Honeymoon in a Dream Setting

We initially decided to spend 6 days on Mahé. Although friends told us that the other islands have much more beautiful beaches, we deliberately chose Mahé, the largest island in the Seychelles, as there is a little more to do and more scope for hiking than on the other islands, which suited us perfectly as active holidaymakers.

Day 1:
We conveniently took an overnight flight and arrived in the morning. We then drove our hire car to the hotel. I would recommend hiring a car to anyone who is not put off by driving on the left. It simply gives you more flexibility and allows you to visit all the island’s wonderful places and beaches. We stayed at the Valmer Resort, where we were welcomed as honeymooners with a bottle of sparkling wine and a fruit platter. I can thoroughly recommend the resort. From our room, an Ocean View Suite, we had a lovely view of nearby Baie Lazare.

As we were still rather exhausted from the flight, we took it easy on our arrival day and relaxed by the pool and on the beautiful Baie Lazare beach. In the evening, we drove to Petite Anse. This is a very beautiful beach and particularly appealing in the evening, as it is a lovely place to watch the sunset. Another couple also told us that it is very good for snorkelling.

Day 2:
The next day, we drove to Victoria, the island’s capital. However, as it only has 26,000 residents and there is not all that much to see, you can easily visit all the sights on a short walk. Our main reason for going there was to collect information about the island’s hiking trails from the Tourist Office. However, they did not have any and instead directed us to the National Park office. It is hidden away on the second floor of the Orion Shopping Centre. We only managed to find it thanks to the directions given to us by the lady at the Tourist Office; apparently, not many tourists find their way there. The free materials we received were very good, though. There was a brochure for each hike, with plenty of information. We first decided on the ‘Dans Gallas’ hike, which is on the way to Beau Vallon. The hike takes around 3 hours and ends at a viewpoint offering a lovely view over the eastern side of Mahé.

Dan Gallas viewpoint We did not meet a single other hiker throughout the entire walk. In general, we had the impression that nobody had used the trail for days or even weeks. As a result, there were numerous enormous webs, complete with palm-sized spiders, hanging right across the paths, which was rather unsettling. Apart from the spiders, the hike was quite pleasant. However, there is a viewpoint directly on Sans Soucis Road offering a similar view, so if you are short on time and can only choose one hike, it may be better to opt for another, more rewarding one. After the hike, we drove to the beach at Beau Vallon. Here, we also followed SeyVillas’ recommendation and visited Bazar Labrin, which takes place every Wednesday after sunset, which is very beautiful here. There are various stalls where locals serve delicious Creole cuisine at reasonable prices. Thoroughly recommended.

Day 3:
The next day, we first drove to Baie Ternay, a very beautiful bay that is also ideal for snorkelling. We were there in the morning, which had the advantage that the tide was still out and the left-hand section of the beach was easy to reach. On the way back, we also stopped at Sauzier Waterfall. To reach it, follow the road that branches off to the left of the church at Port Launay South Beach for around 5 minutes. You have to pay an entrance fee of 25 SRP to visit the waterfall. In the end, it was quite a pleasant spot for a picnic. However, the waterfall itself is not particularly spectacular. Despite what the locals told us, the brown water did not look especially inviting for a swim either. The most spectacular sight was probably the giant prawns we saw in the pool, which seemed very much at home in the fresh water.
We then hiked to the ‘Morne Blanc’ viewing platform. This is a 1 km trail that is quite strenuous and takes around 1½ hours in total. It is much more frequently used, so you do not have to worry about spiders here. The view over Mahé’s west coast was beautiful. It was just a shame that the viewing platform was, officially at least, closed because it was in an extremely dilapidated state. Unfortunately, during our holiday we noticed on several occasions that facilities like this were not exactly maintained or kept in good repair by the authorities.

Day 4:
On the fourth day, we had a full day at the beach. We first drove to Petite Police and Police Bay.

Petite Police, or Anse Bazarca There are certainly more beautiful beaches in the Seychelles, and it was not possible to swim here either. A visit is therefore mainly worthwhile if you are already in the area and fancy a pleasant little walk along the beaches and a few nice photos. Afterwards, we drove to Anse Intendance, a very beautiful, long beach which, due to the high waves, was not particularly suitable for swimming either. We then continued to Anse Takamaka. There is convenient parking at Chez Batista. The hotel also has a restaurant where you can enjoy delicious food along with a lovely view of the bay. There is also a small enclosure with giant tortoises at the hotel. However, I had my doubts as to whether the size of the enclosure was suitable for the animals. The beach really is very beautiful. Its southern end is also excellent for snorkelling. We spotted a turtle here several times.

Day 5:
On day 5, we had planned to hike to Anse Major.

