Dream Holiday in Paradise

Planning the trip

In spring, we decided to go on holiday to the Seychelles. After a lot of research, we chose SeyVillas. No sooner said than done =)
We wanted to visit 3 islands: Praslin, La Digue and Mahé.
As the SeyVillas website is really well designed, putting the trip together was very quick and easy. Another big plus: whenever we had questions, the SeyVillas team were always available and quickly incorporated every request into our quote. Then it was finally time to set off =)

The journey

The journey went smoothly. We flew with Emirates via Dubai, with a total travel time of around 11.5 hours plus a 2-hour layover in Dubai. Unfortunately, it was not long enough to leave the airport and have a look around Dubai. Perhaps next time ;-)

Arrival on Mahé

After collecting our luggage and leaving the airport, we received a warm welcome from Creole, our local transfer company, complete with smiles, handshakes and cool refreshing towels. Then came the shock! We were not on their list! As far as they were concerned, we simply did not exist! But my voucher said otherwise. After several telephone calls and manually noting down the details of our stay, the lady gave us the ‘go-ahead’ for the transfer to the ferry.

When we arrived there, it was exactly the same story. We were not on the Cat Cocos list either. Once again, there were lots of telephone calls. It is a strange feeling when everyone else receives their ticket except you...
After 40 minutes, we finally received our tickets too and were allowed to board the ferry. Thoughts such as ‘Is every transfer going to be like this? What about the hotels? And will the hire cars we booked even turn up?’ raced through my mind. Not exactly the best start to a dream holiday. It was quite frustrating, as all we wanted was to arrive and start enjoying our holiday.

The first island: Praslin

When we arrived on Praslin, our names had been handwritten onto Creole’s transfer list. From then on, everything went smoothly. Now we could finally start enjoying ourselves. We were immediately overwhelmed by the island =)
We have travelled to quite a few countries, but nothing had ever been as beautiful as this island. The Berjaya Praslin Resort was quite all right. I should mention that we are not fans of ‘large’ hotels, but the location and service were excellent. Praslin has so much to offer: beautiful beaches, delicious food and, above all, stunning scenery. We visited the Vallée de Mai and Fond Ferdinand national parks, sometimes spent an entire day simply relaxing on the beach, and went on a wonderful hike from Anse Lazio to Anse Georgette. It was quite an adventure, as there is so much to see and the trail takes you through the beautiful Seychellois jungle. There were plenty of restaurants near the hotel, and the breakfast was excellent. So, for us, Praslin was perfect!
Dream beach on Praslin

The second island: La Digue

Our second ferry crossing, to La Digue, went smoothly, and we danced joyfully over the waves. We spent three nights there at Beau Bamboo. The welcome was very warm, and we were immediately given a map of La Digue showing us at a glance where everything was. The breakfast was also more than adequate, even though other reviews had led us to expect the worst.

Compared with Praslin, La Digue is very peaceful, which we immediately liked. As the island is fairly compact, you can explore almost all of it in two days. We decided to walk around the island – yes, it sounds easier than it actually is. It is definitely worth doing, as it gives you a real feel for the island. If you would like to do this hike, make sure you wear sturdy footwear. And if you are not an experienced hiker, it is better to hire a guide, otherwise you may end up like us.
Exploring La Digue

If you are on La Digue, you naturally have to visit Anse Source d'Argent. We were not expecting much, as this beach is said to be very crowded, so we set off early in the morning. When we arrived, we were overwhelmed. There were hardly any other visitors, and the beach really is a dream =) As the tide was out, we took a little walk through the sea. If you walk all the way to the end of the beach, your reward is a completely deserted stretch of sand =) It really is paradise. This island was even more beautiful than Praslin – simply wonderful!

The third island: Mahé

We spent our final days on Mahé, staying at Chez Batista. The hotel’s location is simply breathtaking. Surrounded by nature and right on Anse Takamaka, it was wonderfully peaceful.
Anse Lazio, PraslinWe had a very large room with a fantastic balcony. A hire car is essential there, as there is not much nearby. One of our highlights on Mahé was Police Bay =)
It is not particularly suitable for swimming, but it is often deserted, and the lagoon behind the beach is simply beautiful. Victoria is also worth seeing. A definite recommendation is the market, even if only to buy spices. But do be careful where you leave your car. We were unlucky and received a parking ticket.

The spice garden, Le Jardin Du Roi Spice Garden, is well worth visiting, especially as the food there is absolutely delicious and the owner is genuinely lovely. If you have a car on Mahé, make sure you drive to Old Mission Lodge towards evening. The view is breathtaking and almost impossible to put into words =) It is especially beautiful at sunset.
View from the Old Mission Lodge

Those were some of the highlights of our holiday. So, if you are visiting the Seychelles, book through SeyVillas! They offer immediate assistance with anything you may need, and there is a local contact on every island who can be reached by telephone at any time. And yes …... once you have been to the Seychelles, you will always want to return =)