A Holiday in an Expensive Paradise

When we arrived on Mahé, we received a warm welcome from the Creole Travel Services team before heading straight to the ferry to Praslin. Our hotel on Praslin was Villas de Mer. It is a very small apartment complex, but that is precisely what makes it so charming, and we really liked it. The hotel rooms were excellent and clean, the pool area was lovely and, best of all, it was right on Grand Anse.

It is a very long, peaceful and empty beach where you can simply relax and enjoy yourself. The water is very shallow, so it is perfect for just lying in the water! Although Grand Anse is not considered one of the favourite beaches on Praslin, we thought it was the most beautiful, partly because it was not as crowded as, for example, Anse Lazio.

Pool area at “Villas de Mer” Grand Anse on Praslin The downside was the breakfast. It was very basic and there was not really much choice: a little toast, cheese, butter and fruit. We had expected a bit more and would have appreciated some variety. Apart from that, our stay on Praslin was lovely. We visited Vallée de Mai – an absolute must when you are there!

One of the absolute highlights was our trip to Curieuse with Angel Tours. We had booked this excursion from home through SeyVillas, and everything worked perfectly. It was wonderful to see the tortoises, especially as they were able to roam freely. We then continued through the jungle to another bay, where we had plenty of time to swim and sunbathe before enjoying a barbecue. It was fantastic! We were then supposed to continue to St Pierre for snorkelling, but unfortunately this was not possible because of the weather and the waves. However, the plans were changed spontaneously and without any fuss, and we were able to snorkel at another spot instead. All in all, it was a perfect day and one we would thoroughly recommend!

Tortoises on Curieuse

We then continued to La Digue and the La Digue Island Lodge. It is a very attractive, well-maintained complex right on the beach, although some of the lodges are beginning to show their age. Many, however, have been modernised. Changing rooms was no problem at all. The staff were extremely accommodating and friendly. Breakfast was delicious and plentiful. However, the evening buffet in the hotel restaurant was, as everywhere else, very overpriced at around 600 rupees per person, excluding drinks.

We can wholeheartedly recommend La Digue as an island, and it is a must for anyone visiting the Seychelles! We explored the island by bicycle, and the highlights were the beaches Grand Anse, Petit Anse and Anse Cocos! If you are also looking for a swing or hammock on the beach for some great photos, you will find one at Anse Banane ;-).

Cycling on La Digue Unfortunately, we were very disappointed by L’Union Estate Park. This was partly because of the entrance fee of 100 rupees (around €7), simply to reach Anse Source d’Argent (a very beautiful beach, but unfortunately also extremely crowded, so it no longer felt like the Seychelles), and partly because we were shocked by the conditions in which the tortoises were kept. Far too many tortoises were confined in a dirty enclosure that was much too small. However, seeing the vanilla plantation was very interesting.

Tortoises on La Digue

Finally, we travelled to Mahé and the AVANI Barbarons & Spa Resort. It is a very well-maintained and slightly larger complex right on the beach. The hotel is in excellent condition, although this is partly because it only reopened in 2015. Breakfast was also very good here, but the evening buffet was just as expensive as at La Digue Island Lodge. One positive was that we could eat in the much more affordable à la carte restaurant (for example, a Margherita pizza cost around 110 rupees).

Besides all the beaches, Victoria is definitely worth seeing on Mahé! It is small and somehow seems larger before you visit, but no holiday is complete without a little culture, and it is not to be missed. Unfortunately, we also had two rainy days on Mahé, but with the warm temperatures this was not really a problem, and you should not let it spoil your mood!

The Seychelles are a paradise. The scenery and wildlife are beautiful and enchanting. The beaches – genuinely almost all of them – are breathtaking and really do look just as they do in travel brochures. Only the sand flies, which are fond of biting, are annoying ;-)
However, you should also be aware that the Seychelles are not an inexpensive destination. Only the local takeaways are cheap, although they are also good – for example, rice with chicken curry costs around 50 rupees.

Takeaway Takeaway Unfortunately, the locals often seem rather unfriendly and indifferent. Even we northern Germans, who have a reputation for being grumpy, are friendlier.
We would also recommend going without a hire car for once and taking the local buses instead for an authentic island experience. They may be a little rickety, but we had nothing but good experiences, got from A to B and paid only 5 rupees!

We can also highly recommend SeyVillas, as everything went smoothly, from planning our island-hopping trip to the seamless arrangements on site and the excellent support.
The Seychelles are definitely somewhere everyone should see at least once in their lifetime – you simply have to embrace them.

Best wishes
Caro & Alex