Our Trip to Paradise – 2 Weeks in the Seychelles

At Praslin Airport, we were met by Creole staff (SeyVillas’ local partner organisation) and driven to the Paradise Sun Hotel at the westernmost end of Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or). We received a very warm welcome at the hotel. We were immediately given cool, refreshing towels and a fruit cocktail before being shown to our room.

All the rooms here are in small one- or two-storey buildings dotted around spacious, beautifully maintained gardens with their own lovely beach. Our room had a small covered terrace with two sun loungers, while inside there was a large, comfortable bed, air conditioning and a bathroom with a shower. Given the price, it is probably worth mentioning that not everything was quite so new any more. However, the rooms and the rest of the hotel were very clean, and overall we were very happy with our choice of hotel.

Praslin, Paradise Sun Hotel The stretch of beach by the hotel is cleared of seaweed every day, and both in and out of the water it consists of gorgeous white sand. There are plenty of sun loungers on the beach, both in the sun and in the shade. Breakfast was served in the pool restaurant. There was a wide selection, and scrambled eggs, pancakes, waffles and so on were prepared to order. There was also a large variety of freshly cut fruit and freshly squeezed juices. As Germans, the only thing we missed, as is so often the case, was ‘proper bread rolls’; otherwise, everything was excellent. We had booked half board, but we still sometimes ordered something from the beach restaurant at lunchtime. There were stone-baked pizzas, delicious burgers and seafood.

Dinner was also served in the beach restaurant. It is a wonderful open-air setting right beside the sea and the beach, beneath palm trees hung with lanterns. There were different themed buffet evenings every day, such as Italian, Asian, seafood or local cuisine, with starters, main courses and desserts. We were very pleased with the food. The hotel staff deserve a special mention. Whether in the restaurant, by the pool or at reception, everyone was very warm, polite and attentive.

Praslin, Anse Lazio After 3 days relaxing at the hotel, we ventured out on a few excursions. We visited Anse Lazio, a gorgeous beach with beautiful rock formations, plenty of waves and excellent swimming. We booked a tour of the famous Vallée de Mai National Park through Creole. For €55, we were offered a 1-hour guided tour of rather average quality, during which the group was so large that we could rarely hear the guide’s explanations. We felt this was far too little for the price. We asked whether we could continue exploring the national park on our own. Fortunately, this was not a problem, and Creole even arranged a later transfer back to the hotel for us.

On our final full day on Praslin, we went on a catamaran tour, which we had also booked through Creole. The tour was called the ‘Robinson Crusoe Adventure Tour’ and was truly fantastic. We set off from the harbour on the catamaran and sailed to a small rocky island, St Pierre, to go snorkelling. The tour then continued to Curieuse Island. Small boats took us ashore, where we were able to admire, feed and stroke lots of giant tortoises. Afterwards, we walked through the mangrove forest to the other side of the island, while our guide shared lots of fascinating information about the island with us. Our catamaran met us again on the other side, and we had time for a quick swim. Back on board, we enjoyed a delicious barbecue lunch with various side dishes and even dessert. In the afternoon, we continued to our final stop, Anse Georgette. The catamaran anchored there, and we were able to swim again and make our way over to the beach. The beach was beautiful and had fantastic waves. All in all, it was a truly wonderful day.

After six nights on Praslin, it was time for the crossing to La Digue. Everything went according to plan, and when we arrived on La Digue, we were collected straight away by a buggy from our hotel, Le Domaine de L'Orangeraie. Unfortunately, we had to wait another hour for our room, but what awaited us was well worth it. We were collected by buggy again and driven through the beautiful hotel grounds, continuing further and further up the hillside. Our villa was on the highest level and was truly magnificent. It had a wonderful balcony with sea views, a gorgeous room with lovely lighting and, as the absolute highlight, an outdoor bathroom with a rainforest shower built directly into the adjoining rock.

Because of the location of our villa, we had to order a hotel buggy whenever we wanted to go for breakfast or elsewhere, but this was usually quick and straightforward. The hotel pool and restaurants were beautifully situated by the sea and had a very modern design. We were very pleased with the à la carte restaurant. The prices were high, but entirely reasonable given the location and quality of the food. However, we thought that more than €70 per person for the buffet restaurant was outrageous. The food was good, but the price was still far too high. Drinks were also very expensive overall. In particular, some of the pricing was rather unclear and varied. At the pool bar, it even made a difference whether you ordered from the land side or the water side.

