SEYCHELLES’ FIRST ARTIFICIAL RESIDENTIAL ISLAND AND MARINA A HUGE SUCCESS
(Posted 28th April 2016)
Eden Island, located between the Seychelles’ capital of Victoria and the International Airport, dates back to the year 2001, when the company was reportedly incorporated and first steps taken to, after a thorough environmental impact assessment, create an artificial island sitting on an elevated coral plateau.
That was accomplished by 2005 and by 2006 was the bridge, linking Eden Island with the rest of Mahe well under construction while the site was being prepared for the start of construction.
This was to be one of the first if not the first residential and marina island in Africa and doubts were ripe from the start if this mega project could be turned into a success, more so when in 2008 the global financial crisis hit the world, and Seychelles very hard.
The developers though remained, while perhaps privately shaken, publicly confident that their concept was a sure winner and once the world had managed to deal with the fallout of failed banks and financial institutions and some level of sanity was restored to the financial markets, sales of Eden Island units began to climb again.
The various phases seen over the years during regular visits to Mahe, and of course every time to Eden Island, saw the main commercial and entertainment centre completed as well as Eden Bleu, a business hotel opened two years ago.
Earlier this week did then news break that the development company had just sold their 500th residential unit, finally putting all remaining critics into their place that the establishment of an artificial island and marina was indeed going to be a success and a notable first outside South Africa.
Last year did similar ocean side development launch in Mombasa, Kenya, where the English Point has over several years been redeveloped into residential properties for purchase and/or rent, where a hotel was opened and the first such project on the African mainland rolled out, again outside South Africa.
But Eden Island remains unrivalled in its layout and today looks like the island had been there forever. Most tourists visiting the Seychelles pass at one time or another along Eden Island and the viewpoint up in the hills over Victoria is now a regular and very popular stop for tourists on an island tour. It is here where they take pictures the city of Victoria, of Eden Island, the harbour and the latest landmarks, the eight wind-turbines which add renewable energy into the grid of Mahe.
More information can be accessed via https://www.facebook.com/Eden.Island.Seychelles/timeline and destination details are found via www.seychelles.travel
