The Northolme’s sister hotel, Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa on Silhouette Island, a half an hour enclosed boat transfer from Mahé, must be one of the few luxury hotels in the world at which the arriving guests’ resort familiarization tour involves a food waste grinder.
“We used to burn all food waste in an incinerator,” says chief engineer, Keralan Ravi Thundil. “Now we grind all food waste in a semi solid form, and then compost for use around the resort. We compost an average of 4800 kg of food waste every month, representing total diesel savings for a year of approximately 48,000 litres.”
Conservation is important to the Seychelles and energy consumption important to Hilton. The introductory eco-orientation electric buggy tour takes in the hotel’s organic nursery in which 10 kilograms of produce is grown aquaponically each month, its energy-saving wind and hydro turbines and solar heaters. Ravi proudly sings the praises of his kitchen hood and fan speed regulators, guest villa occupancy sensors and A/C monitors as well Philips CorePro LED LL vanity mirror lighting.
“Our villas are automatically controlled. The lights and air-conditioning switch off when doors remain open for more than 30 minutes, saving 2,500 kilowatts per hour.”
As well as complimentary water stations, Labriz has a choice of 111 uber-lux villas with huge rain showers inside and out, hammocks, loungers, spacious interiors, and perfect A/C.
Accommodation at Labriz ranges from King Garden Villas backing onto the jungle, direct beach access Beachfront Villas, a 101sqm Garden Oasis Pool Villa, a larger villa with its own pool and sundeck. Then there are Beachfront Villas with plunge pool, ocean views and a patio, a King Sanctuary Pool Villa featuring a private pool and gazebo and King Deluxe Beachfront Pool Villas. And for families, there are King Garden Family Connecting Villas and the Two Bedroom Silhouette Estate Villa.
The flagship Hilton “Travel with Purpose” resort also makes the best, purest waterfall water in the world. Thundil also runs Labriz’s grey water and mountain spring water recycling plant on Mount Dauban, the highest peak of the five on Silhouette Island which was originally a French-run coconut and cinnamon plantation run by the Dauban family who were known as “The Rothschilds of the Indian Ocean.”
The Details
Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa, Silhouette Island, Mahé, Seychelles.
Tel: +248 4 293 949
Website: www.hilton.com
The hotel is located on Silhouette Island, a marine national park, regarded as one of the most important biodiversity sanctuaries of the Indian Ocean. Mahé is the third-largest island in the Seychelles and is 20 km northwest of Bel Ombre.
Type of Hotel: 5-Star Hotel and Resort
Number of Rooms: 111 luxury villas, including complimentary Wi-Fi.
Price Band: High
Insider Tip: Go trolling and catch a yellowfin tuna or dorado and ask the hotel to cook them for you on the beach for dinner that night. You’ll never look at a tin again.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9/10
Author Bio:
Kevin Pilley is a former professional cricketer and chief staff writer of PUNCH magazine. His humour, travel, food and drink work appears worldwide and he has been published in over 800 titles.
Photographs courtesy of Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa
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