Anse Major This is thoroughly recommended, particularly as there is no other way to reach these beautiful beaches except by boat. The trail begins beyond the village of Bel Ombre. It takes around 1 hour to reach the beach along a lovely coastal path. Anse Major is also very worthwhile for snorkelling. A water taxi offers return trips if you do not fancy walking all the way back.

Day 6:
On day 6, we drove to Eden Island. Only the shopping centre and marina are open to the public. A visit is therefore only worthwhile if you want to cross from there to Cerf. We then headed south again along the east coast, stopping at one or two pleasant beaches before visiting Jardin du Roi. You can walk through the spice gardens without paying an entrance fee and see a number of exotic plants, including the Coco de Mer palm.

Days 7–8:

There is only one place to stay on Sainte Anne, the Beachcomber Sainte Anne Island, so a stay here is extremely exclusive, with prices to match. However, as it was our honeymoon, we treated ourselves to two exclusive days on Sainte Anne. As honeymooners, we even received a complimentary upgrade to full board and were once again welcomed with a bottle of sparkling wine and a fruit platter. Our stay here was an absolute dream. We were treated like royalty. They also offer some wonderful excursions, including snorkelling and glass-bottom boat trips, at no extra charge. However, for the average earner, this is something you can only afford on very special occasions.

Days 9–12:

We then travelled to La Digue for 4 days. La Digue was our favourite of all the islands. The island is very small, so you can easily reach everything by bicycle, and there are hardly any cars around. As a result, I found life on La Digue very relaxed and laid-back, which we really enjoyed. On La Digue, we stayed at the La Digue Island Lodge. The lodge was not bad, and the grounds were very attractive. However, compared with the other hotels, it was the one we liked least. The bathrooms are definitely showing their age. Wi-Fi was only available by the pool and in the restaurant, and even there it did not always work, while the hotel manager’s friendliness also felt rather forced. Overall, though, these are fairly minor complaints. The hotel certainly is not bad.

The island’s main attraction is undoubtedly the L’Union Estate. Admission to the grounds costs 100 SRP, and there are several highlights to discover. As well as an old cemetery, museums, historic houses, plantations and a gallery, there is also an enclosure with giant tortoises. Provided you follow certain rules, you are even allowed to enter the enclosure and feed the tortoises, which is quite an experience. However, the main reason visitors come here is clearly Anse Source d'Argent, an absolute dream of a beach that is also excellent for snorkelling. The next day, we cycled over to Grand Anse.

Grand Anse Shortly before the entrance to Grand Anse, a signposted path leads north to Petite Anse. Behind the juice stall there, another path continues for around 15 minutes to Anse Cocos. I would definitely recommend that everyone walk all the way there. At the far end of Anse Cocos, you are rewarded with a natural pool where you can enjoy a wonderfully refreshing dip. Otherwise, the beaches are not really suitable for swimming because of the waves.

On our third day, we booked a half-day snorkelling trip by boat. We booked it with an operator directly at the harbour for €50 per person, including soft drinks. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the operator’s name. We visited three snorkelling spots off the ‘big sisters’, near Coco Island and off Félicité. It was simply a fantastic experience, slightly marred only by the fact that I came into contact with jellyfish several times near Coco Island. However, I did not let that put me off, and we were even able to see turtles twice.

Once we were back, we cycled along the north coast to the end of the road. I would recommend this beautiful ride to everyone. We even saw several giant tortoises roaming freely along the way, as well as some lovely beaches. Other tourists had also recommended Chez Jules Bar, so we stopped there too. They serve delicious juices and snacks. It was a brilliant tip.

Days 12–16:

Our final stop was Praslin. Having already stayed in some very exclusive hotels, we opted for a slightly less expensive one here. We therefore did not expect too much from the Chalets Cote Mer, which is very close to the ferry terminal, and were all the more pleasantly surprised. The apartment was lovely, the staff were very friendly and the food was delicious, even if the breakfast selection was not quite as extensive as elsewhere. In short, we felt completely at home. We could therefore overlook the fact that we never received the complimentary bottle of wine with dinner that had been promised as a honeymoon gift. The highlight for us was Anse Lazio.

Anse Lazio, Praslin We liked it so much that we went there on 3 separate days. Not only is the beach beautiful, but it was also one of the best snorkelling spots I have ever seen. In addition to the usual fish, we also saw small, hopefully harmless sharks and several species of ray, which was extremely impressive. If you find the beach too crowded, there is another, smaller section of beach to the left. A path from there also leads to a further tiny beach. We also visited ‘Fond Ferdinand’ in the south of the island.

Fond Ferdinand Guided tours are available there at set times for 150 SRP. The tour takes you through a forest, past various Coco de Mer palms, and finishes at a viewpoint. It was a lovely and extremely interesting tour. For that reason, we decided not to visit the Vallée de Mai as well, as we probably would only have seen much the same thing again.