The following morning, we went on a snorkelling boat trip with ‘Belle Petra Boatcharters’. We visited three of the smaller offshore islands, where we were able to snorkel and swim. The tour was concise and well organised, and we really enjoyed it. We even had the chance to swim with a sea turtle.

On our second day, we hired bicycles from the hotel. The bikes were relatively old and rusty, but rode reasonably well. You should definitely make sure that the brakes and gears are working properly. We cycled to Anse Source d'Argent and spent the day there. The rocks are beautiful, and if you wade a little further through the water, you can reach several more very peaceful and lovely beaches. However, you should check the tides, otherwise the return journey can become wet and adventurous. By chance, we came across some stunning photographs of Anse Marron and spent the evening researching ways to reach the beach. Anse Marron lies between Grand Anse and Anse Source d’Argent, and it is recommended that you only hike there with a guide. Nevertheless, we decided to do the tour on our own the following day, as we had found directions and reports from other travellers online.

La Digue, Grand Anse So, on our third day, we hired bicycles again. As we wanted to begin our tour to Anse Marron two hours before low tide, we still had time beforehand to admire the beautiful beaches of Grand Anse and Petite Anse in the peaceful morning hours and enjoy a swim in the lovely waves. The hike from Anse Source d’Argent to Anse Marron took around 1 hour and 15 minutes and, with the directions we had, was not too difficult. There were a few sections where we had to climb over rocks. Anse Marron is truly beautiful, and it is also a wonderful place for swimming. However, there is no shade. To round off our final day, we enjoyed a very relaxing massage at the hotel’s Eden Rock Spa, accompanied by a truly breathtaking view. It was not only the view that made it worthwhile; the massage itself was excellent as well. All in all, it was a wonderful stay at a fantastic hotel. We would happily book it again at any time.

After another restful night, we set off for Mahé. First, we took the catamaran to Praslin and then continued to Victoria on Mahé. Once there, we were driven to our final hotel, Le Méridien Fisherman's Cove. We had a comfortable room overlooking Beau Vallon. We quickly decided to hire a car for the next few days, as Mahé is generally larger and more spread out than the other islands. We were able to book the car easily and directly through the hotel.

The next day, we drove straight to the south of Mahé. Despite a brief rain shower, we decided to visit the Jardin du Roi Spice Garden. You can find a great variety of plants there. It was particularly interesting to see all the delicious fruits and spices that you eat every day in the Seychelles growing in their natural surroundings. Afterwards, we drove to Anse Intendance and took a short stroll along this truly beautiful beach. It is considered one of the loveliest beaches on the islands. However, because it offers more privacy, we would prefer the neighbouring beach, Police Bay. In the evening, we took the opportunity to eat outside the hotel for a change, as there are many different restaurants around Beau Vallon. Overall, the bay is very touristy. It is not overcrowded, but it is certainly busier and more developed than other parts of the Seychelles. If we were to book another hotel on Mahé, we would definitely choose the quieter south of the island.

Mahé, Mission Lodge Our second day was all about beautiful views. First, we drove to Mission Lodge, which offers a wonderful view across the western side of the island. Afterwards, we hiked the Copolia Trail. A fairly strenuous climb of around 45 minutes took us up to a huge granite rock. There is a large colony of carnivorous plants there, but above all, you are rewarded with a fantastic view over Victoria and Eden Island. It is definitely worthwhile! As a reward for the climb, we then visited the Takamaka rum distillery and took part in a delicious rum tasting. It is worth checking the tour times beforehand so that you do not miss them. To round off the day, we went to Eden Island and admired the impressive superyachts with a delicious milkshake in hand.

Mahé, Takamaka Bay We still had one major highlight ahead of us on our final day. We drove to Police Bay. If you park your car at the end of the road, a walk of around 15 minutes rewards you with a real hidden gem. It is an absolutely dreamlike beach, with turquoise water framed by picturesque rocks. With a little luck, you may even have this small paradise entirely to yourself. The only drawback is that there is very little shade. We spent half the day relaxing and swimming there. To finish, we made another brief visit to Anse Intendance because we really wanted to swim in those wonderful waves once more.

After more than 14 days, we sadly had only half a day left to relax by the hotel pool and at the pool bar. We thoroughly enjoyed this holiday and felt comfortable and, above all, very well looked after throughout. All the transfers organised by SeyVillas went perfectly, so we genuinely did not have to worry about a thing. We were able to relax from the very beginning. A truly unforgettable honeymoon!