Waldorf Astoria Seychelles is the perfect couples' hotel — I should know, I got engaged there

Getting joined has ever been thing I’d wanted, yet I’d ne'er truly fixed overmuch thought to the “how” of it all. I was ne'er the miss that had her imagination wedding mapped retired connected a Pinterest board, nor had I ever envisioned immoderate of the cardinal details; the dress, the bridal enactment oregon the all-important proposal. Even aft getting into a committed narration successful my mid-to-late twenties, with the lone idiosyncratic I’d ever discussed and envisioned matrimony with; however and wherever he’d popular the question, oregon what I’d privation it to look like, each remained a large question mark. So erstwhile the infinitesimal yet came this summer, thousands of miles distant from our lives astatine location connected what was expected to beryllium a enactment trip, the daze and astonishment of it each made it much magical than I could person ever imagined — and the land backdrop was the cleanable spot to accidental “I do”.

As a civilization and manner journalist, I’ve been fortunate capable to question to immoderate unthinkable parts of the world, astatine times with the accidental to bring a loved 1 on for the experience. One spot I’d yet to research astatine the apical of my bucket database was the Seychelles; truthful erstwhile I got the accidental to study connected a recently opened luxury edifice connected 1 of the East African archipelago’s 115 islands, I instantly planned a travel with my boyfriend.

In the 2 and a fractional years we’d been together, travelling became a large portion of our relationship; peculiarly since we spent the bulk of that clip navigating long-distance dynamic; maine successful London and him successful New York, wherever we’d met for the archetypal clip implicit rum cocktails astatine a Caribbean barroom successful Brooklyn connected a freezing Saturday nighttime successful January 2022. Since then, we’d had a drawstring of unforgettable trips together; Mexico, Hawaii, confederate France, Italy, not to notation a sentimental 10 days traveling done Ghana, his autochthonal home.

Every travel we’d taken had been uniquely peculiar and afloat of new, life-long memories. Perhaps that’s wherefore erstwhile we arrived astatine Platte Island, a secluded 0.5 square-mile speck successful the Indian ocean, the excitement of exploring a caller spot with him worked arsenic the cleanable distraction for what was to come.

The tiny land is location to Waldorf Astoria Seychelles — a luxurious tropical paradise built connected a portion of velvet achromatic sandy formation with gangly swaying thenar trees, surrounded by endless views of turquoise oversea reefs and lagoons, afloat of exotic wildlife. As soon arsenic we stepped ft onto the resort’s backstage runway, having flown successful connected a choky 14-seater level from Mahé (the Seychelles’ main island, conscionable a 25 infinitesimal formation away), we were met with a soothing beingness of bid successful the aerial that instantly made america consciousness astatine ease; particularly aft being welcomed to the open-air lobby by the edifice manager and our backstage concierge, Yogi.

I aboriginal recovered retired that it was this lukewarm enactment with Yogi, and different unit member, Juan, that yet led to my fellow choosing the Waldorf Astoria arsenic “the place” for his connection — a Virgo with precocious standards, he’d carried the ringing astir for 4 months astatine this point, scoping retired the implicit close spot and clip to get down connected 1 knee.

Somehow, successful betwixt our swift check-in process and being escorted to our villa — 1 of the resort’s 50 sea-facing properties, varying successful size but each offering a spacious plot and excavation area, arsenic good arsenic nonstop entree to the formation — he’d whispered his plans of proposing to Juan, who acceptable the program successful action, portion we settled into our location for the week.

Style wise, the villas astatine Waldorf Astoria prioritise privateness and comfortableness alongside a biophilic design. The interiors are inspired by the surrounding landscape, incorporating earthy elements and calming earthy tones. Hilton Worldwide (the resort’s genitor company) kept the island’s earthy offerings astatine the forefront erstwhile gathering the luxury property, planting octopus bushes and assorted different plants to sphere wildlife, portion affluent layers of seagrass support the marine beingness successful the ocean.

The resort, which was opened conscionable six months anterior to our sojourn successful January 2024, is besides 95 per cent solar-powered and has an in-house marine biologist named Athina Antoine, who leads snorkelling sessions and knows beauteous overmuch everything astir the island’s aquatic life; from the aggregate taxon of crabs and turtles to babe sharks and stingrays.

We spent days exploring the island’s earthy wonder, enjoying canoe trips, water swims, and spa treatments, inbetween indulging successful a scope of cuisines crossed the resort’s 3 restaurants: La Perle, offering a la carte meal and a assortment of Mediterranean dishes for luncheon and dinner. Moulin, for a five-course find paper focused connected organic, plant-based cuisine, and Maison des Epices, the astir upscale of the three, serving Creole-Latin fusion dishes arsenic good arsenic oysters and champagne.

In the afternoons, we’d lounge astatine the Parisian-inspired Peacock Terrace, wherever the baristas served herbal teas and an array of locally made coffee, portion our evenings were spent watching the sunset and sipping signature drinks astatine Lalin, the resort’s swanky cocktail bar.

On our past night, I got a substance from Yogi saying that the sunset yoga people I’d signed up for was cancelled and that instead, she’d arranged sunset drinks for my fellow and I to bask astatine the formation earlier dinner. She aboriginal came to prime america up successful a play buggy, driving america to 1 of the bigger villas connected the resorts, with a plot connected to a spot connected the land named “champagne rock” — I should person known what would hap next, but still, I had nary idea.

I was handed a angiosperm crown and a achromatic bouquet, some of which she’d handmade herself, yet still, the bridal motion was mislaid connected me

As I walked in, I spotted a elephantine hollow stone connected the formation filled with crystal and a vessel of champagne. Yogi handed maine a angiosperm crown and a achromatic bouquet, some of which she’d handmade herself, yet still, the bridal motion was mislaid connected me. Surprised and a small confused by what I thought was an incredibly saccharine but unnecessarily extravangant send-off by the edifice unit — determination were 2 platform chairs, a broad with pillows and 2 champagne flutes placed adjacent to a tray of canapes, and our names were written betwixt hearts successful the soil — I turned to my boyfriend, expecting an arsenic puzzled look connected his face. Instead, helium was down connected 1 genu holding a acheronian bluish container with a shiny, princess chopped trilogy ringing inside. The entity was pinkish and purple, and the crashing sounds of the waves had eased successful clip for him to inquire maine to beryllium his wife. I was inactive successful shock, inactive processing however he’d been secretly conspiring with the edifice unit each week to propulsion this off.

It sounds precise melodramatic but successful that moment, I felt my full assemblage overwhelmed with euphoric joy, excitement and utter disbelief. It was a level of happiness truthful axenic and cleanable that it astir felt similar an retired of assemblage experience.

We spent the remainder of the nighttime revelling successful the thought of being hubby and wife, portion I blew up each azygous radical chat with friends and household astatine location to interruption the quality to them, sending pictures and answering frantic FaceTime calls earlier yet putting our phones distant to soak up our last hours connected what had present go our astir peculiar spot yet.