Location
South Mahe, Intendance Bay, Seychelles
The Residence sits around 100 meters uphill from the last Banyan Tree Resort Hill villa on a special access road which serves the residential area, it is also linked to the public Banyan Tree Resort and the main beach areas via one of the standard golf cart pathways.
The two story main structure which includes a court yard is on a relatively flat portion of the site with large granite/rock formations providing additional privacy on either side.
The two guest cottages and the large private infinity pool are on elevated concrete decks in front and just below the rock formations. All areas have a fantastic view of Intendance Bay and the breaking waves can be easily heard. The Intendance beach can be reached on foot in a six minute downhill walk or by ordering a golf cart from reception.
Design & layout
The two story main building has a central court yard separating the upstairs bedrooms from the downstairs lounge/dining room/kitchen section.
The two luxury guest cottages are located some 25 meters on either side of the pool.
The design is Creole in nature with some 450 square meters of covered area. The main building and guest house are surrounded in front and on the side with the typical Creole style flat roofed verandahs incorporating a colonnade design.
Opposite the guest house, on the other side of the pool, on a granite rock, between the two guest houses and overlooking the pool there is a gazebo, which can be used for outdoor dining but also for massage treatments. Just below there is a shallow plunge pool with massage water jets, a perfect location for children to enjoy.
Layout and bedroom configuration
The four bedrooms are all large. Two feature king size beds, one upstairs bedroom has two queen size beds and one guest cottage two singles. The second guest cottage has a twin configuration but the two beds can also be combined into a king size unit. The master bedroom has a large dressing room adjacent to the bathroom and an elevated work/study area. There is a fully equipped kitchen/dining room downstairs.
The main lounge (below the master bedroom) has an elevated library and entertainment section, one of the granite walls protrudes into this room.
The Residence provides an expansive outdoor living space surrounded by large granite rock formations and a high perimeter wall providing for absolute privacy and exclusivity.
Style and Finishing
Creole Style is considered a blend of many cultures: French, Chinese, African, Indian and English. This theme was taken in consideration in acquiring and importing a range of furniture and decoration materials fitting this style.
- The main feature is 16 large, old Haveli, palace doors which were specially shipped in from India and since they were all of slightly different sizes the walls had to be built around them. These French Doors combined with heavy insulation of the roof areas allow for a constant breeze to flow through all parts and provide for comfortable living conditions even without the AC units being activated.
- The floors consist of recycled old Burma teak tiles.
- The colonial metal windows were imported from Kenya.
- The cast iron rails were acquired in Burma.
- Many of the furniture pieces are antique British Colonial items imported from India and Burma.
- All carpets were woven in and bought from traditional tribal village cooperatives in Northern India.
Most of the decor items were collected by the owners over a period of 30 years of travel in Central Africa and South East Asia and include valuable tribal/ethnic art pieces.
The objective was to create the colonial splendor of the 20s and 30s. This has been achieved through the choice of materials, décor and details. A stay in the Residence on the Rocks is often equated to taking a journey back in time.
Enviromental issues
Seychelles as a destination has a reputation for its unspoilt nature. The Residence was built trying to live up to the islands image and to minimally impact the immediate environment.
Some rock formations were incorporated into the building and no large trees were cut out, in some cases they were also incorporated as part of the building structure.
Energy consumption is kept low by supplying hot water through a solar panel system built into the roof. Heat exchangers use the AC units to heat the water in the boilers at night.
A 50,000 gallon water tank is fed by rain water collected from all the roof areas which goes through three special filter systems including an infrared one. (Only if rain water runs out will the system switch to the hotels desalinated water supplies)
All timber used is recycled material from India, meaning items recovered from old buildings which were demolished.
All roof areas are double insulated and there is minimal heat radiation via the roof exposure, keeping the required AC load to a minimum.
LED lights and other power saving light fixtures are deployed throughout the Residence.
The overall design incorporates maximum energy efficiency measures without affecting the expected comfort level.
In a rock cave next to the Gazebo there is a large plunge pool which gets its water supply from the main pool. The pool is of the infinity design with the southern section encompassing a granite rock wall.
The Residence is meant to offer a well thought out life style experience which benefits from the ‘en suite’ five star hotel and its facilities and which will hopefully take a stay way beyond a more traditional hotel experience.