As soon as Sheira and I arrived at this private island in the South Pacific’s French speaking Seychelles we knew that we had found the Gold Standard for tropical resorts.
North Island ticked all the boxes that I was looking for to make Sheira’s 40th birthday celebration special: sun, beautiful warm waters, isolation, beach access and outstanding service. There are only 11 villas on the whole island, designed to be in total eco-harmony with the environment - and they all come with butler service. But what really did it for us was the unusual combination of rustic authenticity and high-end minimalism.

I really looked for the best on this occasion and the standard is reflected in the high price - but North Island is a rare treat that is worth putting on your vision board and spending your rainy day money on. In a way it is an emergency - you just have to come.