Alphonse Island is very familiar to us here at Aardvark McLeod so it’s always lovely to hear the views of a first-time visitor. We’re grateful to Jane, who joined Charlotte Chilcott on her recent week, for penning her thoughts on this rare jewel amongst fishing lodges; an ideal location for those looking for an unspoilt beach getaway while their partners are out fishing the flats of St Francois.
When your partner fishes and you don’t, what’s the answer for a holiday filled with peace and harmony? That was the conundrum facing us when I conceded that a holiday on Alphonse Island could be acceptable for me as a non fisherman. Our friends wondered if I might be bored but I (un)graciously accepted that boredom on a tropical Island in the Indian Ocean could be bearable!
Looking back at the past week’s holiday I wondered how I could have been so churlish. From the moment we landed on the airstrip, spanning the tiny island of barely a kilometre in length, to the moment we left, I was captivated.
Life on the island is what you make of it. Cycle to your villa on a Dutch bike, share your plunge pool with the resident heron, watch five sea turtles paddle by in the shallow waters of the beach at the end of your private garden and that’s all before lunch on your first day. From then we booked activities every morning and afternoon for the whole week.
Each day with a handful of other folks we waded through the hidden mangrove swamps of St Francois with the resident marine biologist as a guide, did litter picks on the huge stretches of sandy beaches, snorkelled on the coral reefs, searched for Manta rays, and ate lunch in the shallows surrounding the islands. It was totally and utterly magical.
I learned to kayak and ironically I tried my hand at fly fishing and guess what? I actually am quite taken with it. Who’d have thought!
If you would rather lie in the sun and relax there’s a great pool too, I’m just too much of a fidget.
If you would like more information on Alphonse Island please contact Charlotte Chilcott or Peter McLeod or call us on +44 1980 847389. Alternatively click HERE if you would like us to contact you.