We are flying across a sea of clear blue when far below, a green spot pops up through the clouds.
It is Denis Island, a small coral island, shaped like a croissant. The white beach, which frames the island, is glaring against the blue water and only a strip of brown – the aircraft runway – is visible through the waving tree line.
Denis lies about 100km north east from Mahé, the main Seychelles island. It lies in splendid oceanic isolation and this is the closest you will get to staying on your own private island if you are not a billionaire.
Denis was first spotted in 1773 by French explorer Denis de Trobriand who found it to be a sanctuary for birds and turtles.
Now it’s run as a private resort. We are greeted at the airstrip by the island manager and taken by golf cart to reception where cold towels and drinks are ready to welcome us.
Denis is tiny – 1.6km by 1.2km – and it takes about two hours to walk around this little patch of paradise. During our stay, we shared the island with about 10 guests. But it felt as though we had the island to ourselves as we hardly saw the others, except at meal times.
Accommodation options range from the luxury honeymoon cottage with an extended sea-facing private deck, to a large family villa, beachfront spa cottage with a massage and wellness pavilion, and beach cottages with sea-facing verandas.
We stayed in a private cottage, set away from the others, with its own beach.
It’s heavenly to saunter around the pristine island in the dead quiet, make small discoveries, and end up on the deck with a drink in hand.
A walk through the island led us past a giant tortoise colony, a tiny church, and areas thick with vegetation, peppered with notice boards about its conservation efforts.
The island had been undergoing a process of ecological restoration and conservation management.
A number of trees have been planted to restore the bird habitat and Denis is home to four species of endangered endemic birds – the Seychelles fody, the Seychelles warbler, the magpie robin and the black paradise flycatcher.
But lets not forget the sea on Denis’s doorstep. So far away from land, the waters around Denis are clear, shallow, and then deep. There’s superb escorted snorkelling and scuba diving trips arranged by the PADI dive centre. Kayaking, windsurfing and sailing are also on offer. Another major highlight is the fishing – the massive drop-offs nearby mean these waters are teeming with big game fish including world record dogtooth tuna as well as marlin and sailfish.
The spa looks after those tired muscles after a day on the water.
The food on Denis is exceptional.
Chefs prepare dishes with ingredients fresh from the island’s farm and fished from the surrounding waters.
Various options are available for dinner – Creole specialities, braais on the beach or freshly fished sushi and sashimi sliced from the day’s catch.
We had the five-course table d’hôte dinners.
One of those menus included tartar of king fish or salt and pepper squid, white onion soup or cream of lobster soup, red snapper or grilled job fish served with prawn chowder or sous vide rabbit, and ended with a choice selection of Denis cheeses or deconstructed pineapple cake.
l The resort runs one hotel on the island and its prices are reasonable considering the degree of luxury and privacy available.
A special offer is now available for e599 (about R8 000) to e699 for two people on full board per night. Daily per person rates on Fregate Island start at e1 463 while on North Island prices start at e1 942.