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7 August 2024Desperately seeking seclusion
Halcyon Lifestyle has dug into past trips and consulted experts and we bring you our top ten luxury island boltholes
T hese have been challenging times. Let’s face it, none of us has enjoyed the last two years. Surely, therefore we’re overdue a particle of pampering, a sensuous soupçon of opulence, ideally somewhere warm, in these early, chilly months of 2022.
Therefore, we did what any self-respecting group of individuals would do and opened a bottle of wine to talk about what we would want. Obviously this was a ‘work event’ in the parlance of Downing Street so we remained socially distanced at all times but, after much discussion (and more than a few laughs) we pooled our memories and histories and came up with the best, most luxurious, destinations to visit when money is no object.
Not everyone has the same tastes or preferences so we have unashamedly graded these on our own personal scale. We’ve considered all manner of criteria – from ambient weather to number of rooms / suites, from staffing / service to exclusivity – in coming to our decision. The only element that we deemed to be a must was that the destination hotel or resort must be the sole property on the island on which it stands.
In making this small restriction we lost a few very special destinations that would be high on anyone’s list but, well, it’s our list and we like it. Some of the hotels can be accessed by your own private jet while some you have to change at the nearest hub airport for a puddle-jumper but we didn’t think this was a big enough reason to disqualify a hotel.
We also had to try and put each of these destinations into a geographical frame of reference for you, the reader, who may be planning a visit. Therefore, all distances have been calculated from London Heathrow. We know we have readers far and wide for whom this won’t be perfect, but we’re UK-based so that’s how we’re offering our thoughts to you. We also decided to offer this feature to you in two parts for ease of reading.
So, having said all the above, settle in and enjoy our suggestions. We initially planned to run this in a tabular format whereby number one was ‘the best’ but we gave up. There’s so little to choose between all these super-luxurious destinations and all of us here on the team had differing options with none of us individually having been to all the hotels in the list that, in the end, we decided simply to run them in alphabetical order.
If we've missed an obvious island hideaway from our list (a possibility) or we’ve said something daft or inaccurate (also a possibility!) then we look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, start thinking about your trips for 2022 and we hope this two-part feature helps you.
Words: TG
Surely ... we’re overdue a particle of pampering, a sensuous soupçon of opulence, ideally somewhere warm
Alphonse Island, Seychelles
Little more than a blink-and-you-miss-it islet in the Indian Ocean, an hour’s flight from the airport in Mahé, the capital of the Seychelles, Alphonse Island, first noted on charts in 1562, lies like an arrowhead in the azure seas. Rising no more than ten metres above sea level at any point this wonderful hideaway, part of the Blue Safari Seychelles collection, is tailor-made for leisurely indulgence.
If however you are more adventurous and have in mind more than simply reading the latest schlock horror thriller bought as you passed through the airport then Alphonse Island is considered a fly angler’s paradise. The atolls are home to large populations of Bonefish, Triggerfish, Barracuda, snapper, grouper, Indo-Pacific Permit, parrotfish, eight species of trevally (including the Giant Trevally) and the great white whale of these parts – the Milkfish.
Expansive flats, with ten thousand acres of hard white sand providing easy wading, surround the Alphonse atolls and offer the fly-fishing experience of a lifetime. Spend your day casting, catching and returning and, when you’ve sated yourself, gather at the Le Lys bar back at the lodge to talk about the ones that got away. It’s become a tradition for fishermen (and women) to try and catch a member of each species and thereby collect the full set of challenge coins, ringing the bell at the end of the bar each time. It brings disparate individuals, who may not have known each other before this week in paradise, closer together and augments an already-warm atmosphere.
Conservation underpins everything at Alphonse Island. The island has its own Conservation Centre offering activities such as turtle patrol, beach clean-ups, giant tortoise feeding and birdwatching. So seriously do they take their responsibilities that the external lights on the bungalows are green so as not to disorientate the hatchling turtles as they make their way into the sea.
In collaboration with the Manta Trust, the Conservation Centre has also implemented projects to monitor the behaviour, movements and population of the Manta Rays in the Seychelles. Guests can contribute to the Citizen Science project by taking photographs while snorkelling and then uploading the images to the central database.
