Location & Facilities

The island of Desroches is to be found among the Amirantes group of islands, just a 40 minute flight and 230 km south-west of Mahé, the main island of the Seychelles. Desroches is 6 km long and up to 1.5 km wide, and is concealed beneath the shade of coconut palms. Desroches with its perfect weather is one of the most beautiful islands in the world offering a myriad of activities that unite nature and man. It has 14 km of immaculate beaches, crystal blue waters and is protected on its south-east side by its own coral reef.

Desroches has a paved airstrip 1372 m long in the southern part and is connected to Mahé with daily scheduled flights. The island is located

36 km east of the main Amirantes group of islands, and separated from it by water nearly a kilometre and a half deep. Desroches lies on the southern edge of the Desroches atoll.

The Perfect Climate - Your endless summer!

Desroches lies outside of the cyclone belt and the rainfall on Desroches averages at about 50 cm a year. May to October is the dryer season and the southeast trade winds bring brief showers every two or three days or so. The northwest trade winds are generally gentler and arrive in November or December and continue until March.

 

Accommodation & Rates

The entire island has only one luxurious resort with, 20 Junior Suites and 28 four bedroom Villas, all with sea-views and just a few steps from the beach.

Junior Suite
High Season     24 Dec 2008 – 6 Jan 2009      E495 per person sharing
Low Season        7 Jan 2009 – 31 Oct 2009     E440 per person Sharing
Single Rate from E660 – E990
Children (0 – 11yrs) E215 – E245
Children (12 – 17 yrs) E290 – E325
Rates are per person in Euros and include 3 meals a day and non motorized activities

Luxury Beach Front Villa  (440 sq Metre)
High Season     from E535 per person for group of 8 guests to E3335 for single person.
Low Season      from E355 per person for group of 8 guests to E1895 for single person
Rates are per person in Euros in Villa which has four bedrooms and private pool.  
Rates include 3 meals a day and non motorized activities

Luxury Beach Front Villa  (660sq Metre)
High Season      from E520 per person for group of 8 guests to E3670 for single person.
Low Season       from E380 per person for group of 8 guests to E2670 for single person
Rates are per person in Euros in Villa which has four bedrooms and private pool.  
Rates include 3 meals a day and non motorized activities

Presidential Beach Front Villa  (750sq Metre)
High Season    from E880 per person for group of 8 guests to E6670 for single person.
Low Season     from E640 per person for group of 8 guests to E4670 for single person
Rates are per person in Euros in Villa which has four bedrooms and private pool and 100m of beach frontage.  Rates include 3 meals a day and non motorized activities

Junior Suites: All 20 Suites comprise bedroom, bathroom, airconditioning, overhead fan, mosquito net, television, private patio and minibar
Villas:      All 28 Villas have 4 en-suite bedrooms, lounge area, dining area, private infinity swimming pool, fully equipped kitchen
Public Area:      Includes a swimming pool, bar and lounge area, games room, reception with wireless internet access, curio shop and spa facility.

Check in – after 12h00 / Check out – 11h00

Included:
Three meals a day and non motorized activities

Excluded:
Bar account, sundowner drinks, telephone, curios, spa treatments, child minding and all motorized activities.

Activities

The Desroches style of living is something only read about in books, where days stretch into each other as you relax island-style. Days are as busy or as leisurely as your mood dictates, with a wide variety of activities to choose from including the beach, boating, fishing, diving, cycling, sea kayaking, walks, spa and tennis, to name a few.

Fishing
You do not have to venture far from Desroches to break fishing records, as it offers some the richest fishing grounds in the world. These waters boast striped bonito, bonefish, giant guitarfish, bigeye trevally, bluefin trevally, giant trevally, moustache grouper, humphead maori wrasse and dogtooth tuna.

Traditional bottom-fishing produces a dazzling array of grouper, job fish, snappers and emperors, rewarding you with some of the finest tasting fish on offer anywhere in the world.

Desroches offers salt-water fly-fishing and casting your fly lines will afford you the chance of landing several energetic silver bonefish to challenge the record books. Blue-water fly-fishing is also becoming increasingly popular, providing the ultimate challenge of landing large pelagic fish.

Desroches guarantees an unforgettable fishing experience for both the seasoned and novice fisherman alike. All facilities are available alone with professional help. This includes the latest technology.

Spear fishing is not allowed in the Seychelles.
In boating / diving & fishing, equipment all found at our dive center.

Diving and snorkelling
Villa owners have fine access to a Padi dive school and operation which they can utilise or they can kit themselves out with their own dive equipment. Variety is the order of the day when diving at Desroches and the diving is rich and varied, featuring everything from mini-walls and canyons to migrating Manta Rays. Green Turtles and hawksbill turtles are common both in water and on their habitual pilgrimages up the beach to lay their eggs.

Dive depths vary, ranging from 8 to 40 metres. Sites with regular current flows support fan corals and colourful tree coral formations while more remote sites shelter the larger fish species, such as the Napoleon Wrasse, Giant Grouper, Reef Sharks and Ribbon-tailed Stingrays. Most spectacular are the plankton-eating Whale Sharks. Marine life around Desroches tends to be prolific, with frequent sightings of many of the larger grouper species, particularly the spotted Potato Bass as well as baracuda.

Diving is possible all year round but the summer months offer excellent visibility of up to 30 metres. A 4mm shorty wetsuit is the minimum protection recommended for the Outer Islands.

Right off the villas are the coral outcrops of the Madame Zabre snorkelling site. One can literally walk out from one’s bedroom, be on the beach and within moments be snorkelling amongst the reef’s wonderfully coloured fish. (These are out of bounds to fishermen). Other snorkelling sites around the island include Passe Tambi, Passe Theresa, the Aquarium and Passe Hodoul.

Boating and Kayaking
The calm waters of Desroches make it ideal for boating and kayaking. Villa owners are allowed to have their own canoes and kayaks and there will be boat shelters available for keener boatmen who want their own boats at Desroches. Jet skiing and water skiing are prohibited on the island.

Spa & Beauty Treatments
Desroches Island Lodge is currently refurbishing the Coconut Spa which combines traditional Asian massage techniques with full body treatments. Beauty treatments and reflexology complete your passport to health and vitality. A paradise filled with exotic aromas, essential oils, spice and floral fragrances, designed to enhance and optimise total “mind – body experience”. Experienced Balinese therapists will soothe and awaken your body with their firm strokes and gentle touch while your senses delight in relaxing aromas and soothing music.

General Outdoor Activities
Desroches offers you the opportunity to explore the surroundings by bicycle or on foot. The coconut groove, the island village, the northern lighthouse are all waiting to be discovered as are the many secret tracks that lead to secluded beaches and to the best snorkelling spots. If you are feeling a little more active, there’s always a game of tennis just waiting to be played.

 

How to get there

International flights go to Mahe, followed by flight from Mahe to Desroche.

Desroches has a paved airstrip 1372 m long in the southern part and is connected to Mahé with daily scheduled flights.  (Airfare E390 - E420 per person return)