Island Hopping Made Easy
During the Christmas holidays, we had the idea of taking our daughter away with us and going on a long-haul trip as early as March. After some brief research online, we chose the Seychelles, as we were hoping for variety, nature and more than just a beach holiday. We requested an initial quote from SeyVillas, who appeared very professional, and the idea began to take shape.
To reveal the ending first, our choice of islands and travel provider turned out to be a stroke of luck, as everything from the initial consultation to the end of the holiday was exactly as we had hoped. We decided to visit several islands and opted for self-catering, as we wanted to choose for ourselves when and where to eat. Those were our requirements; we left the rest of the planning and selection to SeyVillas, which proved to be a wise decision. Now that we know how complex the logistics of travelling onwards from Bird Island to La Digue can be, for example (2 flights, 2 car journeys and 1 ferry), it is clear that we could never have organised it so smoothly on our own. With our various vouchers, we always got from A to B without a hitch, and we never had to wait even 5 minutes at any accommodation or check out before our pick-up.
- The Seychelles is very much a ‘cash country’. Taking a certain amount of cash in euros and withdrawing local currency from a cash machine at the airport may feel unusual to us, but it is necessary. A sign outside a shop may suggest that credit cards are accepted, but the machine may not always be working, and you cannot buy petrol without cash.
- Accommodation with Wi-Fi is extremely helpful. We used the SeyVillas website as a travel guide, sent the occasional photo to loved ones back home and made free calls using the relevant apps.
- If your camera has a filter thread, you should definitely bring a polarising filter. The water and the cloud-filled sky look completely different through it, and the Seychelles offers an endless variety of photo opportunities.
Mahé
At Clef des Iles on Mahé, we had a wonderful apartment by the sea...and at high tide, almost in it. Every day, we had a fruit platter and fruit juice for breakfast, followed by fish or meat grilled on the beach in the evening. The perfect introduction was a full-day private tour with Sandro. We would never have found these fascinating corners of Mahé ourselves, and he also gave us tips for the other days. The Jardin du Roi nature park is beautiful and informative; you can see many tropical medicinal and cultivated plants while enjoying the tropical forest and lovely views.
Bird Island
Next, we travelled to Bird Island, which is a different world in many respects. The island is small and flat, with dazzling white sand and strikingly turquoise water. The approximately 40 guests staying at the island’s only hotel, Bird Island Lodge, generally only see one another at mealtimes (full board). The rest of the time, you wander in amazement around the green island among giant tortoises and thousands of birds, which show very little fear of people and create an unimaginable chorus of sounds at night. The food is very good, and Robbie, the manager and biologist, takes the time to show everyone the plants and animals in detail. With friendly directness, he also ensures that guests treat the natural environment properly. The highlight was releasing newly hatched sea turtles into the ocean at sunset – how many people ever get to experience that? As there is no artificial light at night, you can see an incredible number of stars here. Without Bird Island, the trip would only have been half as wonderful.
La Digue
After 3 days, we continued to La Digue and the Le Surmer guesthouse, where we added breakfast to our booking. It is a well-maintained property with a lovely house and garden, bicycles waiting outside the door, and the dream beach of Anse Source d´Argent just a 10-minute cycle away. We took advantage of this every day, visiting at different times. As we already knew Ralf from the SeyVillas YouTube videos, which are both amusing and informative, and occasionally followed his tips, we stopped during our cycle across the island to have a fruit cocktail at Simon’s place. It is strategically located at the end of the climb towards Grand Anse. When we told him that he was already being recommended online in Germany, his face lit up.
Praslin
Our final stop was Praslin, where we stayed in a chalet at Cote d´Or Footprints. In terms of quality, and like everything else, this had been thoughtfully placed at the end of our trip – it was the most luxurious house, set in a beautiful garden right beside the beach. The manager attended to our every request, was always available, and allowed us to use the house until 14:00 on the day of our departure. Anse Lazio is particularly beautiful at sunset, and Fond Ferdinand nature park is well worth visiting. Robbie’s brother (see Bird Island) guided us around for 2.5 hours and explained everything. The view from approximately 300 m above Praslin is worth the climb. Following the same advice from several people, we decided not to pay the expensive admission fee for the Vallée de Mai, as Fond Ferdinand has more to offer. On Praslin, as on La Digue, we booked a snorkelling excursion by boat, which was also worthwhile. You can see the small islands from the water, and because the water is so exceptionally clear, the snorkelling experience cannot be compared with snorkelling from the beach.
