Seychelles vs the Caribbean for a Private Island Stay

Same idea, very different trips. Flight time, scenery, price and who each one is really for.

The Short Answer

If you are travelling from North America or Europe and want a private island with minimal transfer friction, the Caribbean is the better trip. If you are travelling from Australia, the Gulf or Asia — or you want scenery no Caribbean island can match — Seychelles is worth the extra flight hours.

Scenery and Beaches

Seychelles has the more distinctive landscape: granite boulders, dense hill jungle, and beaches such as Anse Source d'Argent that regularly top world lists. The Caribbean beaches are softer and calmer but visually more conventional. On a first private-island trip, Seychelles delivers more photographs you have never seen before.

Access and Flight Time

Seychelles: 9–10 hours from London or Paris, 14–17 hours from Australia via Dubai or Abu Dhabi, then a 15–60 minute helicopter or boat hop. Caribbean: 8–9 hours from London to Antigua, 4–5 hours from New York, and at Jumby Bay a 10-minute boat with no domestic connection. That single leg is the strongest practical argument for the Caribbean.

Price and Inclusions

Comparable private-island villas: Six Senses Zil Pasyon or Four Seasons Desroches at US$1,300–1,500/night room-only versus Jumby Bay or Petit St Vincent at US$1,400–1,500/night all-inclusive. Once food and drink are counted, the Caribbean is meaningfully cheaper for a week. Seychelles only pulls ahead at the very top end, where North Island has no Caribbean equivalent outside a Necker buyout.

Families, Diving and Seasons

Families: Jumby Bay, or Four Seasons Mahé and Constance Lémuria on the Seychelles main islands — most Seychelles private islands lean adults-oriented. Diving: Desroches in Seychelles is the stronger of the two. Seasons: Caribbean is best mid-December to April and should be avoided August to October; Seychelles is year-round with the best value in May–June and September–October.

How to Choose

Flying from the US or UK with kids: Jumby Bay. Honeymoon with a US$20–30k budget and a taste for drama: Six Senses Zil Pasyon in Seychelles. Total disconnection: Petit St Vincent. Milestone trip with no ceiling: North Island. Return visitors get the most from pairing three main-island nights with four private-island nights in either region.