Treasure hunting has long suffered, how should we say, a bit of an image problem. The modern day treasure hunter is less Indiana Jones, and more a middle-aged fellow wearing knee-length socks scouring a beach with a metal detector (think that Aviva ad with Paul Whitehouse as metal detector Eddie).
While a certain Johnny Depp made the idea of gallivanting in galleons across the high seas in search of gold coins cool again, the days of rolling ashore a picturesque tropical island and recovering buried loot are surely over, aren’t they?
Well, it turns out they’re not. This summer, budding Captain Jack Sparrows have the chance to search for treasure that has eluded bounty hunters for more than 250 years on the idyllic-looking Frégate Island Private in the Seychelles.
According to legend, the ruthless French pirate La Buse stole the highly prized Royal Portuguese Golden Cross as it journeyed from India to Portugal, and buried it on then wild, jungle-covered Frégate.
Once a hideaway for buccaneering brigands, the island is now a tropical paradise for hire. Families of four – presumably with an overflowing treasure chest of their own – are invited to rent Frégate for a week, all for decidedly un-swashbuckling price of £22,000. And they said piracy in the Seychelles was dead!
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
(Image: Frégate Island Private)
