Fregate Island Private

Simply Magical place ! Stunning Nature combined with exclusive top range premium Hospitality. If you like perfection then you will find it all there on this beautiful island. I would recommend this place to everybody who seek a special experience.

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 a fairy tale.

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”. He’s right.

This private island is full of giant millipedes warms which enter your villa, your underwear, clothes and food! Outrageously expensive : £3000+ a night for a villa and you get to experience this phobia! I and my husband booked our stay for 6 nights via Knightsbridge Circle Luxury concierge company based in London. After 3 nights, upon waking up with these millipedes next to my bed and clothes, I had enough and demanded to leave the island immediately. We moved to the newly opened Six Senses resort which was free from any of these creatures and had great service. So we basically had to pay again for our holiday. I have been several times to Seychelles to different islands. These millipedes are native to Fregate Island only. On top of that, Fregate private island whose management charges outrageous amounts to their guests, does not have any activities! They do not even have a proper boat to begin with. We booked a private day trip to the other islands and they wanted to put us in a transport ferry boat, can you imagine? To give some credit, their beaches are beautiful but warning: you can’t swim in any because of strong currents and waves and also to get to them there are like 200 steep stairs down. My husband slipped and fell on his back. Very dangerous. Last but not least, there were like 300 types of birds nesting and pooping everywhere. To sum up: this island is not adequate for tourism. They need to make a lot of changes and lower their unreasonable prices.

The first rule of marketing is “location, location, location” and this place has inherited the Garden of Eden! If you’re tired of the magazine air-brushed Maldives, or if French Polynesia is just too far, if you like a touch of luxury with your adventure, then this is the place for you. Pros: -African jungle fauna that will overwhelm you... 5000+ tortoises (some of them 200 yr old), hundreds of thousand birds, large fruit bats, etc. etc. This place seems like a step-back to the Jurassic era -amazing villas with more-than-amazing views -some of the world’s most beautiful beaches where you will be the ONLY one on the beach! -privacy!!! You’ll basically never see other guests or be bothered at all -delicious and healthy food... freshly caught fish, 80% of fruits and vegetables (so fresh and delicious!) served are grown on the island, etc. you can eat well AND loose weight here -great mix of relax and activity... they organize and propose things for you to do every day to make sure that you get to know the island, etc. you don’t have to call or organize anything... they think ahead and make it happen -personalized service... they know your name, learn your preferences and habits, and tailor the service to match Cons: -none really but the hotel could use an “update” in some cases (e.g., the gym)... there’s a little wear-and-tear that you might not expect at these prices but the management says they’re aware and will make future investments We’d love to thank Edson and Angela (our assigned assistants), the management team including Wayne and Arta, all of the waitstaff in the restaurant (David, Ades, etc.) and housekeeping (Mimirose!). Kudos also to Richard who is fighting the “good fight” in terms of ecology and conservation. We will definitely be back!