Island Hopping

In mid-September, we set off on our first trip to the Seychelles. We chose three islands and wanted to explore Praslin, La Digue and Mahé.

Unfortunately, our originally booked direct flight (Düsseldorf–Mahé) was cancelled at short notice by Air Seychelles due to insufficient demand.
Our alternative route took us via Paris. Although the three-hour stopover was a little frustrating, the time passed quite quickly overall.
After landing on time, we were taken to the port on Mahé by ‘Kreol Travel Service’. Following a short wait, we caught the ferry to our first island, Praslin.
The transfers we had booked also ran smoothly, so a short while later we arrived at our first hotel, Les Villas D'Or.
The hotel’s bungalows are set within a beautiful garden and are very close to the beach. Our pre-booked breakfast was served on our terrace each morning at our preferred time. It was simple but perfectly adequate (coffee/tea, toast, fruit, jam and juice).
The bungalows were very spacious, exceptionally clean and well maintained.

We had reserved a hire car before leaving Germany and arranged for it to be delivered to the hotel. Once again, everything arrived punctually and as agreed. Only the overall condition of the vehicle was somewhat questionable, with around 15 instances of existing damage noted.
The hire car was ideal for exploring the island at our own pace. The bus service also seemed to work well, although we saw waiting tourists considerably more often than we saw buses on the road. Our holiday time was simply too precious, so we were happy to spend €30 per day on a hire car.
For us, the island’s highlights were the beaches of Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette, as well as the two national parks, Vallée de Mai and Fond Ferdinand.

After 6 days, we continued to La Digue. Once again, the transfer went smoothly. Our second accommodation was Le Surmer. Our overall impression here was not quite as positive. The house was not exactly dirty, but it was not particularly clean either. More time seemed to have been spent creatively folding the towels into shapes such as elephants and turtles than on cleaning the bungalow. The nearby building work did not really bother us, as we were already out exploring the island by the time work began at around 08:00.
On La Digue, a bicycle is the ideal way to get around and explore the island and its many beaches. Almost all the locals had a Bluetooth speaker playing reggae music on their luggage racks, which created a lovely atmosphere.
Compared with Praslin, the beaches on La Digue are even more beautiful, although some are unsuitable for swimming because of the dangerous currents. Tragically, there was also a fatal swimming accident during our stay, when a German man drowned in Petite Anse bay.

Our third and final island was the main island of Mahé. The pick-up and ferry transfer went smoothly, although we found the ferry’s departure time of 14:00 extremely inconvenient, as it effectively cost us an entire day of our holiday even though the crossing itself takes just under 90 minutes. An earlier transfer would have been preferable, particularly as we had to vacate our accommodation by 10:00.
Our third accommodation was Blue Lagoon Chalets. The house was very spacious and clean, and our host was exceptionally friendly and helpful. The only thing that took some getting used to at first was its proximity to the ‘main road’. We had also booked a hire car in advance here, which proved absolutely essential, especially as the only restaurant within walking distance happened to be closed for a week for renovations during our stay.

On Mahé, you should definitely visit the capital, Victoria, and its market.
We went there on a Saturday morning and found the hustle and bustle a thoroughly enjoyable change from beach-hopping.
Mahé also has several well-signposted hiking trails that are highly recommended. Among others, we completed the Copolia Lodge Trail and were rewarded with a fantastic view over the capital, Victoria. During the strenuous, sweat-inducing climb, we also had the satisfying feeling that we were burning off a Seybrew or two.

Overall, Mahé is naturally the most varied island. The traffic can be rather hectic in places, and the buses hurtle around the island relentlessly, with little regard for anything in their way.
Nevertheless, you will of course also find the typical peaceful Seychelles coves here; Anse Soleil, for example, was our favourite...

Our conclusion after the trip: the Seychelles fully lived up to their reputation as an island paradise with beautiful bays for swimming, but they also have plenty to offer away from the beaches.