Review of Desroches Island Resort, by John Borthwick

At last, peace on earth. On Desroches Island Resort my room lacks telephone and television. There is no all-night club thump or all-day pool shriek. The island has one road, a coconut plantation, an airstrip and one luxury resort. Not surprisingly it's called Desroches Island Resort.

The facilities

At luxury Desroches Island Resort, 35 minutes flight from the Seychelles' capital Mahe, your day revolves around when to sleep, eat or go fishing, and whether to watch the sun rise or set over the Indian Ocean. Nearby are 14 world class diving sites, most notably the Desroches Drop and the Canyon.

The luxury resort's alfresco restaurant lets you wiggle your toes in bare sand, while a chef with a tall toque and suitably Gallic accent does delicious things with the catch of the day and fresh local vegetables.

The rooms

Desroches Island Resort's 20 elegant suites sit amid pandanus and palm-shaded gardens that open onto the beach. Decorated in sunny colours, the rooms at the luxury resort are tranquil and welcoming.

Dawdling by bicycle along the island's one path, I encounter a giant tortoise. A metre long and half a metre high, this boulder with eyes lumbers ever forward until I step aside. It then rolls on to some not-too-pressing appointment in the lush jungle, as do I to some deserted beach.