Review: Six Senses Zil Pasyon

_Location: Six Senses Zil Pasyon is the only property on the private island of Felicité, one of 115 isles in the Seychelles. The majority of guests arrive via helicopter – the island is a scenic 20-minute flight from Mahé – but a speedboat transfer can also be arranged to collect guests from the nearby islands of Praslin and La Digue.

_{First impressions:} I feel like I’m in a scene out of James Bond as Felicité Island comes into view: a smattering of sleek villas pressed into the hillside, granite rocks framing a deserted stretch of sandy beach below. This is indeed a hideaway fit for a spy – remote and exotic in the middle of the sparkling Indian Ocean and brilliantly wild and rugged, with a healthy dose of creature comforts to boot. We’re introduced to our ‘Gem’ (guest experience maker) at the jetty and transported straight to our villa in an electric buggy – our names written haphazardly in colourful chalk on the back. You get the impression this is a resort that doesn’t need to try too hard. Six Senses Zil Pasyon is effortlessly cool.

_{The facts:} The resort occupies just one third of this one-square-mile island, and in true Six Senses style is done sensitively to its surrounds. The hotel has interfered little with the island’s natural foliage and has very much been built around nature, with villas and communal areas sculpted around hulking boulders and dense jungle. A case in point is the spa, where facilities, including a jaw-dropping open-air saltwater pool, are perched atop and amid towering rocks, connected by winding paths and wooden bridges. A total of 28 one-bedroom villas, two two-bedroom villas and three private residences are dotted across the northwest tip of the island.

The property’s accommodation is the star of the show here: villas are spread out in spectacular seclusion, nestled like treehouses among the fruit bat-filled trees and tropical vegetation. Every villa features a private infinity pool and either sunset or sunrise views. Two restaurants are arranged around a huge Indian almond tree strung with lanterns in the centre of the resort. Island Café serves European, Asian and African fare, while oceanside dining venue Ocean Kitchen offers themed dinners. The food standard at Six Senses Zil Pasyon is high, but lacking variation for longer stays. Guests will also find an oceanside bar – service can be slow but the cocktails are worth waiting for – and an outdoor pool, plus plenty of places for lounging (nab an overwater hammock for sunset). Elsewhere, guests will find three beaches (which are unfurnished and largely unattended), a gym and a kids’ club.

_{Ideal for:} Robinson Crusoe types who like their luxury a little less polished.

_Explore: A day trip to nearby La Digue – the smallest of the three main inhabited islands – is a must. A 15-minute speedboat ride away from Felicité, it’s best explored on two wheels – the island’s only form of transport. The other small isles surrounding Felicité are ideal for kayaking excursions, beach barbecues and boat trips. For their final night at the resort, book clients the private hilltop sunset experience, where they’ll watch the sun dip into the sea from a sofa tucked into the rocks, while a private waiter serves champagne.

_Wow: Six Senses’ commitment to the environment can’t fail to impress. From turtle conservation projects to its on-site Earth Lab to educate guests, it’s clear that sustainability is a mission firmly woven into every aspect of operations. Guests can take a sustainability tour where they’ll see the desalination and water bottling plants, plus a flourishing organic farm, which is one of the biggest producers of food in the Six Senses portfolio – not bad for a tiny island deep in the Indian Ocean. A percentage of revenue from staying here also goes towards a sustainability fund, which fuels regenerative impact projects such as forest and coral restoration, wildlife rescue and conservation education in local schools.

_{Book it:} Rates in high season start from £1,618 based on two people sharing a Hideaway Pool Villa on a B&B basis.
Sixsenses.com