Dream Holiday Times Three

Overall, our flight with Ethiopian Airlines was fine, although not comparable with airlines such as Emirates or Qatar. We would all have happily done without the stopover in Addis Ababa, however – it was genuinely one of the worst airports where we have ever had to change planes.

Despite that, we landed on Mahé on time at around 3.30 a.m. The airport itself already gave us an idea of the scale of the island. Passport control was relaxed, and within no time at all we had collected our suitcases and our hire car, which we had booked from Germany in advance.

As traffic drives on the left in the Seychelles, it takes 1–2 minutes to adjust. Overall, however, driving in the Seychelles is no problem at all, as the traffic is very light. It only gets a little busier around the airport and the capital, Victoria, during the morning rush hour. You also need to watch out for the rather deep, uncovered drainage channels on both sides of the road, as it would be quite easy to ‘sink’ your hire car in one.

Within no time, we arrived at our accommodation, Villa La Mer at Pointe au Sel. The very friendly, German-speaking owner was already there and showed us around the clean, very well-maintained accommodation, as well as giving us insider tips on the island’s best beaches and more. By far the best feature was the large balcony overlooking the sea, where we could enjoy breakfast and have dinner to the sound of the waves.

We simply unpacked, strolled a few metres along the deserted beach by our accommodation and picked up some home-style Creole food from the takeaway around the corner. It was delicious and incredibly good value. A very good alternative to some of the genuinely very expensive restaurants in the Seychelles.

Sunrise in front of our villa, La Mer As the villa had a fully equipped, albeit small, kitchen, we were practically entirely self-catering throughout our 6-day stay. There were several small shops nearby. We usually went to the ‘Kumar & Kumar’ supermarket around the corner. Although it could not be compared with European supermarkets, it at least stocked all the basics, such as eggs, fruit, butter and jam. The only compromises were cold meats and bread, which were sometimes unavailable or offered only in a very limited selection.

Over the next few days, we tried to see as much of the island as possible and never visited just one beach in a day. Among others, we went to Fairyland-Beach, Anse Royale, Anse Forbans, Anse Takamaka, Anse Goulettes, Anse Barbados and Carana Beach.

Anse Forbans The last of these was recommended by our host. The bay was absolutely fantastic, especially for anyone who enjoys proper waves and a bit of action. The beach is free and open to the public, even if the barrier and guardhouse belonging to the luxury hotel there might suggest otherwise. Parking is the only issue, as spaces are very limited.

The restaurant’s cocktails come highly recommended, although they are not exactly cheap, as does a visit to the toilets. Their architecture can certainly be described as a success, quite literally blending into the landscape.

Carana Bay We can wholeheartedly recommend practically every beach we visited on Mahé. What surprised us most was how few tourists there were, if any at all. Where else in the world can you still have picture-perfect dream beaches almost entirely to yourself?

One small highlight was visiting Anse Capucins in the far south of the island. The bay had also been recommended by the previous guests at our accommodation, although, as they had warned us, getting there was not entirely straightforward. As soon as we left the well-maintained ring road, the route became little more than a dirt track. We had to walk the rest of the way through the jungle. But it was worth it – and we really were the only people on the beach. Swimming was a little difficult, however, as the surf in this bay was very strong.

Of course, we also visited the capital, Victoria. It is very easy to explore Victoria on foot, and practically all the sights are within easy reach. We arrived early in the morning, mainly because we wanted to visit the Sir Selwyn Clarke Market. There, we treated ourselves to a huge red snapper, which was gutted and scaled fresh on the spot, ready for cooking. We could also stock up on fresh vegetables and fruit, as well as spices, flowers, souvenirs and more.

As the weather was not particularly good that day – the only rainy day of our entire trip – we also hiked up Morne Blanc. Although the weather meant there was not much to see from the viewpoint, the hike was still worthwhile. The mist gave the rainforest a wonderfully mystical atmosphere. The route right to the top – we parked at the Seychelles Tea & Coffee Company plantation and started our hike from there – is not too difficult, but you should have a reasonable level of fitness, as there is a fair amount of climbing involved.

On the way to the Morne Blanc viewpoint On our final day, we loaded up our hire car – a Renault Duster, which was just about large enough for 4 people and their luggage – and set off for the port in Victoria. The formalities and checking in our luggage were quickly taken care of, and after a short wait we were able to board the ‘Cat Coco’ ferry. We could simply leave the hire car at the port – everything was very straightforward overall.

The crossing to Praslin took around 1 hour and 15 minutes and was rather rough because of the bad weather. We had booked the upper deck so that we could see more of the surrounding islands and scenery. However, I and many of the other passengers felt so seasick that all I could do was concentrate on not being sick.

We had also booked a hire car for Praslin in advance, which we were able to collect directly at the port. This time, however, it was a small car, so we had to make 2 trips between the port and our accommodation. As the island is very small and the drive to our apartment at Hirondelle took just 10 minutes, this was not a problem. We had the loft apartment upstairs, which had 2 separate bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, as well as a spacious kitchen and a balcony overlooking the sea. The perfect accommodation for 4 wonderful days.

As one of Praslin’s dream beaches, Anse Volbert (Cote D`Or), was right on our doorstep, we took things slowly and spent some time relaxing on the beach there. Just off Anse Volbert lies the tiny island of Ile St. Pierre, while a little further to the north-west is Curieuse, an island known for its giant tortoises.

As we wanted to see both, on the evening of our arrival on the island we booked a tour for the following day with one of the many operators on the beach (€55 including a BBQ on Curieuse, plus a landing fee of 200 rupees). The tour started at 10.00 am with a visit to Curieuse, where we were first dropped off at the visitor centre and could watch and feed the free-roaming giant tortoises. A footpath and several wooden walkways through the mangroves then led to the other side of the island, where we were served the BBQ and could ‘chill’ in the water.

