Our Seychelles Dream Comes True on La Digue

After having had the chance to visit two islands in the Maldives over the previous two years, we found it really difficult to choose another dream holiday destination. The Seychelles had always been right up there with the Maldives for me, but I thought they would be far too expensive. Then my husband came across the SeyVillas website, and we were able to make another dream come true. You can put together your choice of accommodation and islands to suit your budget. Simply brilliant! Our dream holiday:

We spent a total of 12 days there in May, staying on 3 islands – La Digue, Praslin and Mahé – and two excursions gave us the chance to see 4 more small islands: Coco Island, Félicité, St Pierre and Curieuse Island. Our first stop was the guest house La Diguoise on La Digue. The spacious rooms are set in a beautifully maintained garden with its own pool and resident tortoise. The hostess is very friendly and, every morning, freshly squeezed what we thought were the most delicious fruit juices imaginable. In the evenings, she served home-made Creole cuisine. As pasta and pizza lovers, it was something completely different for us – but really delicious.

This was the island we liked best. It is very small, peaceful and idyllic. There are only narrow roads, and most locals and tourists get around by bicycle. On our first full day, however, we wanted to explore on foot. Our accommodation was only around 2 km from the Seychelles’ best-known beach, Anse Source d'Argent. As we arrived relatively early, it was not too busy yet. We were able to take lots of dreamlike photos of the kind you normally only see in magazines or on television. A little tip: we walked all the way along the beach rather than through the park. Although it was not intentional, this meant we avoided the park entrance fee of around €10 per person.

By lunchtime, however, more tourists wanted to enjoy this fantastic photo backdrop. It is nothing like Mallorca. You are not packed together like sardines on the beach, but it is not deserted either, as it appears in the promotional photos. We love empty beaches, like those we experienced in the Maldives, so admittedly we are rather spoilt *laughs*… Even so, the day itself was totally relaxing and absolutely beautiful, with glorious sunshine. Later in the afternoon, we bought an overpriced coconut and a delicious fruit juice from the Fruita Canana Bar. But sitting there with our drinks on the home-made benches and at the tables, surrounded by the breathtaking scenery, was priceless.

On our second day, we booked an excursion to St Pierre and Curieuse Island through Creole Travel Services. The island itself already looks like paradise – small, covered in wild vegetation, with magnificent large rocks and surrounded by crystal-clear water. St Pierre is said to be one of the best snorkelling spots in the Seychelles. Unfortunately, we seem to have chosen a bad time for the excursion. I had to get out of the water again after only a few minutes because I could not cope with the plankton. It felt as though I was receiving tiny electric shocks the whole time. You could not see the tiny creatures or plants, but as soon as they touched your skin, they stung badly. My skin was still burning that evening, and I had lots of small red marks.

Afterwards, we continued to Curieuse Island. We had plenty of time to watch the magnificent giant tortoises and take selfies with them.

The island walk was also well worth doing. From the giant tortoises and the enclosure with the smallest and cutest baby tortoises to steep stone steps, wonderful views across the island, long wooden boardwalks over areas inhabited by scorpions and beautiful beaches, there was plenty for us to see.

What we did not like about the excursion was that we had been told there would only be around 10 of us, making it a small, relaxed and exclusive trip. Unfortunately, there were actually 60–80 people, so in our opinion it felt like a mass-tourism excursion. At €100 per person, it was not exactly cheap either. Sadly, there was not enough barbecue food for everyone – the salads and sauces had already run out after the initial rush.

