~ The vibe: A private island retreat with white-sand beaches, green jungles, and abundant wildlife Location: Platte Island, Outer Island, Seychelles | View on Google Maps ~ |
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The AFAR take
From the window on the turboprop plane transfer from Mahé, Platte Island comes into view as a tiny, palm-tufted speck ringed by bone-white beaches and a turquoise sea. This private island is the site of the new Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island, which opened at the end of January 2024 as the island’s only occupant. The resort’s 50 villas—each surrounded by tropical gardens—dot the island’s jungle-filled interior, while the sprawling pool, seashell-strung lobby lounge, and bathwater-warm waves lapping the shore set the stage for a honeymoon-worthy private island hideaway.
Who’s it for?
With its swaying palms, lounger-dotted gardens, and footprint-free beaches, the resort is a prime honeymoon retreat. Couples will find plenty of privacy in their villas and tropical gardens, while candlelit dinners and spa treatments for two will add a dash of extra romance. However, that’s not to say the resort doesn’t welcome families: Villas come with up to five bedrooms, while the sprawling kids club and teens corner will be a hit for kids of all ages.
A guest room at Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island
Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island
The location
The Waldorf Astoria takes over the whole of Platte Island (or Île Platte, French for “flat island,” as the French explorers who discovered it in 1769 named it), a former coconut plantation in the southern Seychelles. The resort is surrounded by shallow water, and from whichever of its beaches you look, you won’t see anything but frothy waves breaking on the outlying barrier reef in the blue distance. The transfer by chartered turboprop plane from Mahé, where the Seychelles’ main airport is located, takes about 20 minutes and lands on the resort’s private runway that cuts the island in two.
The sprawling pool, seashell-strung lobby lounge, and bathwater-warm waves lapping the shore set the stage for a honeymoon-worthy private island hideaway.
The rooms
The resort’s 50 accommodations range from one-bedroom villas to a five-bedroom estate large enough for an extended family. Design-wise, each one is similar, with zig-zagging roofs inspired by the scales of a turtle shell and a fan-shaped outdoor deck hugging a private swimming pool.
The interiors channel beach house–chic, with hand-woven basketry, sun-bleached woods, beds fringed by gauzy drapes bound with sisal rope, and seashells. The breezy bathrooms are bedecked in terrazzo from shell splinters and mother-of-pearl and come with giant freestanding bathtubs and outdoor showers. Pillows with bamboo and palm tree patterns add a tropical touch to the living rooms.
Even though the Indian Ocean is visible through the gardens’ palm trees, it’s worth noting that none of the villas have unobstructed views of the beach (or direct access to it)—it’s the resort’s way of making sure that they don’t disturb the hawksbill turtles that nest along the island’s shores.
Platte Island, where the Waldorf Astoria is located, is a private island in the Seychelles.
Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island
The food and drink
There are three restaurants, two bars, and a café to choose from. For breakfast and lunch, Mediterranean poolside restaurant Le Perle hits the spot with burrata salads, stone-baked pizzas, and antipasti—don’t miss the potato gnocchi with butternut sauce. At the airy Maison des Epices restaurant, Seychellois chef Colvin Beaudoin prepares fiery Latin-laced Creole fusion food over a large grill. Highlights include the adobo-crusted skewers of kudu, springbok, and ostrich meat, and rich Creole curry with breadfruit and moringa leaves, all of which pair well with the restaurant’s rum- and mezcal-forward cocktails. Moulin, taking over a glasshouse-like building at the heart of the island’s sprawling vegetable garden, draws almost entirely on plants and mushrooms. The ever-changing seven-course tasting menu, served with biodynamic wines from South Africa, could include such farm-to-table creations as dehydrated cabbage with kimchi-celeriac puree and onion foam and salads with homegrown herbs in a zingy kombucha dressing.
Lalin, the gauze-draped rooftop bar that overlooks the pool, comes alive during champagne-fueled sundowners, while nearby Torti mixes drinks from more than two dozen different types of gin. For a pick-me-up in between, Peacock Terrace (a play on the original Waldorf Astoria New York’s stalwart Peacock Alley) brews bespoke loose-leaf blends by Dubai-based tea specialist Avantcha and pulls espressos from Sumatran and Tanzanian beans roasted in Mahé.
The bathroom of a guest room at the Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island
Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island
Staff and service
The team, comprising some 140 staff from all over the world, lives on the island. Many members I met throughout my stay referred to the work vibe as a big happy family, and the genuine hospitality I received everywhere from the restaurants to the pool felt like a testament to that. Every villa is assigned a dedicated concierge to help out with restaurant reservations and activities. My concierge, the ever-smiling Donia from Tunisia, brought me aloe vera when she spotted my sunburned face after a boat trip, and sent me home with a painting of turtles and palm trees she had made for my son after hearing that he sadly wasn’t able to join me on this trip.
Accessibility
While the villas are spacious enough for navigating wheelchairs, sandy pathways and plenty of steps will pose some mobility challenges.
Wildlife watch
Platte Island has seen minimal human activity throughout the centuries, which has allowed local wildlife to flourish both on land and under water. The island is home to large colonies of terns and noddy birds, and a single gray heron the resort staff named Henry. Platte is also one of the Seychelles’ main nesting spots for green and hawksbill turtles—at last count, 277 nests (each one signposted with a numbered coconut on a stick) could be found in the jungle fringe.
Close to eight percent of the Seychelles’ seagrass grows in the shallow waters around the island. With a barrier reef protecting the seagrass from strong currents and erosion, it’s a safe haven for turtle hatchlings and other marine life. During snorkeling trips with Waldorf Astoria’s catamaran, you’re almost guaranteed to spot hawksbill turtles, parrot fish, and peacock groupers. But even during guided early-morning beach walks with resident marine biologist Athina Antoine, you’ll likely find juvenile black tip sharks, eagle rays, and stingrays in the glassy waters near the shore.
Time your visit right, and you might spot humpback whales (which pass through the area from September to mid-December) during boat excursions.
