Fregate Island Private — Hotel in Frégate Island

Frégate is such a magical island and the epitome of a dream place. You’ll get enchantend the moment you set the feet on her. We arrived by helicopter, which is the most convenient way and of course the most stunning as well. After a warm greeting by the lovely Resort Manager Arta, our nice butler Shannon and another staff member we were whisked away to our wonderful residence # 4 Water Lily, one of the 3 villas with direct beach access, great! The outdoor area is sensational with a huge inifinity pool and spectacular view over the ocean. About 400 square metre at least in size, the villa features a separate dining and living room, a romantic bedroom and also a tropical outdoor shower. It’s designed in a warm colonial style which perfectly matches to the environment. ||||Only 16 Residences and the Banyan Hill Estate guarantee a very intimate atmosphere with highest privacy level. No wonder at all that many celebrities choose to holiday on Frégate. The included mini-bar is stocked with a good choice of wines, local beer, and as a welcome gift in addition 2 bottles of the famous Takamaka rum. Every residence has its own buggy so you can easily explore the island by yourself. We settled in our villa and afterwards went on an introduction tour with our butler, showing us some major parts of the island. This beautiful place sizes about 2,2 square kilometre in total. Frégate is now covered again with endemic vegetation after many years of renaturation under initiation of the German owner. Around 3000 giant Aldabra tortoises roam around freely, over 100 species of birds live here, geckos and other creatures are also domestic. Undoubtedly an animal’s sanctuary and a nature lover’s paradise. Around 70% of the food is sustainably produced directly on the island. Local fishermen deliver fresh fish and seafood. ||||Conservation of the endemic flora and fauna is on top priority. The Seychelles Magpie Robin has here been saved from extinction. We went on a nice tour with Charles, the agricultural manager. He was showing us the hydroponic house, in which vegetables and flowers are cultivated. Also in the gardens among other plants corn, lemongrass, papaya, banana, breadfruit trees are growing in large numbers. You are always surrounded by hundreds of chirping birds which is just lovely. Also, for the ones who are afraid of creepy things: We had no special encounter at all, what of course does not mean there is nothing existing. But it’s definitely no need to worry about that.||||There are 7 beautiful beaches, including Anse Victorin. This one has been voted as one of the best beaches worldwide. Also Anse Macquereau is amazing, and it’s the „private beach“ of the island. The first couple entering the entrance put the sign to „beach in use“. Your butler will be delighted to come over with a delicious lunch basket accompanied by a bottle of wine. Every beach is equipped with a cool box containing soft drinks, also towels and of course a telephone are provided. Yet, those both beaches are not easy to reach, it demands a bit of an exercise to get the many steps down – and of course up again! So best you book afterwards a relaxing massage at the idyllic Rock Spa 😉. Unfortunately, during our stay we could not go swimming due to waves/currents on those 2 beaches. Some others are an alternative, e.g. main beach Anse Bambous and Marina beach. Anse Bambous houses also a lovely beach-side restaurant and comfortable beds to chill under the palm trees. Apart from the beaches, there is lots to explore on the island. The visit of the small cemetery from the former times for example. The original plantation house is now a museum with records of the history as a pirate’s nest. About 11km of nature trails surrounded by spectacular scenery are waiting to be explored. The resident conservation team will glady accompany you on an interesting jungle tour or on a night safari (for the more adventurous). Signal Hill is the highest point with 125 metre above sea level. A perfect venue for a celebration of high tea in the afternoon. Mountain biking, yoga, scuba diving, excursions and other activities are also available. Toddlers will have fun in the kids club with some nice things on offer like treasure hunting. ||||The main restaurant is perched on the hill with fabulous view from every point. Also lovely is the rustic Pirate’s Bar, ideal for a sundowner. Food is certainly of a high quality. Own bottled water is is served not only in the villa, but also in the outlets. That’s an important point in terms of sustainability. Many resorts only provide those bottles in the villa and serve in the restaurants imported bottles or even plastic ones. You select either from an à-la-carte menu with nice things like wagyu and lobster or off-menu. All meals can of course be enjoyed everywhere on the island. Choose a romantic candle-light-dinner on the beach, start the day with a breakfast high amidst the branches of an ancient Banyan Tree, or lunch in the privacy of your terrace. Only at breakfast I think the choice of pastry/jam could have been larger and also the service a bit swifter. The omelette selection was excellent! Well, I am famous for being picky on those things 😉. ||||Frégate is definitely a unique island which seems to be out of this world. It’s an ultimate hideaway for those who love to reconnect with nature without compromising on luxury. When we left the island, our pilot said: „Back to reality“. So true. Frégate is a rare jewel and a bit of...