On our final day on La Digue, we explored the more distant parts of the island by bicycle. First, we cycled to Grand Anse. From there, we hiked via Petite Anse to Anse Cocos . As people who do not normally go hiking, we found the walk a real thrill. Petite Anse can only be reached via a steep climb over the rocks, which certainly gets your heart racing. Once at the top, you have breathtaking views of both beaches. It is also simply great fun following the narrow trails. You do not know exactly where you need to go, and you hardly meet any other tourists. Eventually, though, you reach the gorgeous, empty beaches, where you can unwind and relax. The route from Petite Anse to Anse Cocos was even more adventurous. It felt as though we were walking through the deepest tropical jungle, and we did not meet anyone during our 20–30-minute hike. The paths here are only around 30 cm wide, and some of the bushes on either side are more than 1.5 m tall. The vegetation is incredibly dense. You do not know whether some animal is about to appear in front of you or what will happen next. Although we felt a little nervous and had a healthy respect for the surroundings, it was incredibly exciting and beautiful. You hear nothing but nature. At Anse Cocos , there are stunning rock formations, dazzling turquoise water and white sandy beaches. It was also deserted – we counted only 4 other people on the entire beach. A dream!

In the afternoon, we cycled north towards Anse Severe . On the way, we simply had to stop because a giant tortoise had made itself comfortable right in the middle of the road. It was great fun watching, feeding and stroking it. Naturally, we captured it all on camera.

Tortoise on the road We can also highly recommend Anse Severe as a beach. It is not too large and not overcrowded. The waves are not too high, but you can gently bob back and forth in the water while enjoying a wonderful sunset.

The next day, we took the Cat Cocos ferry to Praslin. The arrangements made by SeyVillas worked perfectly. We were picked up by taxi from our guest house on La Digue and collected directly from the harbour on Praslin to be taken to the Acajou Beach Resort. The Acajou Beach Resort has 4 stars and was pure luxury for us. The wooden villas are beautifully furnished, look modern, are incredibly clean and pleasantly cool thanks to the air conditioning. The balcony was also huge, with views over the beautifully landscaped tropical garden and the gorgeous sea. We had booked half board. Breakfast was excellent. The chef freshly prepared the eggs just the way you wanted them. Every evening, dinner had a different theme, such as Creole, Italian or Mediterranean. As it was a buffet, there was something for everyone. Dessert was delicious and served in small bowls. For example, there was finely diced fruit salad or chocolate mousse – absolutely delicious. As a surprise, the kitchen team even gave us a small birthday cake of our own for my husband. It tasted outstanding and looked simply fantastic! A true masterpiece.

The hotel is located on the gorgeous Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or). We visited at the perfect time. There was no seagrass, just fine white sand and calm, shallow turquoise water as far as the eye could see. There were also incredibly few tourists and locals around, even though it is such an amazingly beautiful, long beach – around 2.6 km. We suspect this was because there is hardly any shade. That was not a problem for us, though, as the hotel provided us with our own sun loungers and parasols.

The next day, we hired bicycles and set off towards Anse Lazio . We really enjoy cycling on holiday, as you see much more of the beautiful scenery and can stop wherever you like – although, looking back, I am not sure I would necessarily recommend it on Praslin.

Praslin is very hilly, and in places the roads are genuinely steep, both uphill and downhill, with gradients of 12%. For example, around 1 km before Anse Lazio , we decided to lock up the bicycles and continue on foot. Even walking was very strenuous; the final kilometre was steeply downhill all the way. We would not have managed to cycle back uphill afterwards. Once we reached the bottom, however, all our efforts were rewarded – Anse Lazio is another beautiful beach, with impressive granite rocks, large palm trees offering shade where you can rest, and turquoise water. However, you will find more tourists and locals here.

The following day, we booked a half-day snorkelling trip to Coco Island and Félicité with a local operator on the beach for €60 per person. Always ask to see their licence, as we heard while we were there that a couple had been conned by an unlicensed local seller. He had offered them a barbecue on the beach, for which they had to pay in advance. Unfortunately, the barbecue never took place. Our local operator, however, was in a brilliant mood, extremely friendly and showed us his licence straight away. His excursion was not exactly cheap, but we would definitely recommend it. There were 6 guests in total on a small speedboat. The journey to the islands alone was an unforgettable adventure – like riding a rollercoaster, only without a seat belt. We had wonderful weather and brilliant sunshine, but the waves were very high. The experienced boat driver sped through them so quickly that the boat was constantly lifting out of the water. Every time the boat hit the sea again, we were completely soaked and had to hold on to the railing with both hands. Even so, we could not stop screaming and laughing – it was simply tremendous fun. It would not have been suitable for anyone of a nervous disposition or with back problems, though.

