The New Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island Resort Is a Wildlife Lover’s Paradise

Before construction even began, the first priority was to hire a dedicated marine biologist and an environmental manager to get to grips with what, exactly, was already here. What they discovered astonished them. First, there’s everything on land: it’s a wildly popular nesting spot for turtles, as well as home to communities of multiple species of crab (a fact I would discover on my strolls to dinner every evening, iPhone in hand to capture them scuttling across the pathways). Then, there’s its rich aquatic life. The island sits at the center of an enormous network of reefs and lagoons which you can happily wade into on a morning walk around the island. Or, take a guided tour with one of the marine specialists to spot baby sharks skimming through the shallow, glassy waters alongside a head-spinning variety of stingray species drifting across the seagrass. It’s nothing short of magical. As a result, all 50 of the accommodations that dot the perimeter of the island have been carefully set back from the oceanfront so as not to disrupt the animals that rely on being able to nip from sea to jungle with haste. But what the villas here may lack in ocean frontage (and, anyway, it’s never more than a 30-second stroll from any villa to feel the sand in your toes) they make up for in the wonders of its abundant wildlife.

But it’s also a Waldorf Astoria—so between absorbing all those exotic seabirds and turtles, you’ll be able to enjoy every five-star creature comfort known to man. Upon our arrival, the staff flocked to the airstrip to wave hello, White Lotus-style, before guiding us through a check-in process that was barely a check-in process at all: in the colossal open-air lobby, partitioned by strands of shells that came together to form curtains, I was seated to fill in a signature and then it was off to my room. Well, small palace, really: the entire island is villa-only, and even my one-bedroom was ludicrously capacious. Each one features a dramatically ridged roof that fans out into an outdoor canopy—a subtle homage to the shell of a hawksbill turtle—underneath which sit enormous panes of folding glass leading out to an expansive wooden deck where you’ll find your private pool. (Every villa has one, of course.) The design is muted, with an emphasis on natural, local materials: rope, rattan, and bamboo, alongside rustic linens in cream and taupe, featuring just the occasional nod to the tropical surroundings in the form of a tasteful palm tree print or a splash of mottled green.