3 min readWhen you arrive at Mango House, a boutique hotel on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles, the first thing you notice is the light. Perched dramatically on a jungle-covered cliff over the Indian Ocean, the hotel is flooded with sunshine coming in from every direction. It bounces off the waters of the Anse aux Poules Bleues Bay, shines through palm fronds, and reflects off the property’s whitewashed walls. It feels like the private home of someone with exceptionally good taste—which it used to be.
Once considered a bohemian hideaway, the Seychelles became a fashion destination in the ’70s. Now they’re an epicenter for luxury travel and ecotourism. In 2024, LVMH’s Cheval Blanc arrived on the southern end of Mahé, the Seychelles’ largest island, and the Waldorf Astoria on the private Platte Island. On Silhouette Island, the ecoadventure resort Niva Labriz reopened this year following a renovation. This fall, French hospitality legend Michel Reybier brings his La Réserve concept to the island of Praslin, and Fregate Island—one of the earlier icons that helped put the Seychelles’ private-island resorts on the map—is reopening following a complete transformation, with just 14 villas and three estates alongside a working farm, art gallery, and marina. Mandarin Oriental plans to arrive in 2030.
The main pool at Cheval Blanc Seychelles.
Before Mango House became one of the most in-demand hotels in the Seychelles—a group of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean that make up the smallest country in Africa—it belonged to legendary fashion photographer Gian Paolo Barbieri. Barbieri was the visionary behind some of the most glamorous fashion campaigns of the late 20th century, working with Vivienne Westwood, Gianni Versace, and Giorgio Armani. He first came to the Seychelles on assignment in 1976, the year of the country’s independence, and, seemingly overnight, the islands became the Indian Ocean’s most glamorous open secret, with George Harrison and Peter Sellers purchasing property. Barbieri lived in Mango House until 2014, when it was sold; it is now part of Hilton’s LXR Hotels & Resorts collection.
“Carapace Seychelles” by Gian Paolo Barbieri.
What drew Barbieri to the nation, which sits about 1,000 miles east of mainland Tanzania, was that between its setting and its rich cultural identity, it feels like one of the most distinctive places in the world. French, African, Indian, British, and Creole influences converge here. Nearly half its landmass is protected, and Aldabra giant tortoises roam free. Coco de mer, native to the islands and the largest seed in the plant kingdom, is something of a national treasure, often used in perfumes.
The Seychelles has a number of private island resorts—among them the legendary North Island, where the Prince and Princess of Wales honeymooned in 2011—but Mahé is the best base for guests who want to experience local culture. Most visitors dedicate a few nights to experiencing each area, jetting around on seaplanes between Mahé and the outlying islands. In a single trip, you can go snorkeling off an uninhabited island—and also visit museums and local artisans.
Sea-view dining at Mango House.
“I think people are beginning to understand that these islands are more than beaches,” says Natasha Leonie Moustache, a Seychellois photographer and artist based in New York. “There are incredible artists working in the Seychelles; there’s history, food, and community. The culture is what makes them special.”
For all the marquee names staking their claim to these islands, the Seychelles’ culture remains beautifully intact. Just visit the market in Victoria, the low-key capital, where vendors sell vanilla pods, cinnamon bark, and fresh mangoes alongside the morning’s catch, grilled simply over an open flame and finished with piman sauce. Local children play soccer in the streets, and families walk together on the beach at sunset, even as another five-star resort prepares to open down the shore. The most seductive destinations offer a feeling that no amount of money can manufacture. And for all the change washing over the Seychelles’ shores, that feeling endures—as vivid and seductive as the light at Mango House, arriving from every direction at once.
This story appears in the September 2026 issue of ELLE.