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"Maia Luxury Resort Spa\nOn the Island of Mah\u00E9, a Tropical Compound of Thatched Bungalows Takes On the Essence of Africa\n\"It's much more African than French,\" landscape architect Bill Bensley says of Maia Luxury Resort Spa, on Mah\u00E9 island in the Seychelles, which he designed with Bangkok-based architect Lek Bunnag and RSL Architects.\nThe thatch-roofed compound, with 30 guest villas, overlooks Anse Louis beach.\nA chandelier Bensley designed, inspired by an African bracelet, hangs from the vaulted ceiling in Tec-Tec Restaurant, which serves Franco-Asian and Creole cuisine.\nA spot for poolside dining.\nBensley, who landscaped the grounds, planted palms, hibiscus and bougainvillea around the main pool's edge. The teak chaise longues on the terrace are, like many of the furnishings throughout, from Southeast Asia\nA villa's gated garden.\nOnyx bowls in copper niches flank the bed in a bedroom. \"We designed all of the furniture, the picture frames and the lamps,\" Bensley notes. \"It was an adventure in creating something high-end luxurious.\"\n\"The floor plans were configured to preserve the trees and boulders, so no two villas are alike,\" he says.\n\nA living sala, with a daybed, and an infinity-edge pool offer a panoramic view of the Seychelles and the Indian Ocean.\n\"We didn't want to have anything Western in any way, so we used local materials, which lend a tropical feel,\" says Bensley.\n\nA pool deck. \"You can see so many layers of islands from the resort,\" he points out.\nEach villa has a pavilion consisting of an oversize outdoor tub set in a shallow-water infinity-edge pool."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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