Jungle, Surf and Solitude

It did not take long after arriving at the airport for us to realise: it is rather lovely here. Sunshine, blue skies, palm trees and white beaches. We enjoyed all of this during the taxi journey to our hotel, Treasure Cove. The small hotel is in Bel Ombre, just a short bus ride from probably the best-known beach, Beau Vallon.

Over the next five days, we made the most of the admittedly short days with a mixture of beach time and adventure. Of our first experiences, we would definitely recommend a leisurely stroll along the expansive but never crowded Beau Vallon, particularly at sunset, as well as hiring a private guide, with whom we explored the tropical rainforest and tackled the island’s surprisingly mountainous terrain.

After a 60-minute crossing by express catamaran, we reached the island of Praslin and, to our surprise, found it even quieter than Mahé – a phenomenon that truly makes the Seychelles unique. You can always find a beach where you are completely alone. We stayed at Berjaya Praslin Resort, right on Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or).

The location was fantastic, just two minutes from the powdery white beach, even if the hotel complex itself was beginning to show its age. The highlights of Praslin were definitely our visit to Anse Lazio, where enormous waves made swimming a little more ‘exciting’ during our visit, and the crossing to the small island of Curieuse. There, not only did more beautiful beaches await us, but also some very friendly giant tortoises that certainly seem to have endured and survived everything this world could throw at them.

To say it straight away: La Digue was the smallest of the three islands we visited, but for us it was the absolute highlight of the trip. The fact that you can cycle around almost the entire island and that there seemed to be even fewer tourists than on the other two islands were major advantages. Anse Source d'Argent is also one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, although it is actually one of the busiest places in the whole of the Seychelles and only ‘secluded’ to a certain extent.

Our hotel, Patatran, which we had also booked through SeyVillas, was, by contrast, genuinely one of the best on our trip. A dreamlike view of the bay and a small private beach, where we held our second wedding photo shoot with the help of the hotel’s very friendly staff, rounded off the many wonderful experiences we had on this island.

Back on the main island, we stayed this time in the very unspoilt south, just above Anse à la Mouche, in the ‘Sailfish’ self-catering villas. We liked the quieter, more unspoilt south of the island even more than the north.

There were two main reasons for this: we discovered beaches where we were once again completely alone, such as Anse Takamaka, and towards the end of the trip we found what, for us, was the most beautiful beach in the Seychelles: Petite Anse. Crystal-clear water, white sand and no coral, all in picturesque surroundings, put the beach beside Four Seasons Resort straight at number 1 in our rankings.
And by the way: do not worry, all beaches in the Seychelles are freely accessible, whether they belong to luxury resorts or not. The beach bars and their cocktails right by the sea may be expensive, but they are another highlight of a Seychelles holiday. We certainly tried them several times and were not disappointed.

What we learnt from the trip:

1. The Seychelles really are THE ultimate honeymoon destination!
2. You really do not need a hire car in the Seychelles – the bus actually follows the timetable, more or less!
3. You do not have to pay €25 per person to see the coco de mer – simply visit the resorts’ gardens!
4. You really can find secluded beaches, no matter when or where!
5. Sneaking into luxury resorts is great fun and leads you to the islands’ most beautiful beaches and best cocktails!