SEYCHELLES: Colonial meets Creole: Karl Amman's island home

This beautiful villa is nestled into the lush rainforest of the Seychelles island of Mahe. Perched high up on the hills overlooking Intendance Bay, this place is the perfect beach hideaway. The place oozes colonial charm but yet offers luxurious and timeless style with immaculate attention to detail. 

This spectacular house is the home of the Swiss-born, Kenya-based wildlife photographer and conservation activist Karl Ammann, who recently was named one of Time magazine’s “Heroes of the Environment” for his brave and necessary fight against the illegal trade of animal products across the globe. Karl named his retreat “Residence on the Rocks” after the large granite boulders that surround the villa. All income from guests’ stays result in an indirect contribution in assisting Karl continue his fight to conserve wildlife.

This exclusive and private villa is part of the Bayan Tree Resort and offers complete privacy while still allowing its guest to take advantage of its immaculate service and amenities. Call room service to get a massage or spa treatment arranged. Any food you might crave can easily be delivered to the villa- unless you take advantage of the private chef of course. Most things you can possible want or need, including helicopter rides, a boat or arranging for a large dinner party - can be arranged thanks to the neighbouring Banyan Tree resort's concierge service.

The property consist of a two-bedroom main house with verandas upstairs and downstairs as well as a one-bedroom guesthouse. Each room is beautifully decorated and have incredible views. A secluded beach is just steps away inviting you for a swim in the ocean. If you want to stay put at the house, the tiled infinity pool with a vertiginous ocean view is not too bad of a choice either. 

The Colonial and Creole architecture and interior style fits perfectly into the Seychelles nature and culture. The beautiful carved wood details and its traditional design feels luxurious but still understated - A beautiful mix of colour and one off pieces. This does not feel like just a house, it feels like a home filled with character and personal touches. In every room of the house you can find antiques that Karl and his wife have gathered from their travels around Africa and Asia.

“My wife and I bought a lot of the furniture and architectural salvage on trips to India, Myanmar and Thailand. All of the timber we used was recovered from old buildings in India. We had the rugs made by a women’s collective in Rajasthan. I had everything shipped in by container, which made it quite easy.” 

"By opening up our Seychelles home to guests the idea is to share some of that vision and creating some relevant awareness. As mentioned above, anything the Residence creates in terms of returns which goes beyond covering costs will go into investigative documentary productions. We loved designing and shopping for the Residence; we never get tired of visiting and looking out over the ocean hoping to spot one of the whale sharks which regularly show up at the south end of the island."

To rent Karl's amazing home for that once in a lifetime get away holiday, please contact us here at info@alimitlessworld.com and we will help with arrangements.