Our Seychelles
The preparations
We organised this holiday practically at the last minute, just before Christmas. On the morning of Friday the 22nd, I was on the phone with SeyVillas, and by early afternoon we had finalised everything just in time. Without the help and support of SeyVillas, organising it all would have been virtually impossible – they were incredibly efficient.
And at Christmas, a little box appeared under the tree containing a few seaside essentials (a hat, a swimsuit, goggles, sun cream and… plane tickets!).
So we set off on 1 January: two adults full of anticipation and our two little ones, aged 6 and 8, equally excited (and loaded down with snorkelling masks and fins). In the days before our departure, we had watched as many videos and looked at as many photos of the Seychelles as we could. Needless to say, they were stunning, which raised our expectations even further, on top of the usual exhaustion that builds up by Christmas and our weariness of the cold.
The outward journey
The outward journey was long and rather eventful (Air Seychelles delayed the direct flight from Paris from 10 p.m. until 8 a.m. the following morning), but as soon as you arrive on Mahé, you begin to breathe in that warm air that brings you back to life. As soon as you step off the plane (there are no air bridges on Mahé, so you walk down the old-fashioned steps straight onto the tarmac) and head towards the terminal, your body comes alive again. Despite the tiring journey, you instantly feel recharged.
Creole, the local agency appointed by SeyVillas, was waiting for us at the airport and had already sorted out all the problems caused by the flight delay – believe me, it was an enormous relief!
Praslin
After an unplanned night on Mahé due to the flight delay, we set off early the next morning for Praslin on the first ferry. By 9 a.m., we were already having breakfast at Britannia. Shortly afterwards, our hire car arrived (delivered to the hotel while I sipped my coffee), and we set off to explore Praslin.
The question was: where should we go? North, south, or across the island? We decided to head north towards the airport, although we were all impatient to see the sea. We soon stopped by the roadside, got out and ran towards the water, which was literally just a few steps from the car. We were all speechless. As we stood there open-mouthed, dipping our feet into the warm Indian Ocean, a small shark about half a metre long swam past us, less than 2 metres from the water’s edge.
We had only just arrived… if everywhere was like this, what else awaited us? Our expectations soared even higher, and brimming with excitement, we headed to our first proper beach, a little further north: Anse Kerlan. At last, we could enjoy the fine white sand and warm sea.
Our 3 days on Praslin flew by – far too quickly – and we made the most of every moment. We travelled all over the island to discover its many beautiful sights, although we certainly did not manage to see them all. Far from it. We were particularly impressed by the day we spent at Anse Georgette, considered by many to be the most beautiful beach on the island. It lies within the Constance Lemuria resort, and we were able to enter thanks to a reservation made by our local agent on the day we arrived (if you would like to visit this fantastic beach, do not forget to book!).
La Digue
But then it was time to leave, and early on 6 January we were at the Baie Ste Anne jetty, ready to board the ferry to La Digue, where we arrived after a crossing of just 15 minutes. Creole’s service was impeccable – throughout the entire trip, in fact. They were never even a minute late for any of our scheduled appointments or transfers.
As soon as we entered the harbour at La Digue, we realised that this island was something special. We were welcomed by the enormous boulders near the lighthouse and water of such an incredible colour that it left us speechless. As soon as we disembarked, a taxi was already waiting to take us to Pension Fidele , where we would spend our 4 days on La Digue.
The owner, Josette, gave us a wonderful welcome. We settled in and arranged half board with her (breakfast and dinner for €27 per adult, with children paying half) as well as bicycle hire (€7 per bicycle per day). By 10 a.m., we were already on the road exploring the island.
We headed north, cycling less than 2 km to reach Anse Severe, where we discovered the island’s first surprise: a giant tortoise was waiting for us at the side of the road!
We stopped in amazement (giant tortoises are found only in the Seychelles and the Galápagos). The children were delighted, fed it, received a few accidental nips, and we took countless photos and videos before setting off again. We continued along the road, stopping here and there, and had lunch at the Patatran Village in the north of the island. In the afternoon, we decided to visit what is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: Anse Source d'Argent.
To enter, you have to pass through L’Union Estate, a private estate with several vanilla plantations, an enormous boulder with around 20 giant tortoises at its base, the historic cemetery of the family who owns the estate, and several historic buildings. Adults pay SCR 115 (approximately €7), while children enter free of charge.
After making our way through the estate for a while, we left our bicycles and continued on foot. What we saw ahead left us speechless. I find it difficult to put into words, but however beautiful the photos may be, nothing compares with actually being there. First of all, we were struck by how few people there were (I imagine this was because many visitors take day trips to La Digue from Mahé or Praslin and return in the afternoon). Then there was the variety of landscapes, with small coves alternating with inland paths winding past enormous granite boulders and lush vegetation.
Overjoyed, we returned to our guest house, where a fantastic Creole dinner awaited us: fish for us, chicken for the children, and plenty of vegetables and beer. This became our evening routine throughout our stay on La Digue, with a different menu each day, agreed with Josette every morning.
The following morning, we decided to cross the island to reach Grand Anse beach. Most of the 4 km route was easy, although the final section involved a rather more challenging climb. We did not let that discourage us: we got off and pushed our bicycles for a while.
When we arrived at Grand Anse, it took our breath away. The sea was such an intense shade of turquoise that we could hardly believe our eyes. The sun was also incredibly strong, and there was no one else around – only a few small shelters made from palm branches. We soon understood why: the beach is very wide, with nowhere to escape the sun! We adapted to the situation and built ourselves a small shelter using some discarded poles and branches we found near the beach, which had clearly been used for the same purpose in the days before.
Then we immediately went for a swim, because it was hot and our efforts building the shelter deserved a well-earned reward!
We returned in the evening and went to the harbour for a drink. We stopped at the beach by the Fish Trap, which we would visit again over the following days, and enjoyed a magnificent sunset.
On our third day on La Digue, we decided to cycle around the island via its northern tip. We stopped at Anse Grosse Roche on the eastern side of the island, where we found yet another dream beach, completely deserted and all to ourselves. The children went snorkelling while we rested and breathed in the island’s warm air once again.
We devoted our penultimate day on the island to Anse Source d’Argent – it could not have been anywhere else. We took countless photos and videos, and with very few people around, we enjoyed it to the full. We ate an enormous plate of fruit at the makeshift beach bar. In the afternoon, low tide allowed us to take a long walk southwards through the shallow water, while our eyes took in landscapes and beaches we will never forget. We decided to spend our final day and last few hours at Grand Anse beach, where the magnificent sea welcomed us once again for swim after swim.
The journey home
Our long journey home began with the ferry to Praslin. A car from Creole, the local agency, was waiting for us at the jetty and took us to the airport, where we boarded the small plane that brought us back to Mahé in 15 minutes. From there, we flew to Abu Dhabi with Air Seychelles, had a stopover, and then travelled on to Rome with Alitalia.
