A Truly Relaxing Holiday

Our holiday began in Paris, where we boarded an Air Seychelles flight. Perhaps it was the cheerful colours, the friendly staff or the food served on board, but we already felt as though we were being transported to the tropics. Arriving early in the morning at Mahé, the largest island, we were welcomed by the warm embrace of tropical temperatures and joined the immigration queue, eager to immerse ourselves as soon as possible in the inviting waters we had glimpsed through the window.

Once you have completed the formalities, take a look at your passport: it bears a stamp in the shape of the famous ‘Coco de mer’ – difficult to miss! It is equally difficult not to notice the Creole agency staff, whose uniforms feature the beautiful frangipani flower so often seen on the islands.

With them, we began our transfer by minivan and boat to our first chosen island: Sainte Anne. There is only one resort here, the Beachcomber Sainte Anne Island, with various villas scattered near the sea or further inland: a real luxury that we treated ourselves to for our anniversary celebrations. As you get around along paths surrounded by greenery, it was fun to be offered lifts by the staff in their electric vehicles – the sort used on golf courses.

There were plenty of opportunities to enjoy the sea, including a long white beach and Grande Anse with its green-tinted waters. However, as it was also the most exposed to the wind, we spent more time at Anse Tortue, partly because it was ideal for snorkelling and because there was always the option of taking out a kayak. As soon as we arrived, just before sunset, we spotted a beautiful manta ray – the first of the holiday!

Although we were staying at a large property with plenty of staff, who were always present but never intrusive, our days passed at a wonderfully relaxed pace. We also explored the botanical trail leading to another small beach, although, as we did not have suitable footwear, we decided not to venture too far along it.

After thoroughly unwinding, we moved on to the island of Cerf and stayed at L’Habitation, a colonial-style house where it was lovely to listen to the staff speaking Creole among themselves. Here and there we could make out a few French words, but for the rest we had to let our imaginations run wild. This island is even smaller than the previous one and has no roads, only paths, and even those are not particularly well defined. All the buildings face the sea and can be reached from the jetty mainly by following the beach along the edge of the island’s interior. It was pure bliss not to hear the sound of engines or scooters, apart from the occasional boat.

Our room, overlooking the sea and the lush island of Mahé, had a beautiful terrace. The family-run atmosphere and the island’s small size made everything even more relaxing and quite literally just a few steps away.

From here, after exploring the island by kayak, watching various fish through our masks or simply from the jetty, and enjoying the beautiful garden and the fiery red birds that joined us at breakfast – especially when we ate fresh fruit such as tiny bananas, Seychelles pineapples and mangoes, or wonderfully sweet crêpes – we decided to explore some other places. We certainly could not miss the famous island of La Digue.

After almost 2 hours at sea from Cerf, we arrived at the harbour on La Digue, where a tiny turtle swimming in the water seemed to welcome us. Once ashore, it was immediately clear that the traffic consisted mainly of bicycles used by tourists, so we too set off straight away to see the legendary Anse Source d'Argent, the one with the enormous granite boulders photographed on so many occasions. It is a truly striking place and, given the time of year, there were quite a few tourists, but it was still possible to find a peaceful spot of our own. Unfortunately, the low tide did not make swimming particularly easy, but as the water was almost completely transparent, we could clearly see the many fish weaving around our legs.

Before reaching this beach, you pass through a park further inland, for which an admission fee is charged. Vanilla plants grow there, but it is also lovely to stop and feed the giant tortoises and, why not, give them a good scratch on the neck, which they seemed to enjoy very much.

Another lovely beach that impressed us with its beauty was Petite Anse: a very wide, dazzlingly white beach, with sand as fine as talcum powder and powerful green waves contrasting with the ever-present granite rocks framing it at either end. The sun came and went, but it was still important to keep applying sun cream to avoid a nasty burn. The only downside to the trip was waking up the next day with lots of little red marks on our skin caused by the tiny insects found on the beaches. We had come prepared, however, with a good soothing moisturising cream, and after a few days they had all disappeared.

By now, our departure was approaching, and we said goodbye to the island of Cerf. On our final evening, it treated us to dramatic clouds at sunset and a night sky featuring a crescent Moon and the brilliantly bright planet Venus, not to mention constellations that were familiar to us but appeared ‘upside down’ because we were below the equator.

We had saved the largest island for our final excursion. The capital, Victoria, was bustling with activity around the food market near the cathedral and a brightly coloured Hindu temple. After visiting all of these, along with a few souvenir shops, we left the tourist-filled capital and headed towards the south of the island. Following the coast, the first lovely beach suitable for swimming that we came across was Anse Royale.

After taking plenty of photographs, we continued to Anse Soleil. Following lunch at a simple, delightful café, where we enjoyed excellent fish cooked over charcoal and served with rice and a sauce of tomatoes and red onions, we could not resist diving straight into the water. Unlike at some other beaches, there was hardly any seaweed here.

After a brief downpour, the sun immediately began to shine again, offering us a beautiful farewell before we headed to the airport and said goodbye – or perhaps, until next time – to the colours, scents, flavours and serenity of this part of the ocean.