Some 30km from the main island of Mahé, Ile du Nord, or North Island, enjoys private isolation within the Inner Island group of the Seychelles. Luminous white beaches cosset a tropical interior of coconut palms and takamaka trees cradled between three granite outcrops, 110m to 180m in height, whose polished grey ramparts rise from the white sands and filigree reefs of the azure ocean. North Island is a sanctuary where natural habitats, long neglected, have been rehabilitated so that endangered Seychelles fauna and flora could be reintroduced and given a place to grow and thrive. On this floating paradise, 11 guest villas have been built from local materials reaped from the rehabilitation process, where luxury and simplicity mingle to form a signature architectural style we call ‘barefoot luxury.