If you’re tired from doing too much or, indeed, tired from the sheer exhaustive participation in the serious business of ‘lounging by the pool’ then the Azure Spa is a refuge where your mind can relax while gifted therapists work their magic. Treatments range from the esoteric through the exotic to the extraordinary. Generic or targeted massages are on offer and will leave you rejuvenated and with a spring in your step.
Degustation is amply covered too. The Bijoutier restaurant is the heart and soul of the island and you will spend long balmy evenings enjoying the diverse cuisine from the inspiration of Seychellois Creole and French chefs. A large (and increasing) proportion of the produce that arrives on your plate is grown on the island and the menus are designed around freshness. All meals are included in your package but drinks aren’t.
Immediately you step off the plane your body realigns itself to a slower pace and you recognise Alphonse’s primary raison d’être – relaxation and recharge. It is a refuge from the mania of the modern world.
- Alphonse Island, Seychelles
- Distance from Heathrow: 5,142 miles
- Tel: +27 82 496 4570
- Email Reservations
- Seven nights full board (excluding beverages but including inter-island transfer) costs from £9,442 per couple staying in a Beach Bungalow and from £13,542 per couple staying in a Beach Suite
Amanpulo, Pamalican Island, Philippines
It’s only about an hour’s flight from Manila and accessible solely by private plane, yet the tropical idyll of Pamalican Island feels a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the world. Nestled gently and sympathetically into the biosphere, Amanpulo hotel, opened in 1993 by the Aman Group and combining the Filipino word pulo (island) with the Sanskrit word aman (peaceful) in its name for a truly eponymous serendipity, is the only property on this Philippine island.
Located among the Quiniluban group of the Cuyo archipelago, consisting of over 7,000 separate tropical islands, accessing Pamalican is well worth the effort expended.
Pamalican, meaning ‘a place to return to’ in the local dialect, is only 2.5km long and is set in the middle of a 7sqkm coral reef. As you might imagine, life at Amanpulo is centred around the sea and its vicissitudes. The lagoon with its sandy bottom and the calm waters around the island make the setting ideal for all the various water sports activities on offer during your stay. With a PADI dive centre on site guests can explore everything beneath the waves including swimming with centuries-old sea turtles.
Having flown from Manila in the hotel’s small plane you arrive to a property where all the bungalows are modelled on authentic traditional bahay kubo dwellings. There are 40 beach, hillside and treetop casitas, each with large bathrooms, their own chef, butler and golf cart for exploring the island.
The casitas are intricately furnished with décor inspired by rural Filipino homes and come with high ceilings, twin roofs and private outdoor decks. They are surrounded by spectacular scenery of the hillsides and beachfronts. The beach casitas have private pathways that lead to the white sandy beaches and looking out from your seclusion gives you beautiful views of the neighbouring islands.
The treetop casitas are located above the treeline and all have their own private pool. The private villas, meanwhile, located near the sea boast their own private swimming pool, separate bedroom, living and dining pavilions along with an outdoor lounge and kitchen.
Dining, should you wish to forgo the talents of the private chef in your casita, is equally special. There is the Club House serving Filipino classics while the Beach Club specialises in Mediterranean fare and Nama focusses on sushi. Once digestion is complete don’t forget to indulge yourself at the Aman Spa – a peaceful sanctuary where you can be pampered while gazing over the Sulu Sea.
Amanpulo is just about the archetype of an Edenic wonderland only just staying on the right side of stereotype. Imagine the white powdery sand, the aquamarine sea and the rustling fronds of palm trees and you’re right there. Guests can expect utter tranquillity and first-class service.
- Amanpulo Hotel, Pamalican Island, Pawalan, Philippines
- Distance from Heathrow: 6,859 miles
- Tel: +63 2 7976 5200
- For reservations: +63 2 8854 0276
- Email Reservations
- Prices start from around £826 per casita in low season with neither breakfast nor transfer flights (£370 return) included
Calala Island, Nicaragua
Four suites. Four. Styled after a traditional Caribbean palapa. With capacity for just eight people maximum. That’s all there is on Calala Island, a little-known gem tucked away in this corner of the Caribbean Sea just off the coast of Nicaragua.
Calala is one of the Pearl Cays, an elongated necklace of pocket-sized islands. An hour’s flight from Managua to Bluefields it’s a further hour and a half by boat via a cross-section of mangroves, fishing villages and open sea. Alternatively, you could take an 80-minute helicopter flight as there’s a helipad hidden away in the verdancy of the island. The latter option is one of the few things not included in the price of your stay.
