“For my part, I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”
I’m forced to steal the words of Vincent Van Gogh as I stare up into the infinite as I, as tiny as I am in this moment, haven’t the ability to form my own, overwhelmed by the astonishing canvas that stretches out forever. It is too much to take in, all I can do is greedily gulp down as much of this spectacle as possible as I stand gazing up from this island in the Indian Ocean.
City lights are far gone, the haze of their light pollution stripped away in this isolated place, the true majesty of cosmos is revealed as an impossible number of stars gaze back at me from the deepest black of true night. As the universe wheels above me, I let it sink into me, and with it the understanding of just how microscopic any earthly concerns of mine are in the grander scheme.
There are many gifts to be had on the poetically named Silhouette Island in the Seychelles but the awe and peace inspired by its spellbinding and unblemished night sky are one of its most precious.
Another gift comes with the sunrise as you wake in your four-poster bed. The gentle lapping of the ocean calls you from your slumber to watch the morning sky burst into colour as the day begins. Light dashes across the sea, fragmenting into a thousand diamonds, as the sun climbs higher, backlighting the whipped cream clouds which seem painted on, giving their fluffy peaks a golden hue.
Behind you, always present, is another peak, this one luxuriantly green, the tropical climate carpeting the 780m Mont Dauban thick with evergreen vegetation. It stares down at the Hilton Labriz Resort, a constant companion, its slope an invitation to adventure for those so inclined. For myself, I’m content with its company as I look out, bewitched and bewildered, at the beautiful Indian Ocean.
Oh to travel, to step out of the daily world and be in another place, to gaze upon a different horizon, how I have missed this. The pandemic had clipped my wings for sure but now, thanks to the UAE’s vaccination programme, travel is back.
And, for those thinking of taking to the skies again, the Seychelles and Hilton Labriz promise a memorable return to travel. Just four hours and 30 minutes flying via Emirates, which flies seven times a week, this was a recapturing of all that old excitement, none of it blunted by coronavirus. Yes, the expected protocols were all there, yet as ever check-in was seamless (with our Seychelles travel approval documents in hand and vaccination certificates in hand).
Hilton Labriz is just four hours and 30 minutes flying via Emirates
This was also to be the first flight my little girl would be old enough to remember, thankfully the experience onboard was undimmed by the precautions necessary, hospitality in the skies is alive and well. As you sit ready for takeoff, your wide-eyed little girl delighting in the experience (and the entertainment) the words of Joni Mitchell never seem more true ‘you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’.
By the time the plane effortlessly touches down at the airport on Mahé island you recognise how special it is to be a traveller again (on Emirates).
The journey to the Hilton Labriz resort is an experience in itself. A quick transfer from the airport brings you to Hilton’s dedicated lounge at Bel Ombre jetty, where the boat whisks you across to Silhouette Island, some 45 minutes across the sea.Here you find a lush tropical rainforest paradise, a nature reserve where flying foxes glide overhead, virtually untouched, bar the La Passe community and the elegant Labriz resort nestled on a white sandy shore next to a shallow lagoon.
This feels like your own private resort, which is only amplified if you choose a King Deluxe Beachfront Pool Villa. This is your luxury home for your stay with a dedicated infinity pool (a huge hit with our little one), outdoor monsoon shower, and private garden with a veranda that stretches down directly to the beach and the ocean. What also comes as standard as that sunrise view of the sea from your huge four-poster bed inside your 185 sq. m. haven.
It would be easy to just stay here, reconnect with your loved ones and just order room service, but that would do a disservice to the rest of Labriz and its Hilton team.
The journey to the Hilton Labriz resort is an experience in itself
A host of activities are available from hikes through the nature reserve (this island is officially classed as one) to gentler pursuits, such as family picnics on picture postcard-perfect beaches or taking to the sea to fish like a local with a hand line and hook. ‘Good job daddy’ as I reeled in the first of my three catches felt good to hear, and later that night chef Mahindra cooked it to perfection in a private barbecue at our villa.
If somehow all this relaxing is tiring you out then the eforea spa awaits. What sets this apart is that normally venues such as this are decorated to look like they are in nature piping in rainforest sounds. Here none of that is fake, you climb up into treehouse affair and lie there looking at the lush greenery letting the wildlife lull you into calm. The ‘daddy and daughter’ treatment provided another golden moment for a family memory.
Another gift that Labriz offers is time, time to be yourself and time to be a couple again, with a kids club ready to delight with giant tortoise feeding, shell collecting, lessons in the local ‘Creole’ language, junior yoga and arts and crafts galore.
Seven restaurants serve up a range of cuisines, from fine Italian in Portobello, Japanese and Asian fusion to local Creole dishes
Seven restaurants serve up a range of cuisines, from fine Italian in Portobello, Japanese and Asian fusion to local Creole dishes in the plantation house of Grann Kaz, once the home to the Island’s previous tenants the Dauban family. 4th Degree, a barefoot seafood restaurant on the beach, also deserves a special mention.
Silhouette’s final gift is the staff whose smiles and service are light up your stay, from Steve in Lo Brizan Bar (the gift that keeps on giving) to Sadith who seemingly works in every restaurant simultaneously (congratulations on your forthcoming marriage) and not forgetting chef Mahindra. You are made to feel like family during your stay and when it is time to leave you feel like you are parting from good friends.
“Traveling leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller,” said the explorer Ibn Battuta.After 2020, there has never a better time to turn your page and begin a new chapter, starting with the Seychelles.
*To book visit hilton.com/en/hotels/sezlbhi, villas from AED1,510 per night.
*Flights are available at emirates.com
Follow us on
