Interiors is a great passion of mine, I love to find the biophilic harmony between building and nature. It’s important to have balance and although my usual style is more cluttered and colourful I have never been so inspired by a hotel before. Especially when it’s calming neutral vibe a complete contrast to my aesthetic.
It is almost an insult to call the style of this hotel boho, you won’t find any pampas grass or 70s fabric here but instead lots of stone tiles, warm woods, cream ceramics. Texture and warmth that can only be found in raw materials reflected and curated in the most dignified way. I am making it sound pompous when it isn’t.
It’s tasteful without glamour but everything’s is so well designed and crafted.
Let me introduce you to L’Escale Resort Marina & Spa on Mahe Seychelles. A 5 star resort facing Eden island and the marina, ideal if you want to park your yacht outside it. It’s not a large hotel more sprawling through the beautiful trees and gardens with infinity pools and private areas dotted around. It feels like escaping the world and Seychelles already feels like an escape. My friend Angie has all her meetings here because she says there is nothing like it.
She is right.
It is beautiful, it is calm, it is balanced.
It feels luxurious without being ostentatious, it’s not over the top in fact it feels more intimate, a retreat rather than a hotel, an experience rather than a place to stay. This was my first time here and it felt I had calming effect of hugging my family, instantly relaxing. I enjoyed everything from the high ceilings to the open views.
It has been designed by Winch House who wanted to find the balance between the Marina and the mountain. it was the first resort they ever designed with their usual clients being that of the private jet world.
“We decided to create a clear visual line from the ocean directly through the center of the resort to the spa area, set to the backdrop of the mountain-scape. It’s a visual pathway that links both spirits of the resort.”
What truly inspired me about the design was the little moments. Every corner was beautiful, from baton walls, art work, sculptures. Every piece of furniture was designed for the space, all hand crafted in the Philippines and Bali. To me it’s the textures and layering that make the design both soft and fluid.
Everything calms you down.
Every corner of the resorts is an elegant curated moment.
Everything is elegant and thoughtful. I honestly could have spend hours snapping beautiful vignettes. There is no empty spaces in this resort, collections of baskets shadow chairs, gold crab statues invite you in. Even the art works are from a local artist Alyssa Adam’s a watercolour artist I long to have in my collection.
Seychelles temperature rarely gets below 28 degrees. In this constant heat you are always searching for shade or a breeze which is fully catered for you. So in this resort you find lots of little places you can rest, considerate dwellings for you to find, just for you. A place to read, or be social.
It feels personal here. Like it belongs to you but also to the land. Winch Designs talked of everything having spirit and this place appears to have its own soul.
Solitude and socialising are all encapsulated in this resort. I understand why people would come here to escape and relax. The natural elements all around the hotel from the marine to the endemic plants and flowers. The blues of the ocean and sky, the greens of all the layered planting. Light bounces of every surface and softens the stone up with gentle shadows.
I only visited the resort for lunch, and if you were visiting the Seychelles’s I would recommend a lunch or dinner there, the food and service was exquisite. We had margaritas and octopus curry and it didn’t disappoint. My next trip is in 18months and I will make sure that I spend my last hours before the flight in this calming beautiful safe space.
It truly did inspire me.
Dysfunctional Planner 
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