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Travel Journals
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Our Stay at North Island
—by Frank Coleman and Richard Rosen
Beach, sun and the ocean. Add palm trees, white, soft sand and clear, azure blue, warm water. All that combined with a dash of the exotic, a dose of the unknown, and a private sanctuary, in no way prepared us for our recent vacation experience on North Island.
The vacation of a lifetime began with our plan to visit South Africa for a wine tour through the Western Cape and to finally fulfill our growing passion for a safari experience. Since those plans would take us on a journey halfway around the world following a 17- hour flight from the USA—it provided us the perfect opportunity to add an island getaway to the tail end of our trip. We have always had a fondness for small, exclusive islands with boutique hotels, affording us privacy as needed. Our good fortunes have taken us to some of the most exclusive islands in the Caribbean and the South Pacific—all of which attract luminaries, celebrities, or other individuals with financial resources and expectations for superior quality furnishings and surroundings, excellent cuisine, safe environments and for us, SCUBA diving.
Our good fortune continued by my new association with Megan Bryant at Cox and Kings. My Internet research taught me that the Indian Ocean island groups are plentiful and attract a wide range of people from Europe and South America and South Africa and other places around the world. Not often cited, difficult to reach, attractive to the few and fortunate, the allure of North Island in the Seychelles captivated us.
The website led me to Cox and Kings as the island's representative here in North America. Located in Florida, I was struck with Megan's passion for the place. We were drawn to North Island not only for its small size (only 11 villas on the entire island) but also because of its newness (the island has been a resort for only 4 years). With careful scrutiny, the roster of previous visitors was compelling, too. Fueling our selection with even higher expectations, we later learned that Conde Nast has designated North Island as the top destination in the world.
Nothing could have prepared us for how much the island won us over. From the moment we arrived, we were engaged in the beauty and architecture. (In fact, we were so taken by the design that we sat in on one of their presentations about the history of the island in the library? a fascinating glimpse of turning an over-grown island in the middle of nowhere into a posh, luxurious paradise.) Each detail has been carefully thought out from the warm and well choreographed welcome in our private helicopter (although one couple arrived by yacht) to our endearing good-bye from our personal staff on the helipad. Even the toilet paper roll holder struck us as interesting and unique.
Thankfully, Cox and Kings advised us perfectly on what to bring. But nothing could fully coach us for the ultimate experience that lay before us! We were seeking an environment that would allow us to be together, share something special and have people around to take care of us. We don't look for excessive doting but hey, who doesn't appreciate great service? We often teased the Guest Services staff about their ability to think for us. Whenever we would arrive at the restaurant, Trevor or Victoria would greet us offering an idea for an activity (a private dinner on West Beach; a walk with Linda, the environmentalist; deep sea fishing). We preferred to eat at the restaurant rather than in our 4800 square foot villa but some opted for the latter at first then would venture out for the open-aired restaurant on the beach. Not that the place was ever crowded; on the contrary, with so few guests and many tables from which to choose, we always dined alone, surrounded by candles and the soothing rhythm of the Indian Ocean's waves. The servers knew our likes and often took care of our needs prior to making the request. By the end of our week, our minds turned to mush. We stopped thinking. We talked about the present—the weather, the food, the sounds of the ocean, the bartender on duty, the upcoming meal, tomorrow's weather, tonight's starlit sky. We no longer marveled at every corner of our villa or the amazing views surrounding us—after all, it was home.
Neither the food nor the service ever disappointed us. Did we mention the wine? Their stellar cellar quenched our thirst for fine wines. Other wines were available (champagne, too) so Jeremy, the knowledgeable and affable wine manager, guided us through a tasting journey of some of the finest wines of South Africa. (There's also an excellent selection of wines from around the world including France, Italy and Australia). Coupled with fine cuisine each day (lunch often included wine, too), our evenings ended with only a short drive in our buggy to our private villa, expertly prepared by Owen, our private butler, for our nights rest.
When we reminisce about our holiday, so much will come to mind: our electric buggy to traverse the island; Harry, the tortoise in the middle of the road; Carl the bartenders inspiring words during sunset cocktails on West Beach; the helicopter ride to our destination, the climb to the top of the island with Linda, the environmentalist; the view of the Indian Ocean from the spa; the infinity pool; the plethora of palm trees that canvassed the island; our oversized villa; the service from everyone—unobtrusive, yet constant, leisurely yet timely; the gourmet cuisine each day; our ability to consume so much fine wine; soft, pillow-like sand on the beaches, the exquisite chandeliers made from antique bottles, the bath prepared for us by Owen, our butler.
What will we remember most? In our view, North Island brought out the best in us.
Do you have a C&K travel story you would like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Submit your travel tales and reflections to tours@coxandkingsusa.com.
Travel Journals
Laos, Land of a Million Elephants
Nat Waring's North Island, Seychelles Report
Memsahib in the Kitchen
The Tigers of Rathambore
Life Along the Ayeyarwady
North Island, Seychelles
Our Honeymoon To Kenya
Our Stay at North Island
Bali and Sumba Islands, Indonesia
Peru and the Inti Raymi Festival
Northern Thailand & Myanmar
Going Native in Malaysia
Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia & Thailand
Exploring Ethiopia
Falling in Love—with India
A Perfect Safari to Kenya and Tanzania
A Thai Wedding
Indochina Sojourn
Family Safari to Tanzania
Exploring Malaysia
Our Dream Family Safari to South Africa
Safari to Botswana
Bhutan
Nepal: Trekking and Heli Trip
East Africa and Rwanda
Bangkok to Bhutan—A Father-Daughter Journey
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