‘You have the watches, we have the time’

That is what a taxi driver laughingly told us on the way to the airport when he asked about our impressions of our trip to the Seychelles. And we envied him and all the Seychellois whom we had experienced in exactly this way over the previous few days. It takes some getting used to when the waiting staff stroll so slowly through the restaurants – we Germans always expect everything to happen straight away. But in the end, everything was always taken care of: everyone was well fed, had gained an insight into the delicious and imaginative Creole cuisine, and usually received a few kind words and, above all, tips for the rest of the trip.

Wednesday Market in Beau Vallon That was one of our most memorable impressions: the people are very friendly and happy to offer tips on where to find the most beautiful beach, the best fish and the cheapest bicycle hire. But that was as far as it went. We never felt that anyone was being pushy or trying to sell us something. On the other hand, there was hardly any room for bargaining, either at the market or when hiring bicycles. At the market in Victoria on Mahé, however, we were given a banana with the coconut oil we bought, while at ‘Union Estate Park’ on La Digue we received a shell key ring as a small gift with the wonderful, freshly ground vanilla powder from the estate’s own plantation.

We began our trip on the main island of Mahé. Even the very manageable airport had a pleasantly calm atmosphere when we arrived, in contrast to the airports we had departed from in Frankfurt and Dubai. Our first destination was the accommodation recommended by SeyVillas, "Choice Villa" in the north of the island by Beau Vallon Bay. It was a lovely, very spacious place to stay with a simple but good breakfast. Fresh fruit and eggs cooked to order were standard. The two ladies working there were always exceptionally friendly and attentive to our needs. We then drove our hire car straight to Beau Vallon Bay. Hardly anyone was there – almost exclusively locals – and we found the finest sandy beach, a bright blue sky and wonderfully clear water at 28°C. Locals were grilling fish on the beach and serving it with vegetables, white bread and coconuts. We could hardly believe it – somehow, everything felt like a dream. We had arrived in another world.

The next day, we went to Victoria to buy spices and fruit at the colourful market and explore the lively city. There is plenty to admire in this bustling city, including the Hindu temple, the Clock Tower, Creole buildings and a wealth of colonial architecture. In the afternoon, we relaxed in the Botanical Gardens, which, incidentally, has a toilet that is well worth visiting: you can wash your hands in an exceptionally beautiful, natural setting right in front of a waterfall! We rounded off the evening at ‘Mahek’, supposedly the best Indian restaurant in Beau Vallon. The Wednesday market in Beau Vallon is also well worth seeing and experiencing. Locals come here to dance, eat and celebrate exuberantly. You can pick up one of the many delicious Creole barbecue dishes and a freshly pressed mango and passion fruit juice, then sit on the beach and enjoy the magnificent sunset.

Unfortunately, the next day began with torrential rain. In the afternoon, we hired our boat at Eden Island and set off on a week of island hopping. The first bay was too crowded for us – there was already another boat there. Yes, that is the kind of luxury you have in the Seychelles: you are often lucky enough to have an entire bathing bay to yourself. And so we did in beautiful Port Launay. Jumping off the boat into the water doing cannonballs kept our youngest entertained for hours. There was also snorkelling, taking the dinghy to idyllic beaches or simply splashing about in the warm water. Knowing that there are no poisonous animals in the Seychelles, either in the water or on land, made me feel even more relaxed.

Our next highlight was undoubtedly Anse Lazio on Praslin, which we approached at sunset. We often simply stood on board shaking our heads because the sheer amount of natural beauty was almost overwhelming. This is where the word ‘paradise’ comes to life!

Another highlight, after a difficult mooring manoeuvre, was Curieuse Island. As soon as we arrived, we had our first encounter with a giant tortoise munching on fruit salad in front of the Doctor’s House.

Giant tortoise on Curieuse Island

The walk across the island to the tortoise sanctuary is also very beautiful. The tortoises looked a little forlorn in the increasingly persistent rain – but that was hardly surprising. We had our best diving experience off St Pierre.

St Pierre Island

The colourful underwater world was made even more fascinating by the many sea urchins – and dolphins accompanied us as we returned to our catamaran in the tender. When we approached Cousin Island the next day in brilliant sunshine, we were struck from afar by its picture-postcard beauty. There was a beautiful sandy beach, one person standing on the shore who later turned out to be a ranger, and two thatched huts. We continued in the tender until the ranger signalled that we could not take the boat any further, so we swam the final stretch to shore. Like Robinson Crusoe, we were thrown onto the beach by the very high waves, where we lay breathless on the sand for a while. Unfortunately, the Robinson Crusoe feeling quickly disappeared when the ranger politely but firmly told us that we could not stay because Sunday was a ‘day of rest’ for the animals and plants. We were happy to accept that, as the Seychelles truly are a natural paradise, carefully protected and maintained by these rangers, allowing visitors to experience such unspoilt natural environments on our planet. The entrance fee of €38 per person is certainly not cheap – but it is undoubtedly money well spent!

Another natural highlight was the ‘Vallée de Mai’ on Praslin. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to the famous ‘Coco de Mer’ palms.

Vallée de Mai

For us, it was genuinely worthwhile booking one of the guides waiting for guests near the entrance. She led us through this beautiful national park with great enthusiasm and expertise, and even attracted the rare ‘black parrot’ with her calls. Being able to approach all these islands from the water naturally gave the experience a very special appeal – but all good things must come to an end.

On Friday, we had to return our catamaran on Praslin and then spent our final 3 days on La Digue. Full of anticipation, we headed to the ultimate dream beach, familiar from countless Seychelles advertisements and idyllic wedding photographs: Anse Source d’Argent!

Anse Source d’Argent

Right on cue, we immediately spotted a bridal couple, completing the cinematic scene. Yes, it was of course very beautiful – but we had already seen so many dream beaches on our trip that we were almost a little taken aback by the number of people here. There were several stalls on the beach whose friendly owners pressed wonderful fresh fruit juices – but it all felt almost a little overwhelming to us. So the next day, we rode our hired bicycles to the island’s south-east coast. Cycling on La Digue is an adventure in itself, as very few of the bicycles would be considered roadworthy in Germany. Neither the brakes nor the gears worked, so we simply pushed them for much of the way. But once we reached our destination, we were more than impressed by the enormous waves at Grande Anse.

Grand Anse, La Digue

We now understood why there were ‘No swimming’ signs everywhere. The waves thundered loudly onto the fine sandy beach, and you could see just how much people wanted to throw themselves into them. But the danger posed by these forces of nature should not be underestimated. A short hike to Petite Anse is also highly recommended, not only for the wonderful views along the way but also for the small yet delightful beach. Then again, the Seychelles seem to offer nothing but magnificent dream beaches, each more beautiful than the last. We rounded off the weekend at the breathtakingly beautiful Le Domaine de L'Orangeraie.

Domaine de l‘Orangerie

I ate not only the most expensive but also the very best tortellini of my life here. However, there is another insider tip when it comes to food: you really should hire a bicycle and ride to ‘Chez Jules’.

‘Chez Jules’

Here, you sit on wooden benches in a small beach hut with a direct view of the sea, enjoying the best octopus salad in the whole of the Seychelles and wonderfully fresh-pressed juice as you gaze out over the water – grateful and fulfilled by all the breathtaking impressions of the previous 2 weeks. And we all agreed: paradise already exists here on earth!