The Top 5 Private Island Rentals in the Indian Ocean

Art de Vivre is proud to announce its new luxury Private Island Collection. These islands feature exclusive-use rentals, often with their own endemic ecosystem and unique experiences for their prestigious guests. These island paradises are an unrivalled luxury escape for the adventurous traveller.

Cousine Island, Seychelles

As one of the smallest of the Seychelles islands, Cousine offers unparalleled privacy and seclusion to its visitors. With only four luxury villas on the entire island, and some of the most stunning views of untouched nature in the world, Cousine Island is a must visit for lovers of uninterrupted natural beauty. 

As well as being home to beautiful flora and fauna, Cousine Island hosts a variety of native animals, including lizards, turtles and birds. Visitors will be sharing the island with twelve Aldabra giant tortoises, and many extremely rare and exotic Seychelles birds, including the warbler, the blue pigeon and the sunbird. 

Cousine is one of the most conservation-friendly islands in the world. It is managed by the non-profit Nature Seychelles, and part of the profit from each stay at our Cousine Island villa goes towards conserving the island.

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Coco Privé, Kuda Hithi Island, Maldives

Of the 1192 islands that make up the Maldives, Kuda Hithi Island is one of the most beautiful. The island prides itself on being among the most exclusive in the world, reserved only for the lucky few who seek it out and choose to stay. 

At Coco Privé, visitors can walk across the white sandy beaches and soak in the sun by the azure sea or relax and unwind at the island’s luxurious private spa. Those who are feeling a little more adventurous can observe the island’s exotic colourful sea life while snorkeling, or ride the waves on a surfboard, jet ski or kayak.

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North Island, Seychelles

Much like Cousine, its Seychelles cousin, North Island is gorgeous and secluded with stunning beaches and views of the Indian Ocean. The people on the island are also equally dedicated to conserving the natural environment, which features abundant rare wildlife and plants.

The proprietors of North Island are extremely passionate about the wellness of their guests. The island has a spa that takes a holistic approach to rejuvenating the mind, body and soul. Where better to do that than on a private island, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and the everyday stress of modern life?

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Miavana, Madagascar

A stunning new exclusive-use private island located off the coast of Nosy Ankao. There are fourteen one, two and three bedroom villas decorating the western coast. With wild beaches, incredible diving, fishing, helicopter tours and a world class spa, Miavana brings a new level of luxury adventure to the Indian Ocean. Designed by Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, who also designed the award-winning North Island, Seychelles and Leobo Observatory Villa.

All aspects of design, construction and the management of the lodge have been created with the environment, local wildlife and regeneration of native plants in mind. Restoring the ecosystem by replanting trees endemic to the island has become an important role for the island. Conserving endemic species of wildlife prevents these rare and exclusive animals from becoming endangered. Community work that the estate has focused on includes building a local school and teaching sustainability. Solar, wind and Biomass energy is used to power the island to achieve an independent renewable resource for the villas’ delicate and isolated environment.

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Thanda Island, Tanzania

Opening to guests this month, Thanda Island is perhaps the most exclusive private island in the world. Ten years in development, Thanda Island will give visitors the chance to swim with whale sharks and watch nesting sea turtles in a private marine reserve. 

Thanda Island is located off the coast of Tanzania, in a very secluded location giving guests complete privacy in their personal paradise. The island’s sole villa sleeps up to ten guests, plus children, and has dedicated staff, catering to your every need. Excursions to other islands will be available, though Thanda Island should be varied and exciting enough for even the most experienced private island visitor.

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Our Private Island Collection is the perfect inspiration for a unique and beautiful holiday in the Indian Ocean; the most untouched paradises, fully staffed and featuring plenty of luxury facilities and experiences. We look forward to arranging your island stay, please do get in touch.

Yachts, Diamonds and a VIP Charity Raffle

Art de Vivre were extremely honoured to be involved in the London Boat Show 2016 and to support Sunseeker London’s chosen charity  Princess Alexandra Hospital breast cancer trials helping them raise £35,000. We would like to thank the many generous visitors who took part in the charity raffle and silent auction. Art de Vivre were delighted to offer the Golden Raffle prize of a 7 night stay in the stunning Li-Al-Do Maison, one of our finest Seychelles luxury properties, kindly donated by its owner. Items in the auction included a signed Tracey Emin print and a rare Pure Evil print. The winners can enjoy these prizes, knowing they have helped a great cause. 

Julie & Jasmine Gauthier, Art de Vivre at LBS 2016

PAH NHS Trust Charitable fund raised £35,000

Sunseeker kindly hosted an invitation only party for the charity in their VIP lounge nestled amongst the largest yachts. This VIP space has a welcoming atmosphere with deep sofas, crew manned bar and dotted with intricate models of the Sunseeker yacht range. Our team also admired the design and craftsmanship of the Boodles counter with its Patek Philippe men’s watch collection and for the ladies, beautiful diamond necklaces, bracelets and rings. The party kicked off at 6pm with an electric string trio playing some classical and contemporary hits live. The owner of Li-Al-Do Maison flew in from Italy as an honorary guest to the private VIP event and experienced a private tour of the very best of Sunseeker’s yachts, stating their favourite as Stardust, an 86 ft yacht available for charter. The show was followed by the champagne and canapés whilst networking with everybody involved in the charity and raffle. 

