Desroches Island

Is Desroches Island for sale, and how much does it cost?

Desroches Island is a 995 acres resort / operating business private island in Amirantes, Seychelles. It is currently offered for sale: Price on application. Tenure is government lease. Foreign ownership is permitted subject to local approvals. This is an editorial profile drawn from public record, clearly attributed, not our listing.

Summary

Desroches Island is a 403-hectare coralline island in the Amirantes, about 227 kilometres southwest of Mahé, home to a Four Seasons resort and a set of branded private residences. The land is government-owned and held under the Islands Development Company's long-term lease, but individual villas and residences trade actively on long-term leaseholdA right to hold the land for a fixed term (often 25–99 years) from the true owner, usually the state., with resales publicly listed. For a buyer, Desroches is one of the few Seychelles islands where you can acquire an interest today: not the whole island, but a branded leasehold residence with rental-pool income and a residency dimension, within a managed resort environment.

Land & Waterfront

The island is a low, elongated coral island roughly 5.5 kilometres long by one kilometre wide, ringed by around nine miles of beach and reef, and rising only a few metres. Conservation has been managed by the Island Conservation Society since 2009, covering green turtle nesting and tortoises, while the surrounding waters are prized for diving and fly-fishing. The scale and beach length give the resort and residences generous separation. A residence buyer is acquiring beachfront within this managed landscape rather than raw land, so the relevant considerations are the specific plot, its beach frontage and the resort's stewardship of the wider island.

Access & Utilities

Access is by scheduled or charter flights, at least several times weekly, to the island's 1,372-metre paved airstrip, with a supply barge from Mahé roughly twice a month. The resort provides off-grid power, desalinated water and full services to 71 villas, suites and residences, supported by a staff village of a few hundred. For a residence owner this means turnkey infrastructure and management rather than personal responsibility for utilities. Diligence should focus on service charges, the reliability of the resort's power and water systems, and the barge-based supply chain, since these underpin both the cost of ownership and the resilience of a remote branded residence.

Ownership & Use

The resort business changed hands in 2015, when the operation was sold to an undisclosed Gulf buyer, with Four Seasons branding taking over in 2016 and the resort opening in 2018; the transaction value was never disclosed. Private residences sold out on the primary market, and resales now appear publicly, with figures such as around £3.4 million for a five-bedroom beach retreat and a €2.345 million guide for a four-bedroom villa in 2026. Ownership is long-term leasehold and can confer Seychelles residency. Buyers should confirm the residence lease term and renewal, the Four Seasons management and rental-pool arrangements, and the service-charge structure that comes with a branded island residence.

Provenance

Desroches has stayed under Seychelles state ownership throughout (99-year Islands Development Company lease from 1995, at a nominal SR1/year), while its resort operator changed hands repeatedly: a 1972 lodge, taken over and upgraded by MK Resorts in 1988, sold to Collins Properties in 2005 (added a spa), expanded to 60 rooms under LUX by 2008, then sold in 2015-16 for an undisclosed price to a Gulf-based buyer who brought in Four Seasons branding. Private residences now resell on the open market.

Specification

Status	Available
Offering	For sale or lease
Region	Indian Ocean · Amirantes
Country	Seychelles
Size	995 acres · 403 ha
Tenure	Government lease
Development	Resort / operating business
Holding-cost band	Operating business — staffed payroll
Access	airstrip, boat
Nearest airport	scheduled and charter flights to on-island airstrip (DES)
Power	off-grid (resort utilities)
Water	desalination
Communications	satellite
Structures	Four Seasons Resort — 71 villas/suites/residences, spa, dining, 1,372m paved airstrip
Foreign ownership	Permitted (see notes)

Price record

Documented public figures over time — asking prices, reported sales and reductions, each attributed. This record is maintained editorially and may lag the market.

The full traced record — ownership lineage and every dated event back to the earliest public mention — is in The Ledger, for members.

From above: 2016 vs today

Legal & Ownership Notes

State land leased to the Islands Development Company (99-year lease from 1995); resort and private residences held on long-term leasehold, which can grant Seychelles residency. Sanction to Purchase required for foreign buyers.

Zoning: government tourism lease / branded residences

• confirm residence lease term and renewal
• rental-pool and Four Seasons management terms

Satellite reference: ESRI World Imagery / Google Earth — Desroches Island, Amirantes, Seychelles.

Common questions

How much does Desroches Island cost?

Desroches Island is profiled at: Price on application. Figures reflect public record at time of writing and may change; the profile keeps a dated price record.

What tenure does Desroches Island have?

Desroches Island is held on government lease tenure. Always confirm the exact instrument and any remaining term on the title.

Can a foreigner buy Desroches Island?

Foreign buyers may own property here subject to local approvals. State land leased to the Islands Development Company (99-year lease from 1995); resort and private residences held on long-term leasehold, which can grant Seychelles residency. Sanction to Purchase required for foreign buyers.

How do you get to Desroches Island?

Access is by airstrip, boat. Nearest airport: scheduled and charter flights to on-island airstrip (DES).

How big is Desroches Island?

Desroches Island is approximately 995 acres (403 hectares).