Island Hopping with a Baby

After landing at Mahé International Airport, we took an Air Seychelles propeller plane to Praslin. During the 15-minute flight, we had wonderful views of the islands and the turquoise sea. At the airport, we were welcomed by Creole staff, who handle the transfers, and driven to our accommodation. At our guesthouse, Hirondelle, by Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or), we were welcomed with a cold fruit juice. The apartment was very spacious, clean and comfortable. Every morning, breakfast was prepared in our kitchen and served on our private terrace. The beach was practically on our doorstep, just across the road.

The highlights of Praslin for us were undoubtedly the beautiful beaches and excellent swimming conditions. We would highly recommend a visit to Anse Georgette to everyone (advance registration required!). Anse Lazio is also breathtakingly beautiful and perfect for relaxing and swimming. We visited both beaches by public bus. It cost just 30 cents per person, making it much cheaper than a taxi or hire car. You do have to cover the final stretches on foot, which can be a little strenuous given the climate and the inclines – but the wonderful views on arrival make it immediately worthwhile.

From Praslin, we also booked a half-day excursion to the islands of Curieuse and St Pierre. On Curieuse, we were able to see numerous giant tortoises in the wild and swim at a lovely beach. At the small island of St Pierre, we then went snorkelling from the boat. With a baby on board, of course, only one of us could snorkel at a time, but that was not a problem for us.

At Fond Ferdinand National Park, we were able to admire the legendary Coco de Mer and gain an impression of what the island must have looked like before it was settled by humans. On the advice of others, we chose this over Vallée de Mai, as we were almost entirely on our own here, the admission price was much lower and there was certainly just as much to see.

We continued to La Digue by ferry. Our apartment at Le Relax Self Catering was also very spacious and clean. We could have breakfast at the neighbouring sister hotel, Le Relax.

We particularly loved the unique atmosphere on La Digue. Everything on the 3 × 5 km island can be reached by bicycle. If you are travelling with a child, you can also hire a bicycle with a child seat, which is provided free of charge.

We would recommend a visit to L'Union Estate Park, with its vanilla plantation and, of course, Anse Source d'Argent beach.

Our highlight, however, was cycling to Grand Anse and then hiking to the beaches of Petite Anse and Anse Cocos. All three beaches are beautiful, but they are wild beaches, so swimming can be dangerous. However, they are perfect for relaxing after the hikes over rough terrain through the jungle and offer wonderful photo opportunities.

From the harbour, we set off on a snorkelling excursion to the Sister Islands, Coco Island and Félicité. We saw shoals of colourful fish and even swam with a sea turtle.

The final stop on our island-hopping trip took us back to the main island of Mahé. We spent 1.5 days here before our departure, staying at the Coral Strand Hotel by the beautiful bay of Beau Vallon.

Compared with our other accommodation, the hotel is enormous. The room was sufficiently spacious and clean. The breakfast buffet was very good, with a wide selection of international dishes.

We spent our final days here simply relaxing by the pool or on the beach. That means there is still plenty for us to explore on Mahé during our next holiday in the Seychelles.

The order in which we visited the islands, as well as the number of days we spent on each one, was perfect for us. The accommodation matched the descriptions on the SeyVillas website, and we would happily recommend it. The transfers and local assistance provided by Creole went smoothly. The transfer package was perfect for us – we always knew when and where we would be collected or where we needed to be.

The Island Hopping Configurator and travel guide on the SeyVillas website helped us plan and prepare the perfect holiday. The SeyVillas team were friendly and helpful at all times. We would happily book our next Seychelles holiday here again.

One final tip for anyone travelling with a baby or toddler: we did not need the pushchair we had brought with us. A baby wrap or carrier is far more important. It gave us flexibility and meant we did not have to rely on ‘firm ground’.