Welcoming owner of Li Al Do Maison to VIP charity party at Sunseeker stand, London Boat Show 2016 - Art de Vivre

Jasmine and Julie Gauthier with Victoria Gerlis, PAH

Art de Vivre at VIP charity event at LBS 2016

Sacha Gauthier, Art de Vivre at London Boat Show 2016

Art de Vivre staff enjoyed the 10 days participation immensely, working alongside the charity and the friendly and dynamic Sunseeker staff whilst being able to chat to visitors about our villa collection. Sunseeker’s hospitality was exceptional and Art de Vivre made friends with Sunseeker staff from London to the many hot Mediterranean locations. Another highlight for Julie was to welcome Art de Vivre’s Chinese business partner to tour the beautiful yachts and watch her admiration of the high level of marine craftsmanship and design.

Much like our fundraising, the show itself was a huge triumph. Thousands of visitors to London’s ExCel Centre were treated to tours of some of the finest yachts in the world, courtesy of Sunseeker and other yacht manufacturers like Princess and Pearl. The most stunning was possibly the Sunseeker 131, named after it’s 131-feet length, this huge motor superyacht is the largest boat to debut at the London Boat Show - so immense that it had to be exhibited by-appointment on the river. Accommodating up to twelve guests in sublime surroundings, the sheer scale and layout of this immense tri-deck yacht is awe-inspiring. Expertly finished using ultra-modern materials and techniques, the 131 Yacht is one of the finest examples of modern day motor boat building. The main deck features a lounge, separate dining area and full galley, while on the upper deck you’ll find the sky lounge, cocktail bar and access to the skydeck; where comfort and lavishness reach new levels. The largest yacht on the Sunseeker stand itself was the 86 ft Yacht called Stardust. A seductive combination of style and exclusivity, the 86 stood tall at the Sunseeker stand, with constant queues to experience a tour around the impressive vessel.

The show was a great display of British marine engineering and design. Nearly all of the marine companies present were UK based and exporting around the world.

Being a part of such a large-scale prestigious event was very exciting for the Art de Vivre team as it gave us the opportunity to work with our lovely friends at Sunseeker, to spend valuable quality time with our clients, support the charity and to experience the pivotal British marine industry for ourselves. 

 

If you are interested in chartering a yacht, please do get in contact with us via email or call us on +44 (0) 1296 334138, so we can discuss your request. We have combined yacht chartering with villa stays for many of our clients.

A successful year for Seychelles luxury villa rentals

Art de Vivre has seen an unprecedented 20% increase in bookings from our luxury private villas in the Seychelles this past year. We began in 2003 as Villas de Maitre Ltd and evolved into Art de Vivre a decade later, after huge success in the Indian Ocean. Whilst we have expanded our property rental portfolio internationally, we are proud to continue our success in the Indian Ocean. 

We have three high-end properties in the Seychelles:

Li Al Do Maison

Residence on the Rocks

Villa Praslin

The first two are located in the south of main island Mahé. Whilst the third, Villa Praslin, is a rare beachfront property on the second-largest island, Praslin.

Each of the three villas are unique and offer guests privacy and stunning views. They are fully-staffed with house managers who organize clients’ entire stay.

The villas are first and foremost second homes and are owned by investors from Switzerland, Italy, U.K. and Mauritius. Potential clients who appreciate the architectural beauty and locations of the villas rent them from 1,500 to 5,500 Euros per night.

We have built strong relationships with our villa and chalet owners around the world but we have known and worked with the owners of the Seychelles villas since Villas de Maitre’s debut in 2003. Li Al Do Maison’s owner has kindly offered the villa, as a grand prize in the Princess Alexandra NHS Trust Charitable fund – Breast Unit raffle prize draw at the London Boat Show 2016 this week. We love bringing business to such charitable and congenial owners that we have known for over a decade.

Read our feature written on Art de Vivre's success in the Seychelles

If you are interested in renting a designer villa in the Seychelles, we encourage you to make an enquiry or call us on +44 (0) 1296 334138.

Art de Vivre are proud to be at The London Boat Show 2016

Here at Art de Vivre we are busy preparing for this year’s London Boat Show, from 8th to 17th January 2016. Located at the ExCeL Centre in London’s Docklands we will be beside Sunseeker’s large and impressive stand volunteering with the PAH charity raffle. When the Princess Alexandra Hospital breast-cancer trials charity needed a grand prize for their raffle this year, we were proud to offer a 7 night stay at one of our top luxury Seychelles properties Li-Al-Do Maison as the Golden Raffle Prize.

Li-Al-Do Maison is a stunning oceanfront 4 bedroom property in Takamaka, Mahé, Seychelles. Our founder Julie Gauthier has been working with its Italian owner for over 10 years and has had many repeat clients coming back year after year. Ideal for families and groups of friends Li-Al-Do Maison’s staff and its location are its highlights. 

We have always found the London Boat Show to be an exciting event and are proud to see so many British maritime businesses present together. When we heard from The Luxury Network partner Sunseeker London that we could be involved in this huge event and make a positive contribution to the PAH charity we jumped at the chance of getting involved.

For those of you attending The London Boat Show 2016, we really look forward to seeing you at our dedicated PAH stand next to Sunseeker and invite you to enter the charity raffle to have a chance of winning one of the fantastic prizes that have been donated to PAH.

If you have any more questions for us, feel free to comment below or drop us an email. We look forward to seeing you there.