen that soars towards the tall roof, permeating a dreamy cloud-like aura.

The equally roomy bathroom, attached to an outdoor shower area, has an island Apaiser stone bathtub centrepiece that looks out to the garden.

As a seasoned city dweller, I found the reclusiveness of this respite invigorating. During my reef walks, I enjoyed being the only person for miles along stretches of beach with hovering brown noddy birds and lush vegetation for company.

Come nightfall, a post-dinner walk on the closed runway is magical. Looking at the bright moon, which lit up most of the tarmac, and listening to the light rustle of coconut trees waving to the cool breeze, it was my moment of meditative bliss.

What to do on Mahe Island, Seychelles

As Seychelles’ largest island, Mahe is the epicentre of social, cultural and business life. The East African nation is a melting pot of communities that include African, European, Indian, Arab, and Chinese that have crossed paths on the multicultural island. It is also home to numerous beaches or anse (there’s one at every turn of the road). The national pastime involves mingling with bottles of SeyBrew beer at a barbecue party. We highlight some of the must-dos on Mahe Island. 

1. Victoria 

The world’s smallest capital boasts a compact town centre, where locals throng markets and shopping complexes, mostly on Saturdays. At the heart of town, the landmark clock tower is a miniature replica of the one on Vauxhall Bridge in London. It was brought here in 1903 when Seychelles were under British rule. 

 Foodies should visit Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market, which sells freshly caught fish such as jobfish, groupers and red snappers in the morning, alongside fruit and vegetables. Also, go for spices such as curry powder, cinnamon, vanilla pods, and tea.

The multicultural city also has a 40-year-old South Hindu temple with an eye-catching gopuram, cathedrals, and a Chinese cultural centre. Walking to the city's key sights, including a history museum housed in a former colonial-style courthouse, can be completed within an hour.

2. Saint Anne's Marine National Park

The park is a cluster of six small, lush islands encapsulating a shallow turquoise water lagoon. It is so clear that you can see rippled reflections on the sandbed while wading from one island to another.

A day trip from Eden Island on Mahe includes a chartered glass-bottom boat excursion that offers a view of the abundant marine life before heading to Cerf Island, a popular snorkelling and diving spot. You can also look out for some paragliding action on the neighbouring islands. The park’s entrance fee is priced at RS200 ($20). 

spga.gov.sc/parks/st-anne

3. Takamaka Rum Distillery 

The Seychellois rum brand, founded in 2002, has become synonymous with the country, with numerous bars serving it in cocktails. About three-quarters of its rum is exported overseas. La Plaine St. André aptly occupies a former sugarcane plantation house, houses a distillery, museum, medicinal garden, and a rum shack in a large garden that hosts weekend markets.

Takamaka’s classic rums include flavours such as coconut, pineapple, and dark spiced which is laced with papaya, vanilla and caramel. Sign up for a free tour on weekdays and Saturdays to learn more about the brand’s storied heritage. 

takamakarum.com