This Suite is One of the Best Hotel Rooms in the Seychelles
Our column "The Best Room At" offers a glimpse inside some of the most charming, luxurious, and iconic properties around the world.
Getting to the Seychelles is no easy task-from New York, the trip requires more than a day of travel-but the moment you descend upon the region's signature emerald green water, you'll realize that every ounce of the journey was worth it.
Located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa, the Seychelles are comprised of 115 islands, most of which are uninhabited. Their beauty is truly unrivaled: lush rainforests, coral reefs, and white sand beaches make for a breathtaking landscape that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in the world.
Among the luxury hotels in the area, Six Senses Zil Pasyon is often considered the best, and with good reason. The 30-villa property is tucked away on its own private island, promising a level of privacy and exclusivity that lures moguls and celebrities alike. But seclusion is only part of the draw-there's also the over-the-top attention to detail. Rather than butlers, guests are assigned a "GEM" (or "guest experience manager") that caters to your every need-from arranging breakfast picnics on the beach, to private sunset cocktails, and even an outdoor movie under the stars. In each villa, you'll find sun hats, yoga mats, and drawstring sachets for sunglasses, as well as a fridge stocked daily with fresh coconut water.
And then, of course, there are the villas themselves. Though it's admittedly hard to choose which room is the hotel's best, the hotel's general manager Hilton Hastings takes us inside his favorite.
Describe the hotel in a sentence.
Six Senses Zil Pasyon is a private island resort that offers the best of Seychelles, allowing guests to indulge in the natural beauty of the island, high quality cuisine, water sports and land activities and unmatched spa experiences, while still being true to the Six Senses values of wellness and sustainability.
Which room is the best?
The residences-which are new multi-bedrooms that have just been introduced to the resort this year-are our signature room category. With either three or four bedrooms, the residences are perfect for families or groups of friends traveling together who want that extra bit of privacy without compromising comfort, space or views. Set high up on the island, the residences offer unmatched vistas of Seychelles.
Why?
In addition to bedrooms that function as hotel rooms in and of themselves (all the amenities you would find in a villa, such as en-suite bathrooms with large soaking tubs, double vanities and rain showers, as well as a private terrace, mini bar and entertainment area), residences offer a communal living and dining area, a kitchen to allow for meals prepared in-residence, a large pool and terrace, as well as a master suite, which has its own glass-bottomed pool that filters to the living room below. The residences are very modern in architecture but still have the wonderful Six Senses touch that make them feel like a home away from home.
What’s the average nightly rate?
Villa rates start at EUR 1,426; residences start at EUR 9,484.
Who is your typical guest?
We don’t necessarily have a typical guest. We receive a great variety of guests to the hotel, from honeymoon couples and young families to guests celebrating a significant anniversaries or multi-generational travel. We also cover a wide range of nationalities, which makes it especially difficult to peg a “typical guest.” However, some things that we do find the majority of our guests have in common is that they are well-traveled and have an appreciation for sustainable living or wellness. These two values are central to our brand, and it also gives us the down-to-earth vibe that so many of our guests are fond of.
Are you able to mention any celebrities that the hotel has hosted?
One of the wonderful things about Six Senses Zil Pasyon is that it provides the ultimate privacy to guests, which means we never disclose who has stayed at the resort. However, because of this respect to our guests, we do attract some well-known personalities and it’s quite normal that you may recognize a guest at the table next to you during breakfast.
What’s one local recommendation you always give first-time visitors?
We are fortunate to be located in a wonderful place within Seychelles renowned for its snorkeling and diving. This gives us the advantage of having a beautiful reef just off the shore of our restaurant, which is a must for all guests to discover. Guests especially interested in the marine life can also meet with our Sustainability Manager, who is a marine biologist. She oversees our own coral restoration project and can also take guests on guided snorkeling excursions in the reefs surrounding Félicité.
Can you share an interesting tidbit about the hotel's history?
Before the island became home to Six Senses Zil Pasyon, it was used as a coconut plantation. During this time, an invasive species was introduced in order to stop the soil from eroding. Unfortunately, this plant had very strong roots and spread quickly, killing out much of the original vegetation of the island. For the last ten years, Felicite has been undergoing an intensive restoration effort to return it to its natural state and beauty. While work is still being down, the one-third of the island that is dedicated to the resort and residences has been fully restored. The plants that you find around the villas and resort area are all either indigenous or endemic to Seychelles. We like to say that we are one of the few places in the world that is actually getting greener over time.
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