Cousine Island
A Seychelles granite island run as a nature reserve, with five villas allowed on it.
Cousine is a granite island in the inner Seychelles, close to Praslin, reached by helicopter or boat. It is held as a private nature reserve, and that status governs everything: the island was cleared of invasive species and replanted, and guest numbers are capped by the conservation plan rather than by the number of beds available. There is no village and no second property.
Five villas take a maximum of ten guests, with a staff ratio among the highest in the register and the option to take the island whole. Hawksbill turtles nest on the beach, the endemic Seychelles magpie robin and fody breed here, and a resident conservation team works alongside the hotel staff. Parts of the island are closed seasonally, and guests are asked to keep to marked paths in the breeding season.
The conservation plan outranks the guest. Access, numbers and seasons are set by the reserve, not by occupancy. That is unusual enough to be the reason to come, or the reason not to.
Ten guests on a whole granite island is one of the lowest densities anywhere in this register, and the reason a walk here rarely meets another person.
Who it is not for
Cousine is wrong for guests who expect free run of the island: the reserve closes areas and seasons at its own discretion. It is wrong for anyone wanting resort facilities — five villas support a kitchen and little else. And it is wrong for travellers indifferent to birds, turtles and tortoises, since the wildlife programme is not a sideline here but the point. Those wanting the same granite Seychelles with a resort behind it should look at Six Senses Zil Pasyon.
Sources
- cousineisland.com — five villas, private nature reserve, exclusive use available
- Maximum guests and seasonal access rules unverified. Confirm with the reserve before publication.
Booking
Private Island Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the island and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
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