Dream Holiday in Paradise

Tired but full of anticipation, we arrived on Mahé in the morning. Immigration took a while because the plane was full, but everything went completely smoothly. To check in with Air Seychelles for our domestic flight to Praslin, we only had to walk a few metres to the domestic terminal. You only need to check in shortly before departure here. When we tried to check in at 09:00 for the 09:45 flight, they promptly put us on the 09:05 flight instead. The flight in the 19-seat propeller aircraft was very pleasant, and we were able to admire the islands of the Seychelles from above.

Our hire car was already waiting for us on Praslin. One very convenient thing about the Seychelles is that your hire car can be delivered anywhere and, by prior arrangement, returned anywhere as well. The traffic was relaxed, and we quickly became accustomed to driving on the left. Only the deep ditches beside the roads made us rather wary.

Our accommodation on Praslin was Villas d‘or, a stunningly beautiful property set in a large, well-maintained tropical garden with direct access to the beach. In theory, you can walk along the beach into the village, though you do need to bear the tides in mind.

On our very first evening, we enjoyed the delicious Creole buffet at the restaurant of Les Laurier. Pierre, the ever-helpful manager, also arranged the complimentary pick-up service for us when making the reservation.

The Cote‘d‘or beach really is a dream, and we thought it was the loveliest beach for swimming in the Seychelles. It had soft, almost white sand, shallow, clear water and no pieces of coral or anything similar, so beach shoes were not necessary here. The waves were also just right for having fun ...

The next day, we visited Fond Ferdinand Nature Reserve. Admission here is considerably cheaper than at Vallée de Mai. During the guided tour, which lasted just over 2.5 hours, we learnt a great deal about the native plants and, of course, the enormous Coco de Mer. Another highlight was the viewpoint, from where we could see as far as La Digue.

Our favourite restaurant on Praslin was Coco Rouge in Baie Ste Anne. You can either dine in the restaurant at very reasonable prices or order a takeaway from a separate section of the restaurant or outside. The takeaway food is just as delicious, but it is served in a polystyrene box to take away and eaten with plastic cutlery. In return, it is considerably cheaper. We tried both the à la carte menu and the takeaway. Our favourite dish was the smoked swordfish salad.

Pierre had arranged a boat trip to Cousin, Curieuse and St Pierre for us the following day. On Cousin, we were able to admire the native birdlife. On Curieuse, we were particularly impressed by the walk through the mangroves and the picture-perfect beach with its unusually shaped granite rocks. At the end, there was a large enclosure with native tortoises. Unfortunately, the weather was not quite perfect that day, and the waves were a little too high for snorkelling.

Although we had already seen the famous Coco de Mer in Fond Ferdinand Nature Reserve, we were determined to visit Vallée de Mai as well. Everything here is a little more tourist-oriented, with a souvenir shop and so on. We also joined a very informative guided tour of the reserve, and the palm forest was extremely impressive.

A driving tour of the island was also a must. As well as the many beautiful smaller beaches, we visited Anse Lazio. It was considerably busier here than at Cote d’Or beach, but it was still very beautiful. The rocks were an excellent place for snorkelling.

It was not easy to say goodbye to Villas d’Or, but our next destination also looked promising. We had already bought our ferry tickets to La Digue the day before. Given our far too extensive luggage, we took a taxi to our accommodation, Pension Michel.

Once there, we hired bicycles. We had been expecting a quiet weekend, but we had already been warned: it was the Feast of the Assumption. On La Digue, the festival is celebrated for 3 days. There was music, stalls selling Creole food and huge numbers of people visiting all their relatives on La Digue for the festivities. The fried breadfruit crisps are an absolute must-try!

La Digue was great to explore by bicycle. As there are no particularly demanding routes, it did not matter too much that the gears did not always work properly.

A visit to Anse source d‘argent is, of course, an absolute must. As well as the magnificent scenery, the snorkelling was quite good. Even in knee-deep water, we saw large, colourful fish.

Of the many beautiful beaches we saw on our bicycle tour, Grand Anse deserves a special mention. It is too dangerous for swimming because of the high waves and currents, but it was the ideal starting point for a walk to Petit Anse and then onwards to Anse Cocos.