I will start with the usual “we’ve been to many exclusive places around the world” routine...and this really is very true in our case. We have an enormous amount of comparison points. Aman Resorts would probably be a good benchmark with which to compare places such as Fregate, and we have been to most of the Amans. |Fregate is undoubtedly a photographically beautiful island. The the initial arrival is quite a “wow” in that respect, but things sort of disappoint thereafter. The wildlife (we loved it, but for the occasional few a put-off apparently, but you really shouldn’t be in the Seychelles if you are not into birds or centipedes) is very interesting and the conservation effort is clearly to be applauded...although we wondered if really the island was “conservation first, clients second” at times. As of October 2019, the villas and general facilities are dated...certainly for the money one is paying. The beach bar (apparently) isn’t “shabby chic”...it’s just shabby...there’s nobody there ..you have to call someone to come down, eventually. The main restaurant and common areas feel aesthetically very unimaginative. I can’t think of any other of the facilities I would describe as “wow”...the spa area is ok perhaps. Generally they probably need a more inspirational architect or need to commit proper money for a more comprehensive update, not incremental “catch-up/patch up” changes. I won’t go on to list things, but I noticed quite a few things where I felt a good architect with some imagination and attention to micro details may have improved on things. The food is ok but hardly knockout for such an expensive place. The service is well-meaning enough, but quite slow at times, Seychelles-style. All in all, just disappointing for the (very large) amount of money. | The one thing I really need to highlight though, and something that I’m truly bemused does not appear in many other reviews, is the fact that the very photogenic beaches are only useful for just that ...nice photographs...because you can forget enjoying going in the water...and with kids they are 100% a non-starter. Most they tell you to simply not go in (and you wouldn’t, not even strong swimmers), and the two bits they highlight as “swimming beaches” simply are not ...a somewhat scruffy bit of sand called “Marina beach” is simply a foot slicing exercise to get into the water across the broken coral for subsequently not a particularly amazing swimming experience, and the small section down in front of the main restaurant with its nasty shore break would knock most kids (and some adults) off their feet and churn then around in the sand in a nanosecond. There’s plenty of random rocks around under the water to slam into if you get anything wrong. What is disappointing is that via my agent I very specifically asked about swimming possibilities for both adults and children, and was specific about the time of year we were visiting, and the reply was “yes” and the old “the beaches change with the seasons so there’s always nice swimming somewhere”. Rest assured the denial will come, but I really don’t believe it. A manager at another high end place in the Seychelles summed it up honestly: “the Seychelles is pretty well one of the worst places in the Indian Ocean for actually swimming in the sea”....

Reaching Fregate Island Private is a bit like making your way to Fantasy Island. The helicopter ride from Mahe takes about 40 minutes and creates a great sense of anticipation. Once you’ve arrived, you are greeted with leis and tropical drinks. Keeping in mind that this Island is an ecological preserve, you’ll appreciate a certain aroma in the air as you make your way from the helicopter landing site to your villa (you're passing through a bird nesting area). The smell may be strong but once you reach the villas, the air is incredibly fresh and the views from the villa over the Indian Ocean are exhilarating. The larger villas have direct beach access, but the single bedroom villas are perched high atop granite boulders and have access nearby. One really neat aspect about Fregate Island Private is the fact that many of the beach areas are typically unoccupied and some have a sign that you can use to indicate it is occupied, thus allowing you to have the beach entirely to yourself. The villas are extremely spacious and have large bedrooms and a separate large living area. Our Villa had two bathrooms and an extensive deck, hot tub, and substantial infinity Pool that offered commanding views over the Ocean. The pool is such an enjoyable place to relax as the changing sky and sun created a panoply of different colors and light. It was especially relaxing to enjoy the pool at night with the lights off, gazing up at the immense Milky Way while silhouettes of fruit bats passed overhead. The villa is quite spacious and airy. There is ample complimentary beer, wine, local rum, nuts, cookies, and fruit for your enjoyment. There was so much food, we rarely ate formal breakfast and simply snacked on the treats available in the villa. The lunches and dinners were extremely delicious. The ingredients were fresh and varied. You can have your meals at your villa or at the restaurant. Meals, beer, and many wines are included. Some of the meals can be taken at a variety of locations around the island. The manager Wayne is very helpful and it is extremely enjoyable and educational to take the island walk with him. I would also recommend the evening nature walk. Our personal helper, Tamil, had occasional communication issues due to linguistic misunderstanding but he tried very hard to maximize the events during our stay. I was quite amazed he trekked our lunch one day down the enormous flight of stairs to Anse Victorin (rated more than once the world’s most beautiful beach). There are many complimentary activities and during our six days, we could not partake in all. There is an air conditioned gym and lovely spa a short walk or buggy (your villa comes with an electric cart) drive from the villas and the Balinese massage we received was incredible. Just below the main lodge, you’ll find a very large infinity pool as well as a gorgeous beach. I only wish we’d had the time to enjoy them both. One thing you’ll appreciate while staying here, you rarely encounter other guests; it’s almost as if you have the entire island to yourself. Next time we visit, we plan to...