The Seychelles on a Budget
Referring back to the title, I would say that, although everything is relative, subjective and open to debate, spending just over €4,000 for two people on a 2-week holiday in the Seychelles, visiting 3 islands and staying in hotels or guest houses on a half-board basis, with transfers and flights included, seems quite affordable and within reach of ‘almost’ everyone.
With that said, let me tell you about our holiday, which my wife and I treated ourselves to for our 20th wedding anniversary.
First of all, I would like to emphasise that the land and sea transfers booked with SeyVillas were impeccable. Starting with the first island, this was my experience.
Praslin
Colibri Guest House: superior room. The downsides were the lack of furniture and rather dim lighting, but everything else was fine: a new bathroom and mirrored French doors opening onto the patio, with an absolutely exceptional view over St Anne’s Bay.
I stayed here for 5 nights and, as I did not want to hire a car because of driving on the left, I chose to rely on the local buses. For the astronomically low fare of 5 rupees (just 31 euro cents), you could travel for as many stops as you liked. This is how I visited Anse Marie-Louise and Anse Consolation, which were pleasant but not ideal for swimming, followed by Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or), where the seabed slopes gently and I hired 2 sun loungers for the whole day for 100 rupees. Finally, there was Anse Lazio (on both the first and last day)… What can I say? It was the most beautiful beach I saw in the Seychelles, with the perfect combination of beach, sea and snorkelling, especially on the left-hand side when arriving from the road.
I almost forgot: the food at Colibri is genuinely excellent, with table service, a small restaurant overlooking the sea and very friendly staff.
La Digue
Pension Michel, 5 nights. I was lucky here, as I think they gave me the best room: it was the only one with its own private veranda at the back. Breakfast and dinner were also served at the table. Service was perhaps a little slow in the morning, but I could not fault the quality or quantity; in fact, both were very good.
La Digue is the island of bicycles, apart from a few taxis, small vans and electric cars. I even saw local people cycling while somehow carrying 2 other bicycles at the same time… incredible.
The beaches I saw on La Digue, travelling around by bicycle, were Grand Anse, followed by a 25-minute walk along a path, past a few giant crabs and with a fair bit of perspiration, to reach Petite Anse. After another 25 minutes, I finally arrived at Anse Cocos.
All 3 were similar and very beautiful, but with large waves. I then spent a day at Anse Severe, which has a coral reef and, once you get beyond it, a lovely stretch of sea. There was also Anse Patates, a small but very pretty beach where I saw a charming wedding ceremony taking place on the sand.
Last but not least was the very famous Anse Source d'Argent. Admission costs 100 rupees for the day. You can see giant tortoises in an enclosure and, once you reach the sea, there are endless opportunities to photograph every corner of this celebrated beach. The reef is shallow, with lovely natural pools, and in the evening you can admire romantic sunsets.
As if all that were not enough, on the final day I went on an excursion to the nearby islands of Coco, Sister and Félicité. While snorkelling, I saw countless fish, including some beautiful batfish, although unfortunately the coral reef was badly damaged.
Mahé
Casadani hotel, 3 nights. Good value for money and an enormous room, although the curtains always had to remain closed because other guests walked past it. Dinner was served as a buffet, with a good variety of fish, including freshly grilled options.
Here on Mahé, I once again took the local bus, this time to Victoria, where I saw the covered local market, a small Hindu temple and the miniature clock tower. I also visited the small but pleasant Natural History Museum, where I saw the world’s heaviest ‘coco de mer’, weighing 18.03 kg.
The only beaches I saw were those near the hotel: Beau Vallon, a large beach lined with luxury hotels and resorts, and the small Anse Marie-Laure, which was very secluded and pretty.
To conclude, and returning to my opening point, I spent a further €300 on drinks, extras and excursions, which was still very little overall. It is therefore possible to enjoy a wonderful holiday without spending a fortune, while still choosing good-quality services. They say that in life you should try a little of everything, and a holiday in the Seychelles should certainly be one of those experiences: unique and unforgettable.
