North Island
Superbly luxurious and delightfully informal
Facilities & services
- 11 villas (10 standard, 1 Grand)
- Sunset Bar
- Island Piazza (dining area, wine cellar, lounge, sitting areas)
- Boutique
- Dive Centre
- Library
- Swimming Pool
- Spa & Gym
Activities
- Diving and snorkeling coral reefs
- Mountain biking
- Kayaking
- Deep sea fishing
- Excursions to Silhouette Island
We think it’s fair to say that there’s nowhere quite like North Island and its hotel. Especially when you consider the amount of effort they have put into not only making sure they provide guests with a lucury escape, but also protecting the environment and its varied wildlife.
The picture is predictable but the experience is not. Firstly, the hotel owns this Eden-like island all to itself with its flaying green palms and flour-sifted sands lapped at by the warm, tie-dye turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. There’s also a lovely Robinson Crusoe feel to the place, with your days filled with the sounds and sights of its birds, vibrant coral life to dive, fishing and kayaking trips, not to mention its own small population of giant tortoises. North Island is well renowned for is ecologically-sustainable efforts and admirable drive to conserve and reintroduce many of its species.
However, you definitely know you haven’t been shipwrecked when you see the sumptuous ethnic style of its eleven private, palapa-style villas, elegant beach piazza, wine cellar, library, boutique, not to mention trying the delectable cuisine and meeting their impeccable staff.
Protecting the island
North Island was involved in setting up the Noah’s Ark conservation and island rehabilitation programme. Successfully eradicating rodents and invasive plant species has meant that bird species such as Seychelles Blue Pigeons and breeding populations of wedge-tailed shearwaters and white-tailed tropicbirds have returned of their own accord. Hawksbill and green turtles nest on their beaches once more, in ever-increasing numbers.
North Island’s vision is a declared Ecological Marine Reserve, further protecting the area from fishing and potentially harmful marine activities. The island’s Marine Protected Area proposal is supported by data collection by means of biannual scientific marine surveys conducted by trained marine biologists since 2011. The surveys quantify the diversity and abundance of the reef fish, hard and soft corals, marine invertebrates and predatory species. This is supported by continuous reef monitoring carried out by our resident environmentalists and ecotourism volunteers on a daily basis, as well as by the Dive Centre and guests who wish to get involved. North Island site-specific fish identification slates are used on dives and snorkels, enabling key species to be identified and additional data to be compiled and monitored.
Turtle monitoring
Every morning, dedicated on-site conservationists together with eco-tourist volunteers patrol the four beaches for signs of turtles. Turtle nests are marked out and labeled with bamboo sticks and a coconut, stating the date laid and the species. All the data recorded is captured in our turtle database. Turtles which already have identification tags are recorded and those without are given unique titanium tags.
In becoming a completely plastic-free island, North Island banned single-use plastic straws and only uses eco-friendly compostable food containers for activities around the island. This is in addition to stringent waste management processes including extensive recycling, greywater systems, and their own sustainable water bottling plant. In keeping North Island’s private beaches perfectly pristine, resident Environmentalists and eco-tourist volunteers set off on beach patrol each and every morning, collecting any debris carried by the trade winds while searching for nesting sea turtles. They remove these items and ensure they enter the proper recycling routes, making sure they do not enter the oceans once more.
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