A Dive into Paradise

Our welcome to Mahé began when we arrived at our accommodation: Villa Caballero, a charming little villa where Dorayne, the owner, hosted us in one of the 2 apartments. She told us that we were the only guests, so the entire property was at our complete disposal. This meant having the garden, 2 verandas and a swimming pool all to ourselves. Every morning, a generous breakfast was served on one of the verandas; it was different each day and tailored to our requests.

We hired a car to get around the island, which raised our first concern: in the Seychelles, they drive “the British way”, on the left, so the steering wheel is on the right. Fortunately, our car was an automatic, because learning on the spot to change gear with my left hand would have been quite a challenge. What we did not know, however, was that the controls beside the steering wheel were also reversed. I discovered this whenever I tried to indicate before turning and switched on the windscreen wipers instead!

There are many beaches to see on Mahé, particularly in the south-west, but the one that undoubtedly captured our hearts was Anse Bazarca, south of the better-known Anse Intendance. The sea stirred by the wind that blows at this time of year, the long white beach framed by tall rocks at either end, the row of palms beside the road, and the fact that we had the entire beach to ourselves apart from the little white crabs emerging at the end of the day... all these things combined gave us a unique sense of peace and relaxation!

We then travelled by ferry to La Digue via Praslin. I am not quite sure on which seat I must have left my stomach, because if you visit during a windy period, the sea tends to make the crossing rather eventful.

Fortunately, you eventually arrive on La Digue, and cycling around the island beneath its tall vegetation soon makes you forget the journey there. Of course, you need to remember to keep left at all times, and while travelling through the central area near the harbour, you may encounter not only other tourists who are less careful than you, but also electric golf buggies or ox-drawn carts!

We particularly loved L’Union Estate Park on La Digue, for several reasons. First of all, there is the greenery, and walking in the shade when the sun is directly overhead is always welcome. Then there are the enchanting beaches – one only needs to mention Anse Source d'Argent to understand what we mean... From here, you can continue on foot towards several little coves, but only with the help of local guides can you reach the beautiful bay of Anse Marron – partly overland through the vegetation and partly by sea.

Then there are the Seychelles’ giant tortoises. Feeding them was both exciting and enjoyable, although we did feel a little sorry to see them in an enclosure rather than free to ru... ahem, to “walk slowly” through the greenery.

We ended our holiday on Praslin, where all we wanted to do was relax. For this reason, we had booked the Berjaya Praslin Resort, a convenient resort with a swimming pool directly overlooking the long beach of Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or). This allowed us to alternate between the sea and the pool throughout the day and dine right on the beach. We hired a car for just 1 day, so that we could walk among the tall palms of the Vallée De Mai in search of the “Coco de mer” and swim at the beautiful and famous Anse Lazio.

What has stayed with us from this trip? Memories of spectacular places surrounded by almost unspoilt nature, a general sense of wellbeing – which we hope returning to everyday life will not spoil within a few days – plenty of beautiful photographs to look back on whenever we wish, with just a touch of nostalgia... and a bag full of souvenirs for us and our friends!