A Dream Week on Praslin

After a couple we are friends with had raved about the Seychelles and booking through SeyVillas, our destination was decided! We had booked a direct Air Seychelles flight from Düsseldorf to Mahé, then continued straight on to Praslin in a small propeller plane – definitely a brilliant experience! Our accommodation for the next few days was a bungalow at the Cote D'Or Chalets.

Cote d' Or As self-catering guests, the location was perfect for us – numerous restaurants and small shops for everyday essentials were just a few minutes’ walk away. Our restaurant recommendation is the barbecue buffet at Les Lauriers Restaurant. It is not exactly cheap, but the food is incredibly delicious.

After a relaxed breakfast on our veranda, we spent our first afternoon on Praslin in Vallée de Mai, a beautiful national park that is home to the coco de mer. We decided against a guided tour, preferring to explore the park independently and at our own pace. All the walking trails are well signposted.

Vallee de Mai Almost directly on our doorstep was Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or), one of several beautiful bays with wonderful beaches on Praslin. However, our absolute highlights were Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette. We discovered the latter on a fantastic day trip by catamaran, which we booked at our accommodation with the helpful staff from the locally based Creole Travel Services. Our first stop by catamaran was the small island of St Pierre, where we went snorkelling.

We saw many different and, above all, colourful fish – including a tiny shark and a stingray. Afterwards, we joined a guided tour of the giant tortoise sanctuary on Curieuse. It is quite something to watch these ancient ‘prehistoric creatures’ slowly making their way around, seemingly always ready for a photo shoot.

On board the catamaran We then spent around an hour walking with the small group from the catamaran through mangrove forests – led by an entertaining and knowledgeable guide – from one side of the island to the other. There, we climbed straight into a tender and sped back to the catamaran. Hungry after the excursion, we were served freshly grilled chicken and fish, prepared on board, along with salads and bread. Refreshed and well fed, we continued to Anse Georgette, a beautiful picture-postcard bay. With its snow-white sand, palm trees and birds of paradise, the almost deserted beach seemed to be calling us. Knowing that the tender would pick us up if the distance proved too far, we swam towards our dream beach. We would have loved to stay there! So we decided to visit Anse Georgette again.

For this, we hired a car and asked our accommodation to register us in advance with the luxury hotel whose grounds provide access to this stretch of beach. We were allowed through the barrier without any difficulty, but were surprised to discover that we then had to walk for around 30 minutes across the hotel’s golf course to reach Anse Georgette. The second surprise was that the previously calm water had given way to substantial waves. Nevertheless, Anse Georgette is absolutely worth seeing.

Anse Georgette, Praslin Our favourite beach, however, was Anse Lazio, where we spent two full days. Anse Lazio also lives up to the picture-postcard image described above, but it is easier to reach than Anse Georgette. The water is ideal for swimming and snorkelling, and if the tropical sun becomes too warm, there is always a shady spot to be found, unlike at Anse Georgette. There are also plenty of hidden corners to discover, perfect for photo shoots.

Anse Lazio, Praslin Six eventful days passed far too quickly, but fortunately we still had our second week on La Digue ahead of us. That, however, would be another travel journal ;)

Looking back, travelling with SeyVillas was wonderfully easy. All the transfers went smoothly, and there was always someone waiting to welcome us and provide us with the most important information.

Conny & Daniel