Six Senses Zil Pasyon

This Six Senses resort wowed us with its sophisticated design and relaxed atmosphere, with the fantastic cuisine, and the natural splendor of Félicité Island, of which Zil Pasyon is the sole occupant. As private island resorts go, this one steals the podium for the sheer beauty of the experience.

We wouldn’t exactly say that the main reason behind our latest Seychelles trip was just to check out the newly opened Six Senses Zil Pasyon—but we are not going to deny it either.

Of course, this was not the only place we saw in Seychelles. We stayed at several resorts, toured a few islands. We swam, sailed, and sunbathed. We ate well and slept soundly. Overall, had a blast. But it’s the memory of our time at the Six Senses Zil Pasyon we cherish the most.

Dramatically Beautiful

Félicité, where the resort is located, is the 5th largest island in the archipelago. It’s spectacular.

The 652-acre land comprises mountains of granite boulders that tumble down to the emerald sea, creating truly dramatic seascapes. The rugged shore occasionally opens up to reveal white-sand beaches. A thick jungle fills every space that is not bare rock.

There is a lot of pure natural beauty here.

Island Fusion

For the resort’s architects and designers, headed by Richard Hywel Evans of Studio RHE Architecture & Design, the scenery was the obvious starting point. Thus, many distinctive rock formations and other natural features were integrated as part of the design.

For example, our Pasyon Pool Villa (# 50) benefitted from an outdoor shower set into a massive boulder, a surprise secret reading spot (a hammock under an ancient tree), and exclusive access to a huge rock outcrop rising dozens of meters above the surrounding area. Its blackened granite peak was the perfect spot for a champagne picnic.

The huge granite formations will also define the resort’s Spa experience. Although the main building was still under construction at the time of our stay, the treatment pavilions were already set to become the resort’s star attraction. Perfectly positioned to make the best of the ocean view and the spectacular surroundings, they are actually built into, on, and among the rock outcrops.

Integrated

Fusing contemporary architecture with local geography—rather than competing with it—fits well into the Six Senses “self-sustainability” principle and its concept of an “integrated village”.

That said, at Zil Pasyon, the designers evolved the brand guidebook: the place feels more grown-up than the other Six Senses resorts we’ve been to. Nowhere to be found here is the rough Zighy Bay aesthetic or the barefoot Laamu style. Gone is the rustic vibe of the Yao Noi or Ninh Van Bay resorts.

Instead, the light-filled structures of the Six Senses Zil Pasyon are infused with a chic, seamless style, in which neat furnishing and meticulous attention to detail are balanced by plenty of Seychellois references.

The design comes across as simultaneously simple and sophisticated. And it still feels fundamentally “Six Senses“, even in the polished, high-tech guest villas. These sprawling tropical dwellings harmoniously blend outdoor and indoor living. Their four-poster beds are fantastically comfortable, and the infinity pools heavenly, with a day bed nearby and an outside dining area.

Having breakfast here was great—we swear they taste better when enjoyed in the privacy of the villa’s terrace, with a beautiful view.

The Wow Factor

Speaking of which, something that could fill a whole review on its own is the food. Amazing doesn’t cover it. From incredible breakfasts to sublime dinners, chef Richard Lee and his team turn the insular produce and Creole flavors into magical creations.

There is, but a handful of places to dine and drink here, and they are all located in the vicinity of the main swimming pool. The open-air restaurants have a relaxed mood, and the service is flawless. For the drinks, the small hammocks in the Koko Bar were our default spot to sip one or two, while the over-water nets were perfect for sundowners. (If you are looking for an extra spectacular sunset spot, ask for a champagne set up on top of the island—we loved it.)

In the Name

Even before our time at the resort was over, we already longed for the opportunity to visit Six Senses Zil Pasyon again. But the departure was inevitable. After saying goodbye, we climbed into a shiny ZilAir helicopter, and as it was taking off, we wondered: is there a simple way to summarise all our experiences at Six Senses?

Then we remembered the island’s name: Felicity. Happiness. That’s about right.

in our opinion

Having processed all our memories from this Seychelles trip, we can say one thing for sure: we were right to have anticipated it as one of the top luxury hotel openings of 2016.

We had a wonderful time at Six Senses Zil Pasyon and can confidently say Zil Pasyon is our new favorite Six Senses resort. Awarding the Editor's Pick.

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What we love

• Félicité Island is truly beautiful. It wows with dramatic landscapes, dazzling vistas of the ocean, and the unspoiled, wild nature. It really is absolutely picture-perfect: think granite boulders and steep hills covered in a tropical forest, all surrounded by the dreamy ocean. It's also private land and Six Senses is the only occupant here: it's all very exclusive!
• The villas! Six Senses is seriously upping its game with these new luxury retreats. Loved the four-poster bed, the amount of space, and especially the outdoor area with a day bed and the sun deck around the 20-square-meter infinity pool
• You'd be hard-pressed to find a bad villa here. They are all well-positioned among the island's hills and granite outcrops and well spread out—maximizing the great sea view vistas and total privacy
• The resort has a great atmosphere. Cosmopolitan but relaxed, sophisticated but laid-back
• We loved the design overall, but especially small details and quirky ideas, like the swing in the middle of the villa bathroom, or cool objects and sculptures everywhere, or the fun bar hammocks in the Koko Bar. They are super chic!
• Zil Pasyon has three fab beaches. They are wild and always flanked by the spectacular granite rocks. The best one is the superb Grand’ Anse
• This place is great for island hopping. It has easy access to Praslin with the Vallée de Mai park, La Digue with its famous beaches, Coco Island with excellent snorkeling (you can just take a kayak to go there, and Curieuse Island with the giant tortoises
• The food is fantastic—not just wonderfully tasty but very nutritious too. We liked to pop in for the fresh catch of the day dishes at the seafront Ocean Kitchen. But our favorite was the breakfasts. We always praise Six Senses for that in particular, but there is something special happening here. The mashed avocado on a rye bread topped with a poached egg was delicious
• A champagne sunset experience on top of the Félicité Island set up with huge bean bag seats and snacks served—it felt like being in a safari location. The awesome team has organized a truly lovely evening for us,
• As always at Six Senses: great spa experience. We had a wonderful time being subjected to the signature Island Fusion treatment
• Each villa is assigned a Guest Experience Maker (GEM). Ours was Samantha (Hi! Thank you for everything!), and her assistance and service were so effortless and natural that it felt a bit like having a close friend here
• The General Manager, Mr. Edouard Grosmangin, and his team have done an extraordinary job in getting this place up to the highest standard: a pretty rare feat for such a new resort. We'd normally expect mistakes, things not working, and so on. Honestly, we can't think of any

What you should know

• The best way of arriving at the island (or leaving it) is a 20-minute helicopter flight with Zil Air, from Mahe—we loved the experience. It's certainly not the cheapest method of traveling, but it is by far the fastest—we think it's worth it. Highly recommended!
• Otherwise, it's a bit of a journey to get here. It takes a trip from Mahe by a ferry shuttle, followed by a private boat trip from Praslin
• The waters surrounding the island offer some superb snorkeling opportunities, which is great—the thing about it is that everybody else in Seychelles knows about it too. At times, there are a lot of boats anchored just around the shores. This can have some impact on the privacy of the beachfront villas
• The island has some very steep inclinations, and the resort is well spread out, so you'll definitely need a buggy to go about the place. Buggies arrive very promptly when called
• The guests of Six Senses Zil Pasyon can benefit from a free boat shuttle to La Digu