Feeling at home, even when you’re far from home

As we only had one week’s holiday, we opted for the direct overnight Air Seychelles flight from Düsseldorf and stayed on Cerf for the entire trip, as the boat transfer makes it easier to be flexible on Cerf than, for example, on Praslin.

The Air Seychelles flight was turbulence-free. The food and in-flight entertainment were good, and the 10-hour flight passed quickly. The crew were very friendly, and we already had a taste of Creole hospitality.

When we arrived at the airport, the first thing we did was exchange some money. As it later turned out, this was not actually necessary, as both the hotel and the excursions could be paid for in euros. We took a taxi to Eden Island, which cost 400 rupees, and only 350 rupees on the return journey. We waited less than 5 minutes at the jetty before the boat from Villa de Cerf arrived. The closer you get to Cerf during the crossing, the more excited you become.

Arrival on Cerf Island Anna, the owner of Villa de Cerf, welcomed us with a cocktail and refreshing towels, and that was the moment our holiday truly began. We had booked the room for an additional day before our arrival and another day after our departure so that we could have an early check-in and a late check-out. Air Seychelles’ flight times are excellent, allowing you to make full use of both your arrival day, landing at 8.00 am, and your departure day, with the flight not leaving until 10.15 pm. We were therefore able to go straight to our room. The rooms are very spacious. The furnishings are not the latest design and are showing their age a little, but everything is very well maintained and clean. The ZDF television channel is available. The view from the balcony is wonderful, especially at sunset.

Hotel Villa de Cerf Villa de Cerf is a small hotel with just 4 rooms, personally run by the owners, Anna and Charlie. This intimate atmosphere was important to us when choosing the hotel. Anyone visiting Cerf can expect complete peace and quiet. When we wanted to book the hotel, it was initially fully booked, and SeyVillas suggested an alternative. After I had returned the booking confirmation for that accommodation, SeyVillas contacted us to say that a room had become available at Villa de Cerf after all. We would like to thank SeyVillas for remembering us. The other accommodation would certainly have been good too, but we were delighted that we could stay at our preferred hotel after all.

Wi-Fi can be added locally and costs €45 per room for one week, although it can also be booked for fewer days. It worked reliably. There are more sun loungers by the pool than the maximum number of guests, and they are very comfortable. The pool is approximately 10 m long, so you can have a proper swim. Charlie cleans the pool every morning. When the other hotel guests are out on excursions, you generally have the pool to yourself. Anna provides beach towels free of charge, which saves space in your suitcase.

Pool Villa de Cerf Breakfast consists of fresh fruit, toast, jam and eggs cooked to your preference, such as an omelette or scrambled eggs. Juice and coffee or tea are also served. Straight after breakfast, Anna gives you the lunch and dinner menus. The lunch menu offers plenty of choice. We tried the smoked fish salad recommended by SeyVillas and would definitely recommend it ourselves. It was delicious. For dinner at 7.30 pm, you can always choose between 2 starters, either salad or soup, and 2 main courses, either fish or meat. The dessert is fixed. Anna is an excellent cook. Every evening was a real culinary treat. Drinks can be ordered at any time except between 4.00 and 7.00 pm. However, every room has a well-stocked minibar that you can use during those hours.

The beach is right outside the door. It looks across towards Mahé, with the open ocean to one side. The tides are noticeable on this beach, but you can still go into the water at high tide. The beach is generally deserted. We really did have it entirely to ourselves whenever we were there.

Beach on Cerf The jetty is illuminated in the evenings, and you can feed the fish, which we always did with Charlie. Small reef sharks also appear. This is another excellent spot from which to enjoy the sunset.

Sunset on the jetty The hotel provides kayaks free of charge. We used them twice and stopped at deserted beaches. There is also a billiards table and a selection of board games available to borrow. We booked 2 excursions. The first was to Moyenne Island, the smallest national park in the Seychelles. We had originally wanted to do the tour with James, who had been recommended by SeyVillas, but he called in sick that morning. Anna immediately arranged a replacement for us. This tour cost €30 more per person than the one with James, but lunch was included as an extra. First, we went out by boat and fed the fish, after which we were able to go snorkelling. We then continued to Moyenne, where we saw giant tortoises.

Tortoise We hiked around the island once and enjoyed magnificent views. Afterwards, we returned to Cerf for lunch. We would thoroughly recommend this excursion!

View of Moyenne Our second excursion was to the main island of Mahé. Our tour guide, Benedikt, first took us to the market in Victoria, where we had some time to shop. We then had lunch at a beachfront restaurant before he took us to Anse Soleil. This is an absolutely gorgeous beach and is also an excellent place for snorkelling. To finish, he drove us through tea and cinnamon plantations, although this part was very rushed. The excursion was fine, but it was not good value for money and, at €170 including food, plus the boat transfer for 2 people, it was completely overpriced. Even though it was a private tour, we would have liked more information from Benedikt. He was less of a tour guide and more of a taxi driver. However, Anse Soleil was so stunningly beautiful that we did not dwell on it. Anna arranged a different tour guide for the guests in the room next to ours, and they were satisfied.

Anse Soleil Snorkelling on Mahé View from Mahé towards Cerf Anna and Charlie are very hospitable. We had some lovely conversations with them both and felt completely at home at Villa de Cerf. Overall, the week was a dream holiday and would have received almost full marks from us if it had not been for the issue with breakfast on our arrival day. As mentioned, we had booked the room with half board for an extra day before our arrival. The early check-in went smoothly, but we were not given breakfast, even though we had arrived very early. The explanation was that we would receive breakfast on our departure day. In theory, however, we had already been entitled to dinner the previous evening. This unused half-board service had cost €50 for 2 people. We then ordered lunch very early, as there is nowhere on Cerf where you can buy food yourself, which is a problem when you are hungry. Our advice is therefore to pack a few biscuits and crisps. If anyone else books the room for an extra day before arriving, SeyVillas will surely be happy to speak to Anna about breakfast.