Our Dream Holiday on Praslin
07.02.17
At 17:45, we took off for Mahé, Seychelles.
08.02.17
We arrived on Mahé at 05:45. It was absolutely scorching!! Once we had collected our luggage, we took a taxi to the harbour. We then had to wait until 10:30 for the ferry to Praslin. After an hour’s journey, we reached the harbour on Praslin, grabbed a taxi and headed to our accommodation, Amitie Chalets. As soon as we had put down our suitcases, we went to the nearby Indian shop to buy some water, then headed straight into the cool sea!!! A dream… the water was so warm and clear… we fell in love with it!! After cooling off properly, we needed some sleep… 2 hours later, we were refreshed and ready for our first island party on our terrace.
First, we had a lie-in and then went straight into the sea. After showering and having breakfast, we set off to take the bus to the shopping centre… afterwards, we decided that we needed a car here. BOOKED for the day after tomorrow. For lunch, we picked up pork wraps, tuna sandwiches and chicken. In the evening, we sat outside, listened to music and reflected on our first day in paradise.
10.02.17
The next day, we took the bus to Vallée de Mai, Praslin’s national park. It was very beautiful, although unfortunately we saw only a few birds or other animals. Afterwards, we went to Hotel Britannia for something to eat. We had octopus curry and prawn curry. Delicious! Feeling refreshed, we headed to the supermarket at the shopping centre. As we did not have a car, a very kind member of staff from the supermarket drove us home in a pick-up truck without us even asking – the islanders are incredibly kind. We enjoyed the sunset by the sea; this island makes you happy.
11.02.17
We settled down on our sun loungers again and, as it was cloudy, we did not use any sun cream… we ended up getting rather badly burnt that afternoon. Our hire car arrived at 14:00, so we had to walk to the pearl farm. It was quite nice, but the pearls were very expensive and we were not particularly keen on how they were produced either. Finally!! Our car is here!! We drove straight to Anse Lazio. It was raining and the drive there was quite an adventure… narrow roads with swaying public buses coming towards us. But this dream beach was absolutely worth it!! Granite rocks in the crystal-clear sea, colourful fish and a lovely shady spot beneath the palms. We’re definitely coming back tomorrow, we thought!! Incidentally, our sunburn had spread… We had lunch right on the beach at ‘Bonbon Plume’. Octopus salad and smoked fish – sooo delicious!! On the way home, we stopped at our trusted Indian shop to buy a few things for our anniversary celebration. What a fantastic day.
After a good night’s sleep, we headed back to Anse Lazio after breakfast. First, we ate at ‘Les Chevallier’ – grilled fish in Creole sauce with rice and salad, and crab with the same accompaniments. Afterwards, we went swimming and snorkelling, soaked up the sun and took photos of the beautiful beach – to show everyone back home. On the way back, we also stopped at Anse Kerlan, but we ended up at the less attractive part… so we drove home and spent the evening relaxing on the terrace.
13.02.17
After breakfast, we explored our ‘local beach’. We walked along the beach to the shopping centre, about 2 km, bought a few drinks to cool down and then walked back to the bungalow. It was a lovely walk through dreamlike scenery. There was not another person in sight, just a few little crabs scurrying away from us. We desperately needed to cool off, so into the sea we went. The water is so warm that it is almost impossible to cool down properly. At lunchtime, we picked up some takeaways: rice with meat and coleslaw. Power nap! In the evening, we got dressed up and drove to Les Lauriers for the Creole buffet. It was very tasty, and the atmosphere was excellent too. Back at home, we went for a moonlit walk along the beach before heading to bed.
14.02.17
The car was collected again at 08:00, as Martin was picking us up at 09:00 for a boat trip to Curieuse and St. Pierre. We travelled around Praslin by boat to drop off the cooks and all their supplies at the southern beach on Curieuse. We then continued to the eastern beach. There, we admired the giant tortoises, fed them and then set off on foot for lunch at the southern beach. After walking for about an hour through the mangrove forest and jungle, we arrived. First, we went into the water, then enjoyed some delicious fish, chicken, salads and drinks. Then it was time to get back into the water! My boyfriend floated in the cool sea while I searched the beach for beautiful shells and found some. Then we continued to St. Pierre for some snorkelling. We loved it!! Now we’re cruising back to Praslin. Another eventful day.
At 10:00, another car was delivered to us. We drove back to Anse Georgette. We had to leave the car at the hotel entrance and then cross the hotel’s golf course to reach the beach. Very tiring… but this beach was more than worth the effort too. We spent a lot of time in the water, floating in the sea and snorkelling around the granite rocks framing this dream beach. The waves there are fantastic, and it was great fun!! Locals sell fruit displayed on palm fronds, as well as coconuts. On the way back, a kind hotel employee gave us a lift in his golf buggy. In the evening, we went to the buffet at Indian Ocean Lodge. The food was all right, but the sunset was absolutely beautiful! Full and content, we returned to our terrace.
At 10:00, we took the ferry to La Digue, where we hired bicycles to explore the island. First, we went to get something to eat – burgers and chicken. Union Estate Park is lovely, with a cemetery, a vanilla plantation, a gigantic granite rock and giant tortoises. The beaches are beautiful, although the water was very shallow because of the low tide. Ideal for the dogs to cool their bellies. As we continued, we found another cemetery, enormous trees with vines and lots of souvenir shops. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to fresh fruit juices while waiting for the 15:30 ferry. Before leaving, we stocked up on souvenirs. Once back on Praslin, we got into the car and drove to our favourite beach, Anse Lazio, to cool off and relax. It had been an exhausting day…
17.02.17
It rained all day, so we stayed in bed. At lunchtime, we picked up some takeaways, and in the evening we bought the last of our souvenirs. We had dinner at Village de Pecheur on Baie Sainte Anne. We had a table all to ourselves on the beach beneath a bamboo canopy. We had smoked fish and seafood salad as starters, followed by the ‘catch of the day’ – parrotfish and red snapper with rice, pumpkin purée and mango purée. Very delicious!! We also had a cocktail. Afterwards, we drove home and went to bed.
18.02.17
This was our final day, so we set off early at 09:45 for Anse Lazio. We made the most of every moment! Swimming, lunch at ‘Bonbon Plume’, another swim and then back home. Once there, we went into the sea at Grand Anse one last time. Freshly showered, with our suitcases packed and feeling very wistful, we set off for the ferry at 16:00. At 17:00, we returned the car, and at 18:00 the ferry departed for Mahé. Once there, we took a taxi to the airport, had something to eat and checked in our luggage before exploring the duty-free shops in the nicely air-conditioned terminal. We had to take a bottle of Takamaka rum home with us, although the dark one we had tried was an absolute killer. The ‘light version’ went into our luggage. At 23:40, we took off – destination Frankfurt, Germany.
We are already looking forward to our next adventure!!!
