A little paradise with a few flaws, but well worth another visit
Returning to the Seychelles after 13 years was something we simply had to do, and quickly :)
The journey began with a long Ethiopian Airlines flight, with a stopover in Addis Ababa.
Unfortunately, despite the beauty of the islands, some things did not go as we had hoped or expected, starting with the weather.
During our stay of around 10 nights, we had only 2 sunny days; the rest were mostly rainy and overcast, which meant we could not enjoy the holiday to the full.
Because of the ferry timetable, we spent a night on Mahé that we would gladly have done without. Everything could have worked out better – although how could we have known beforehand? – if we had avoided all these transfers, which cost us a great deal of time and left us even more tired.
After a flight of more than 10 hours and an exhausting night on Mahé, the next day we took 2 ferries to reach La Digue, followed by 2 room changes the day after because Chez Marston was overbooked.
Once all those moves were over, we managed to enjoy La Digue a little during the 3 days we had left. Had we known beforehand, we would have stayed there and not gone to Praslin at all.
La Digue is fantastic, and I would definitely like to return, hopefully with fewer unexpected problems. It is, of course, a matter of personal taste: some people say there is nothing there and find it boring, while others, like me, fall in love with it. So, for anyone who does not want to keep changing islands, rooms and flights, my advice would be to spend a full week on La Digue and enjoy it to the full. Everywhere we went, the people were welcoming and cheerful.
Our stay on Praslin was less fortunate, with heavy rain and few opportunities to enjoy the beaches. Four days were completely lost to the weather, although even the downpours did not stop us from exploring the island. For our next stay, we will certainly try to plan the trip further in advance, perhaps travelling during a more favourable time of year and in high season.
I would give CREOLE 10/10 for the transfers and assistance in resort. Apart from a few minor delays, everything was perfect and they did an excellent job.
All the accommodation was fine. It is perhaps difficult to comment on value for money because we realise that we booked almost at the last minute, so we did not have much choice.
As I said, I would gladly have done without Mahé, but I cannot say anything bad about Casadani. In the end, it was simply an organisational issue. The breakfast was excellent, and the rooms were fairly basic but clean.
On La Digue, I grew very fond of the owner of Chez Marston. He was absolutely lovely, and they did everything they could to look after us. The rooms were clean, although they were comparable to accommodation costing no more than €50 per night, or to Italian hotel rooms from the 1950s: very dated and with many issues. La Modestie, on Praslin, was very pleasant and clean.
With hindsight, I would certainly return to the Seychelles, and I already know how I would organise the trip: book the flight well in advance and stay only on La Digue for 7 nights.
You never know, I might even decide to return and get married there.
Unfortunately, in places like these, the weather can end up shaping your entire view of the holiday, and 8 rainy days out of 10 explain why this short account is not exactly glowing.