Selfie with giant tortoises We then continued to Ile St. Pierre, which really is tiny and home to only a few palm trees and lizards, but has a fairly impressive abundance of fish. After three-quarters of an hour of snorkelling, we headed back towards the beach.

We already had another action-packed day planned, as we had arranged a tour from Germany with Mario, a Swiss man who has lived on Praslin for 20 years and offers full-day tours there. This meant we could take the short route to Anse Georgette – across the golf course at the Lemuria resort, to be precise – rather than following the much longer and more strenuous hiking trail around it. Either way, it would have been well worth the walk. Anse Georgette was our absolute favourite beach on Praslin and, thanks to its secluded location, was deserted. Turquoise water, a wide beach of powdery white sand, framed by granite rocks on both sides – PERFECT!

Anse Georgette Other stops included Anse Lazio – another dream beach, although considerably busier – and Fond Ferdinand Park. Like Vallée de Mai, it is home to many Coco de Mer palms, as well as all the other plant species, fruits and spices found on Praslin. The difference is that Fond Ferdinand Park is virtually unknown to tourists and therefore very quiet. What is more, we only had to pay a fraction of the entrance fee we would have paid at Vallée de Mai.

Flora and fauna in Found Ferdinand Park Anse Lazio Getting supplies on Praslin was just as easy for us as it had been on Mahé, as the nearest supermarket was within walking distance, as was a takeaway that was always busy. Those who preferred could also have breakfast at the hotel, which always looked delicious, or eat at one of the many nearby restaurants in the evening. We can recommend ‘Laurier’, where we enjoyed the buffet for around €30 per person. There was everything you could wish for, from fish and chicken to beef. The quality was excellent and the restaurant was correspondingly busy, so booking in advance is advisable.

Thanks to our hire car, we had plenty of flexibility and drove to the ‘Zimbabwe’ viewpoint in the evening, which offered a fantastic view across the island and of the sunset. However, it should be mentioned that the road up is extremely steep – unthinkable by German road standards. Our little Hyundai i10 really struggled.

After 4 days, it was time to pack our bags again and take the ferry to La Digue, a journey of less than 20 minutes.

On La Digue, we took a taxi straight from the harbour and paid 200 rupees to be driven to our final accommodation, Villa „Pasyon“. The villa was enormous and could accommodate up to 10 people, although it was also available to smaller groups. The very friendly owner lived on the property and was always available if we had any questions. She freshly prepared breakfast for us every morning – delicious pancakes, omelettes, fresh fruit and so on – and brought it into the living room. The property even came with 2 giant tortoises, which kept the grass in the garden at just the right length.

To explore the island, the owner provided us with bicycles for around €8 per day, which allowed us to reach virtually every part of the island. Among other places, we visited Grand Anse and Petite Anse – both had very rough water and were somewhat dangerous for swimming – as well as Anse Cocos, which was reached via a slightly longer footpath. Overall, however, we did not like these quite as much, although we had probably simply been spoilt by all the other wonderful beaches we had already seen.

The famous picture-postcard beach Anse Source d`Argent is an absolute MUST. It lies within a park with an entrance fee of around 100 rupees. The park is also home to a cemetery containing the graves of La Digue’s earliest settlers, old copra mills, a giant tortoise enclosure, vanilla plantations and more. By this point, however, the days of ‘deserted beaches’ are definitely over. Anyone wanting to photograph empty beaches needs to arrive very early, between 9.00 and 9.30 am, as the rush to see the world’s most beautiful beach begins by 10.00 am at the latest. Despite all the tourists, it was still a dream beach and our highlight on La Digue.

Anse Source d’Argent Anse Source d’Argent In the far north, we visited the 2 beaches Anse Servere and Anse Patates. Both were beautiful and our snorkelling hotspots on La Digue. However, the tide goes out a long way here, which did not exactly make snorkelling easier; water shoes are definitely recommended.

On the beach, a local Rastafarian struck up a conversation with us, and we chatted for quite some time. It ended with him inviting us over so that he could cook for us. At first, we were not quite sure what to make of it, but in the end we accepted and were not disappointed. It was the best meal of our entire holiday. The 2 of them had really gone to town: grilled barracuda, homemade pineapple and coconut shakes, curries, salads, cinnamon rice and more. It was a truly delicious and very entertaining evening.

We can also recommend Gala Takeaway, where we picked up food fairly often. All the dishes cost between 45–65 rupees and were delicious without exception. We always did our shopping at the STC supermarket, which has a very wide selection and stocks practically everything needed for day-to-day life.

The island’s best view and most beautiful sunset can be enjoyed from the ‘Belle Vue’ restaurant, located on Nid d´Aigle, the highest point on La Digue. If you book in advance, the restaurant will even collect you and take you back afterwards. The taxi service is included in the price of the meal. There is no à la carte menu, only a set menu. The food was not bad, although at €45 per person it was not exactly cheap. The sunset, however, made it well worth the price.

Sunset from the Belle Vue Restaurant

Overall, the Seychelles were considerably more affordable than we had feared beforehand. If you cater for yourselves and only eat out occasionally, you will pay no more than you would back home in Germany. However, if restaurants and the like are important to you, you should bear in mind that you cannot expect Asian prices. We would recommend every one of the guesthouses we chose, as well as the Seychelles themselves as a travel destination.

If you are looking for dream beaches away from mass tourism, the Seychelles are still exactly the right place. The islands are wonderfully easy to combine, with short and straightforward journeys between them. This makes it easy to enjoy a varied holiday and, especially with a hire car, there is plenty to see and do. The perfect choice for us!