If you’re coming by boat then you could be forgiven, on your approach, for thinking you’re about to become Robinson Crusoe or Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks’ character in the 2000 film Castaway) reincarnated. This dot of an island doesn’t resemble a luxury resort until you get up close and personal. As you do, then thatch-roofed villas and a glistening, glinting infinity pool emerge from the palms to greet you along with one of the 30 members of staff (a 4:1 ratio to guests) who are composed of friendly locals fluent across English, French, Spanish and Creole.
How you spend your time here is entirely up to you.; you can do as much or as little as you want. If your day starts with a Mimosa by the pool followed by 18 hours of being horizontal with half-hourly roll-and-baste in the sunshine or something more active, the staff are keen to help. Almost everything is included on Calala Island – you could join the team fishing for the evening’s dinner or try snorkelling or paddle boarding. But whatever you do don’t fail to have an evening cocktail under the stars. Given the island’s remoteness there’s no light pollution here so lie back, drink in hand, and wonder at God’s firmament.
As with all luxury destinations there is the obligatory spa. Set in its own palapa tucked into the mangroves you can be either stroked or pummelled, as is your preference, to the melodic tunes played by the local wildlife.
Dining is, if you’ll excuse the pun, a moveable feast. There are two restaurants on-site and the executive chef, Lorne Emerson, having worked across some of Europe’s top Michelin-starred restaurants, has a wealth of experience and is always looking to push boundaries. The four-course dinner menus are designed around market-fresh produce and the day’s catch always tweaking it for the gourmand. The seven-course tasting menu is worth more than just an Instagram photo.
There are white sands, exclusive service and utter tranquillity on offer here on this private island. You can take one of the suites and be among no more than six other guests or, indeed, rent the whole island (for a minimum stay of three nights) and have it all to yourself or sharing it with your nearest and dearest; there’ll just be the staff bringing you fresh coconuts from the trees. Either way, you won’t find yourself talking to a basketball named Wilson while you’re soaking away the woes of your ‘other life’. You’ll have a wonderful time at Calala.
- Calala Island, NiCaribbean
- Distance from Heathrow: 5,274 miles
- Tel: +1 929 269 1232
- Email Reservations
- Prices range seasonally and start from £1,207 per night in low season to £2,488 per night in high season with a minimum of a three-night stay
Laucala, Fiji
Of all the private island boltholes we have on our list, Laucala Island, in the warm tropical waters of the South Pacific, is probably the largest. And by large, we don’t mean that there’s an inundation of rooms or that the footprint of the resort itself challenges the eye’s focal ability. No, Laucala ‘only’ (we’re using this word advisedly) has 24 one-, two- and three-bedroom villas and the owner’s personal three-bedroom estate also available when he is not in residence.
No, this utterly remote and private yet spectacularly beautiful and luxurious holiday hideaway, one of two of our offerings managed by COMO Hotels, is actually rather small but is set, with no other properties, on an island of 3,000 acres of breath-taking nature with pristine sandy beaches, coconut plantations and loweringly magnificent green mountains. Only accessible via private jet (either your own or the resort’s), Laucala is a destination where you have to recalibrate your understanding of the word ‘luxurious’.
Owned by an energy drinks magnate no expense has been spared creating a luscious and luxurious tropical hideaway. You’ll need deep pockets to stay here though and the cost might prod awake the inner socialist / green-eyed monster in anyone who doesn’t have at least three, and possibly four, commas in their bank account. We’re reliably informed that Laucala is the second most expensive resort in the world (the most expensive is not on our list as we haven't actually been there to write about it).
Total privacy is guaranteed for your dollar outlay. Every one of the unique villas is a glamorous version of a traditional Fijian dwelling and each one has a private pool. Within is everything you would expect including a personal bar stocked with champagne. Lie back in your bathtub, hewn from a single slab of granite, and cast your eye over your personal slice of a tropical paradise.
If doing nothing during your stay is your thing then you’ll have a wonderful time. Whatever your desire the 350-strong staff will make it happen. Amuses-bouches arrive all through the day and your whims and fancies will be instantaneously catered for.
The cuisine generally is as fine as any five-star hotel in a city, all overseen by Australian chef Anthony Healey. Lobster sushi on the beach? No problem. Wagyu teppanyaki at the cliff-side bar? Of course.