Anse Cocos has a wonderful natural pool where we had a fantastic swim. Beach shoes were necessary here again, though. The walk was sweaty work, and it took us around 30 minutes to get from one beach to the next. Local people showed us the correct route from Petit Anse to Anse Cocos.

Nid d’Aigle, the highest point on La Digue, is also well worth a visit. We left our bicycles at the bottom and walked up the steep path to the Snack Bellevue panoramic restaurant. From here, we had a fantastic view across La Digue. After a short breather, we continued the rest of the way to the top. From there, you can see the other side of the island and across to Félicité. Bellevue also offers a pick-up service, so we arranged to be collected for the sunset dinner. It is definitely worthwhile. There is a kind of Creole buffet, and we had a wonderful view of the setting sun.

As well as the delicious dinner at Pension Michel, available by advance reservation, we ate well and inexpensively at Chez Marston and Gala Take Away. We also particularly liked Coco Sun Fruit Bar, which serves delicious fresh fruit juices on the way to Grand Anse.

The reception at Pension Michel arranged our best snorkelling trip for us. With Simplicity Charter, we first snorkelled off Grande Sœur and then off Félicité.

As nature lovers, we did not want to miss the opportunity to visit the Veuve Resort. The day before, we had arranged to meet Josianna, who gave us a tour of the small park for around 1.5 hours the following day. She showed us several of the rare Seychelles paradise flycatchers and told us a great deal about the local flora. It was definitely worthwhile.

After a week, it was time to say goodbye once again. The 1.5-hour ferry crossing to Mahé was rather choppy. From the ferry terminal, we took a taxi to our accommodation at Beau Vallon, the Beach House. We were given a lovely room with a wonderful veranda overlooking the sea. What more could you ask for?

There is plenty going on at Beau Vallon, with restaurants, jet skis and so on. In the evening, there are a few food stalls behind the beach where you can pick up a delicious, inexpensive dinner. This meant we were able to enjoy a romantic meal on our veranda a few times. After the peaceful beaches on Praslin and La Digue, however, we found Beau Vallon rather busy.

One restaurant worth mentioning is the Boat House, which serves good cocktails. The Creole buffet is all right, but not a must. Directly opposite, we booked a lovely boat trip to Île Thérèse. On Île Thérèse, you almost feel like Robinson Crusoe. It truly was one of the most beautiful beaches we visited. Reef shoes were necessary here again, though. After a barbecue there, we had another opportunity to go snorkelling in Baie Ternay Marine National Park, where we once again saw lots of colourful fish.

One excursion took us to Victoria. If you travel by car, you can park free of charge at the ferry terminal. Alternatively, taking the bus is worthwhile: it is inexpensive and an adventure in itself, particularly if, like us, you choose the route around the north of the island. In Victoria, we visited the market and wandered around the city for a while, although we did not find it particularly appealing.

On Mahé, we once again hired a car to explore the island. As well as the wonderful views along the way, the panorama from the viewpoint at the former Mission Lodge is truly magnificent. If you continue a little further, you reach a tea plantation, which is unfortunately somewhat run-down. There are more wonderful views from here too.

We particularly liked the quieter south of Mahé, where there are numerous picture-perfect beaches. We will definitely stay there next time.

To reach Jardin du Roi, a former plantation, we had to drive around a kilometre up a steep road, hoping all the while that we would not meet any oncoming traffic. Once at the top, we were rewarded with what we considered the most beautiful view in all the Seychelles. We were also able to explore a magnificent plantation and learn a great deal about the spices grown there. It is said that the plantation’s former residents were descendants of the French king who had managed to flee there before the Revolution.

We had planned something very special for our final evening: dinner at the restaurant at the Takamaka Rum Distillery. We sat in a wonderfully romantic setting on the veranda of the old colonial house. The prices on the menu are in line with those at other restaurants in the Seychelles, but the quality and service are outstanding. I was even allowed to pick a few bilimbis in the garden. They are related to star fruit, and I wanted to take them home to make an authentic smoked fish salad.

It was definitely worthwhile visiting all three of the Seychelles’ very different main islands. On our next visit – which we have already decided on! – we would prefer to stay in the quieter south of Mahé and would plan to spend an extra 1–2 days there overall, as there is still so much to discover. For us, it was a dream holiday in paradise!