A journey I’ll always treasure
Our second trip to the Seychelles began with impeccable service from Etihad. The flights were perfectly on time and trouble-free, with the only drawback being the distance, which makes the journey itself rather long, albeit spectacular.
When we finally landed on Mahé, we still had another two hours or so ahead of us, including the transfer to the port of Victoria and the Cat Cocos ferry crossing to the island of La Digue. After sleeping for a while on the boat, we opened our eyes to find ourselves in paradise! Amazed by such surreal colours, from the emerald-green water to the fairytale scenery, we could do nothing but take countless photos to send to everyone back home who was waiting to hear that we had arrived.
When we finally arrived at the port of La Digue, our hotel transfer, arranged for us by SeyVillas, was waiting for us with a large buggy that took us to our accommodation in just a few minutes: Le Domaine de L'Orangeraie.
The greatest surprise here was being welcomed in Italian by the lovely Lorella, who kindly escorted us to our room. ‘Welcome to your home!’ she said... and how I wished that the Sir Robert Farquhar villa really were our home! It was beautiful and spacious, with stone walls and a huge balcony surrounded by the lush vegetation of this paradise, but what delighted us most was the enormous open-air bathroom, with two entrances: one from the bedroom and one from the garden. The pleasure of showering in the rain was priceless!
Once we had settled in, we gradually began to take in where we had arrived... everything around us was so colourful and natural, the resort was so beautiful and meticulously maintained, the people were so friendly and cheerful, and the food was full of fresh fish and truly delicious.
We spent most of our holiday on the island of La Digue, enchanted by its picture-postcard beaches, such as Anse Source d'Argent (a wonderful backdrop for beautiful photographs as well as exotic beach weddings!), Grand Anse, whose majestic waves overwhelm all who behold them, and Anse Severe, where snorkelling brings fascinating encounters. Union Estate Park was also beautiful, with vanilla plantations, farms with animals, mountains of coconuts and countless giant tortoises that allow visitors to approach and feed them.
One of the distinctive features of La Digue is its endless ups and downs, which you cycle through amid lush vegetation that occasionally opens up to reveal glimpses of an ocean in colours that seem to have come straight from an artist’s palette. Cycling along as the sun sinks towards the sea, turning the rocks fiery red, while a tortoise crosses your path and makes you stop to stroke it, is a unique experience that only a paradise like this can offer.
On La Digue, we felt incredibly at home despite the many differences. Our daily routine there was interrupted only by a day trip arranged for us by the wonderful Lorella with a local young man named Shamil, who prepared an excellent fish lunch for us on the beach on Big Sister Island, followed by some thrilling snorkelling at Coco Island and Felicité.
Big Sister’s tropical garden, which leads down to a heavenly beach, offers superb photo opportunities, as does the beach on Coco Island, which almost disappears as the tide comes in.
Needless to say, those unforgettable days in the Seychelles passed far too quickly. The islands’ uniqueness is also reflected in their climate, which allows the vegetation to grow so lush. In fact, it is not unusual to sunbathe in the rain — a truly unique experience! And if you are fortunate enough to take the domestic flight from Praslin to Mahé, as we did on our return journey, you will enjoy an extraordinary spectacle. Flying over the ocean at sunset, with the sun making the water sparkle while a nearby cloud releases a shower of raindrops, perfectly captures what makes this place so special.
Leaving the Seychelles with the image of that aerial view over a myriad of small rocky islands at sunset etched in my mind was the best possible ending to a journey I will always carry in my heart.
Alessandra