Hidden within the jungle is, amazingly, a full 18-hole David McLay Kidd-designed golf course. On or under the water you can sail a wooden yacht, dive some of the 4,000 square miles of pristine coral reef, jetski, surf or go white water rafting not forgetting the island’s two-person, seven-metre long semi-submersible if your PADI certificate isn’t up to scratch and you want to see the shoals of fish. Back on terra firma and you can explore the seven-mile-long island on mountain bikes or gallop horses along the pristine beaches. All activities are included in the price of admission.
There is the obligatory spa located in the tropical gardens and lily ponds with all treatments performed using natural ingredients, mostly grown in the island’s own spa garden. Each guest receives a complimentary 90-minute spa treatment – just the thing to soothe away the long journey it takes to get here. Elle Macpherson and Oprah Winfrey have been known to spend vacations here. That’s good company to be in if you go.
- Laucala Island, Cakaudrove, Vanua Levu, Fiji Islands
- Distance from Heathrow: 10,090 miles
- Tel: +679 888 0077
- Email Reservations
- A one-night stay in a Plantation Villa starts from £4,392 while the three-bedroom Hilltop Estate starts from £41,175 per night. For the curious, renting the entire island (24 villas – not including the Hilltop Estate) with a minimum seven-night stay costs from £125,000 per night
Mnemba Island, Zanzibar
One of the most persistent rumours in the private island community is that Mnemba Island is owned by Bill Gates. Here at Halcyon Lifestyle we have nothing to add to that rumour beyond the fact that we know for sure that he’s a lover of Zanzibar and is the most famous repeat guest at this lodge, part of the And Beyond collection. He’s in good company mind you as this castaway island is a playground for recognisable ‘names’ like Tom Cruise, Naomi Campbell, Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger.
Mnemba Island Lodge is known as one of the most exclusive private island resorts in the world yet is easily accessible even if the journey to get there is somewhat adventurous. Zanzibar International Airport will accommodate your private jet (there has been much developmental work here since our last trip in 2018) and then the resort staff will take you, your entourage and your bags away in a luxury four-wheeled drive vehicle for a 90-minute meander through tropical scenery. The last 20 minutes of this are unpaved so hold on to the grab rails.
Arriving at a magnificent deserted beach you can see Mnemba Island on the horizon. The staff and porters will help you on to an open ski boat for the 15-minute transfer across the bay to the hotel. There are no jetties or wharves here so departures and arrivals are straight onto the Indian Ocean sand. Don’t wear your most valuable chinos as wading is involved.
The island itself is triangular in shape with a small forest of casuarina trees in the middle. Surrounded entirely by blindingly white soft coral sand and an atoll of gorgeous, flourishing coral reefs there is some of the best diving and snorkelling on the African coastline. Once you are in situ you will feel castaway in paradise since only 24 guests at a time can be housed and the 12 thatched-roof accommodations – bandas in the local dialect – are deliberately built low so they nestle down into the tropical foliage and aren’t visible from the beach or any passing yachts.
Mnemba Island Lodge is a rarity at the super-luxury end of the holiday offerings in that it doesn’t have a pool, a spa or, indeed, air conditioning. The island is all about living in balance with the spectacular natural environment and all the swimming you might want or need is just a barefoot sandy walk away. Given its size and location there are always cooling sea breezes so the air conditioning would be redundant too. There are spa treatments but they are given in your banda.
The resort operates on an all-inclusive plan and there is a butler assigned to each banda. This individual will go to great lengths to make sure they exceed your wildest vacationing expectations – the butler can (and will) deliver tea at dawn and sundowner drinks at dusk along with arranging your activities so you really don’t have to lift a finger while here.
The food, as you would expect, is both delicious and marine. There are baskets of lobsters, crabs, yellowfin tuna and prawns landed daily on Mnemba via ngalawa outrigger fishing boats and you can eat pretty much anywhere on the island. There is a fixed menu suggestion but you are free to discuss dietary requirements or customisations with your butler while you’re breakfasting. Whatever your whim it will (most likely) be accommodated. And that’s what brings Mr Gates back time and again. It’ll likely bring you back too.
- &Beyond Mnemba Island, Mnemba Island, Zanzibar
- Distance from Heathrow: 4,604 miles
- Tel: +27 11 809 4300
- Email Enquiries
- A one-night stay starts from £966 during low season and £1,339 during high season