At each of the two islands, we were then dropped into the water for around 1 hour. Both islands are simply idyllic. At Coco Island, we were dropped off around 30 m from the island and snorkelled towards the beach so that we could explore the island itself as well. However, you need to be a good climber there. As we were only wearing swimwear, we decided against it. We therefore only saw the small stretch of beach, but it was paradise. The beautiful rocks, the sea and the palm trees – incredibly lovely. We only saw Félicité from the water. But it was very easy to enjoy the turquoise water, with its countless colourful fish, beautiful rock formations and palm trees.

Felicite Island We spent the next day at Anse Georgette . It is another must-see on Praslin. There were few people, and it has a stunning white beach with palm trees and impressive rocks on either side. However, you can only get there by boat or through a large golf resort with a guard at the entrance gate. We were told that you must register in advance, as you will not be allowed in without a reservation. In our case, our friendly taxi driver handled the registration for us. We paid €25 for the taxi ride there from the Acajou. Along the way, he briefly stopped so that we could take photographs and kindly told us about his everyday life on Praslin. We took the bus back. Travelling by bus is incredibly cheap – one rupee per journey, regardless of the distance. You do need some patience, though, as unfortunately the timetables are not followed very closely.

We spent our final day on Praslin relaxing on the hotel’s idyllic beach. The transfer from Praslin to Mahé went smoothly. Our final accommodation was called Villa Caballero on the east coast at Turtle Bay. It was a beautiful, luxurious place to stay, with an incredibly kind host. The apartment comprised a sleeping and living area, bathroom and kitchen. We were also welcome to use the terrace, with its extremely comfortable sofas and sun loungers, as well as the pool in the green garden. We could also use the Wi-Fi here. The beach was only a 5-minute walk away. However, there was a great deal of seagrass during our stay, so it did not appeal to us as much. The main road also runs directly alongside the beach, making it a little noisier. You are more likely to find locals on this beach, and they sometimes held lively celebrations there in the evenings.

On our penultimate day, we took a bus trip to Beau Vallon . We had heard that it was supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches, but we could not agree at all. Although it is a long beach, there are numerous hotels and other accommodation nearby, so there are also a great many tourists. Locals also spend their leisure time here with their families. There are plenty of water sports and places to eat. However, the sand is not as white, and you will not find the famous rocks here either.

On our last day, we took the bus to Anse Intendance . In our opinion, this beach is not to be missed. There is only one hotel nearby, which is probably why it is so quiet. It is also rather unsuitable for families, as the waves were incredibly high and powerful. Like so many beaches in the Seychelles, it offers picture-postcard scenery: powdery white sand, magnificent granite rocks and a turquoise sea in countless beautiful shades. My husband braved the waves and had great fun. Right at the start, I was pulled underwater by a large wave, even though I was only standing knee-deep in the sea. After that, I had had enough and simply watched the spectacle from my shady spot beneath the wonderful palm trees. One tip: buses do not run very often here, so make sure you arrive at the bus stop in good time. The last bus was meant to leave in the afternoon, at around 16:00, I think. We deliberately left the beach early, at around 15:00, and walked towards the bus stop because we could no longer remember how long it would take us to get there. The last bus arrived more than 30 minutes early! A taxi would have been very expensive…

Anse Intendance Overall, however, we would not necessarily recommend Mahé. Mahé is very much a working island, so there are more people, more cars and more hustle and bustle. All in all, though, it was an incredible holiday. Everything was superbly organised by SeyVillas, and the beaches were the most beautiful you could possibly imagine. We would definitely return and spend a few more days on La Digue next time. We would also book excursions locally with residents.