design et al are pleased to announce that Jean-Marc Eynaud Architects have won Beach Hotel Award in the International Hotel & Property Awards 2014 with their project ‘Ephelia Resort’ in the Seychelles.
An Integrated Beach resort hotel blending perfectly into its lush tropical site of 120 hectares and offering a wide variety of accommodation types and amenities.
The brief was to exploit to the maximum the unique features of the site which comprises of 2 distinct beaches separated on one side by a small mountain going down to sea and on the other side by flat land with huge areas of protected mangroves. The resort had to offer a unique experience to its guests by the careful planning of the wide variety of accommodation types and amenities while at the same time keeping the site unspoilt in its natural beauty. The use of natural materials (timber, stone, thatch, granite…) and water features was an important condition to achieve the desired result. The spectacular views offered by the site had to be exploited to a maximum in the laying out of the buildings.
Privacy in an exclusive hotel being an important issue, had to be addressed carefully in the design process. The following amenities were agreed upon during the initial design process: 184 Junior suites with a Main building laid out in 4 clusters each with a large swimming pool all overlooking the south beach. A conference centre, Fitness centre and kid’s club were to be adjoining the main building. 12 no Beach villas, 12 no Family villas, 10 no Spa villas and 40 Senior suites were to be placed on the north beach part of the site together with 8 no Hillside villas and a Presidential villa on top. There would be 5 Restaurants and 6 common swimming pools in the resort. Finally a Spa village had to be located between the south and north beaches.
