Days in Paradise

The Seychelles have been one of my absolute dream holiday destinations for as long as I can remember, and as there is no need to wait for a honeymoon, my boyfriend and I decided to spend our long-awaited and much-needed summer holiday on La Digue and Mahé. Thanks to the excellent organisation of the transfers by SeyVillas and their reliable operation by Creole, we were able to begin our holiday feeling completely relaxed.

We flew with Etihad from Munich via Abu Dhabi to Mahé. As usual, we were more than satisfied with the airline’s service and landed safely on Mahé around midday in glorious weather. The onward transfer to La Digue was handled perfectly by Creole. However, we both felt a little unwell on the ferry, although some passengers were affected much more severely and had to lie down. If you are prone to seasickness, you should therefore remember to bring suitable tablets, as the crossing can otherwise be rather unpleasant.

Susanne and Martin at Grand Anse After the exhausting journey, we were glad to arrive in the early evening at Patatran, our hotel on La Digue. We had a Superior Room in the main building with a direct view of the sea.

11|Anse Patates The room was spacious, with a large bed decorated with flowers and a small balcony. It took some getting used to the fact that the toilet had no door and offered very little privacy. Nevertheless, we immediately felt at home and thoroughly enjoyed our days at Patatran. We had booked breakfast only, which was perfectly adequate, with fresh fruit, various cakes and sweet treats, toast, omelettes and much more.

15|Anse Source d'Argent At Patatran, bicycles are available to hire, a service we were happy to use. The bicycles were also in fairly good condition.
Over the following days on La Digue, we explored the island on our bicycles.
We began with a visit to L’Union Estate Park, for which there is an admission charge. Passing giant tortoises, vanilla plants and countless palm trees, we made our way to Anse Source d'Argent, where we first treated ourselves to a fresh coconut at one of the small beach bars. One of the stray dogs also joined us and accompanied us for part of our exploration.
Over the next few days, we explored many, though not all, of La Digue’s beautiful beaches. We were particularly taken with Anse Patates, which is located right by Patatran. Here we watched crabs and mudskippers – small fish that hop from rock to rock. However, the sea was too rough for snorkelling, so we always stayed close to the shore. I would definitely recommend bringing water shoes, as there are many rocks in the water.

Anse Caïman We also wanted to hike to Anse Cocos, but in the end we only made it as far as Anse Caïman, which was also breathtakingly beautiful and, above all, deserted. In my opinion, the route there is quite demanding, so sturdy footwear is essential – it is difficult to manage in flip-flops, as some scrambling over rocks is required.
Tired and hungry after our excursions, we often cycled to La Passe in the evenings to pick up dinner from various takeaways. Gala Takeaway, for example, is recommended and quite reasonably priced.

75|Anse Lazio On our final day on La Digue, we decided to join one of Creole’s excursions to Praslin, visiting Vallée de Mai and Anse Lazio (many thanks to Bertrand from Creole for his dedication). We thoroughly enjoyed the excursion. There was a barbecue on board the catamaran, everything was well organised, and we had the opportunity to visit the impressive Vallée de Mai and finally unpack our snorkelling equipment at Anse Lazio. At last, we were also able to admire the remarkable underwater world, with its many colourful fish and even a ray.
Sadly, the next day it was time to say goodbye to La Digue. We spent the second part of our holiday on Mahé at Bambous River Lodge, a self-catering property of the kind commonly found on Mahé. This one was particularly attractive and highly recommended, as it is still very new, clean and well maintained. On arrival, you receive a welcome pack containing milk, butter, jam, toast, coffee, tea and bananas.
The property is located in Bel Ombre, close to Beau Vallon. I would definitely recommend hiring a car so that you can explore Mahé in all its diversity.

Driving on the left in the Seychelles only takes a few minutes to get used to; otherwise, we found driving there quite relaxed. The roads are fairly narrow and winding, and in places also rather steep.
We spent our final days exploring the island in our hire car. A visit to Sauzier Waterfall is highly recommended, as it is a wonderful place for a swim. There is, however, an admission charge. At the tea factory, you can buy lovely citronella and vanilla teas. The factory can also be toured. At La Misere Exotics Garden Centre and Le Jardin du Roi, you can admire all kinds of exotic fruits, flowers and spices. From pineapples and star fruit to pepper, nutmeg and cloves, almost everything grows here!
We also visited the capital, Victoria. The Sir Selwyn Clarke Market is particularly worth visiting, but as we did not arrive until the afternoon, there was not much left to see. Otherwise, in my opinion, Victoria is not especially appealing.

Hike to Anse Major Hike to Anse Major On our final day, we decided to get up early to walk the Anse Major Trail.
It is beautiful, leading over rocks along the coast to Anse Major, which is deserted if you set off early enough. It took us around 45 minutes each way. The hike is relatively easy, and there are plenty of wonderful photo opportunities along the route.
We spent our final hours on Mahé at Beau Vallon, took one last dip in the sea and felt a little wistful that this wonderful holiday would soon be over.
The next day, we were taken to the airport, tried to spend our remaining Seychellois rupees in duty-free and boarded our flight home feeling well rested and carrying many new impressions with us.