Sean's Visit to Alphonse Island in the Seychelles

We chat to Sean Kritzinger, director at Giltedge, about his recent trip to Alphonse Island in the Seychelles.

Seychelles is a dream destination for holidays, honeymoons and multi-generational getaways.

While the large islands of Seychelles like Mahé, Praslin and La Digue have great hotels, restaurants, snorkeling and diving experiences… nothing quite prepared Sean for what the outer islands of the Seychelles had to offer! It’s well worth your time to travel to add an extra hour to your trip.

What was your experience at Alphonse Island, seeing as you’d never been there before?

A stay at Alphonse Island is not like a holiday at your “typical” luxury resort … it’s much more real and authentic. The island itself is almost completely eco-friendly and self-sufficient; they’ve created their own runway, use solar power, farm vegetables and have a desalination plant.

Alphonse Island is isolated; you’re cut off from the rest of the world and are completely remote! While about 130 staff members live and work on the island — you will only see about 5 to 10 employees at a time.

Alphonse aerial — Alphonse Island from the air

What does the accommodation look like?

The rooms are widely spaced out from each other — about 10 – 15 meters apart — on the beach. Alphonse is really the epitome of barefoot luxury. I never felt uncomfortable even though I was travelling solo and the staff were amazing, friendly and helpful.

There’s even a bicycle for each guest outside every room (it’s a wonderful way of getting around!) and there are golf carts for guests who don’t want to cycle. Getting around the island is quick and easy, using these modes of transport.

Sean’s beautiful accommodation on Alphonse Island

On such a remote island, the staff are an integral part of the service. What were they like?

The staff comprise of local Seychellois and trained hotel staff as well as professional guides from the UK, Europe, US and South Africa. I felt completely comfortable – and it takes a special kind of staff member to make guests feel so at home and relaxed.

Every evening at 6:30 pm there was a fun gathering around the bar area for everyone. It was a chance to meet other guests and you could really feel the warmth around you. Fun prizes were given away to the best fly fishing catch or the child who did the best at SUPing that day.

It was also a time to discuss what your plans are the next day be it snorkelling, fishing, a boat excursion, etc.

Having said that if guests don’t want to interact with anyone, then they won’t feel forced to. Alphonse Island allows those who want to relax and enjoy “isolation travel” to do just that, yet it’s also attractive for people who want to socialise.

What activities does Alphonse offer?

Every morning guests meet at the island’s activity centre. From there, guests can go on a bicycle tour around the island or participate in water sports like SUPing, canoeing, etc.

There are dive masters on the island if you want to go scuba-diving, deep sea fishing or experience the best saltwater fly fishing in the Indian Ocean. You can also enjoy excursions to the atolls of St. François or Bijoutier or go for a Flats Lunch, which is their signature food experience.

I’d recommend the back-of-the-house tour to see how the island runs. Alphonse Island has its own vegetable garden, sewerage system, desalination plant and sanitation system, and they catch seafood for the restaurant’s menu. Guest get to see the staff lodgings or visit the island’s carpenters and tailor. They even made me a stunning white linen shirt during my stay there!