Lost in Paradise – Praslin, La Digue and Mahé

Praslin was our first island. We stayed in a small apartment with a kitchen and direct access to the sea at Ocean Jewels Resort. It is located in the southwest of the island. Breakfast was delivered to our room every morning, and we had dinner at the neighbouring hotel, Villas de Mer (highly recommended! The Creole curry was absolutely delicious!). The rooms were clean, and breakfast included fruit, toast, coffee or tea, eggs and jam. There were very few guests staying there. Although we did not spend much time on the beach, whenever we did, we had it almost entirely to ourselves.

We went on several excursions while on Praslin. On our very first day, we visited Curieuse and St. Pierre Island with Angel Tours, which we had booked through SeyVillas before leaving Germany. The excursion was a complete success – tortoises, a barbecue on the beach and snorkelling in crystal-clear water! We also visited the Vallée de Mai, home to the Coco de Mer, as well as Anse Lazio. Both can easily be combined in a single day. We booked a car through our hotel for the day.

Curieuse Island

Our second island was La Digue. Although Zerof Guesthouse was the least expensive of our three accommodations, it was our favourite. It is centrally located on the island. However, La Digue is so small that it really does not matter if you are not staying directly by the sea. All the beaches are only 10 minutes away by bicycle. The guesthouse is family-run and offers rooms on either a self-catering or bed-and-breakfast basis. It has everything you need, including a restaurant, a small shop, a takeaway and, most conveniently on this particular island, bicycle hire. The family and staff are very friendly and helpful. I genuinely cannot recommend this accommodation highly enough. We felt at home there straight away.

La Digue is best known for its incredibly beautiful beaches. And they really do follow one another like pearls on a string. We visited a different beach every day, starting with Grand Anse, followed by Anse Source d'Argent and then Petite Anse. Each was unique in its own way. Another highlight was our sunset dinner at Belle Vue restaurant on Nid d’Aigle. It was not exactly inexpensive, but the price includes breathtaking views, delicious local food, very friendly staff and the taxi service.

Grande Anse Belle Vue Restaurant

On Mahé, our final stop, we stayed at Double Tree by Hilton - Allamanda Resort & Spa. The hotel is in a secluded location in the south, on the island’s east coast. It has only around 30 rooms, making it pleasantly peaceful. As we had spent every day exploring and going on excursions on the other two islands, we spent our final three days relaxing on the beach, in the sea and by the pool.

There is a reef just offshore from the hotel’s beach, so you can go snorkelling and see a few fish. However, you need to be careful, as all the rocks are covered with hundreds of sea urchins. The hotel’s main advantages were undoubtedly the almost deserted beach and pool, as well as its location. With so few rooms and guests either departing, arriving or going on excursions each day, we virtually had everything to ourselves. The downside was the food. As it was certainly not cheap (€60 per person for the evening buffet), we had expected more. I was also a little disappointed by breakfast, particularly the selection of fresh fruit.

View from the hotel room DoubleTree Resort & Spa by Hilton – Allamanda We were completely satisfied with SeyVillas. It was a truly wonderful holiday and certainly will not be our last visit to the Seychelles!