Enjoying Mahé to the Full

This travel report offers a little insight into our wonderful holiday in the Seychelles, or more precisely on the main island of Mahé, in autumn 2017. After visiting the Seychelles (Praslin, La Digue and Mahé) for the first time over Easter 2017, we were so delighted that we simply had to board another flight that autumn. We managed to find affordable flights from Frankfurt to Mahé via Addis Ababa and booked 10 nights at the Le Relax Hotel & Restaurant in the south-east of the island through SeyVillas.

I can say straight away that the accommodation comes highly recommended – for the friendliness of the staff, its location and cleanliness, as well as the breakfast provided. Overall, we also found the food on Mahé delicious and varied. From European dishes to traditional Creole cuisine, with its many excellent fish dishes, the restaurants and takeaways had something to suit every taste and budget.

View from Hotel Le Relax After a flight that was exciting at times – a stopover in Ethiopia is certainly an interesting experience – and a pleasant bus transfer, we arrived safely at Le Relax Hotel in the afternoon. We still had time for a ‘cool’ dip and a refreshing swim at Anse Royale, just 50 m from the hotel. On the second day, after a delicious breakfast, we set off towards the south. We took the bus from Anse Royale to Anse Marie-Louise, intending to hike from there to Anse Capucins. After walking for a good hour along a trail through the shady forest, we reached the secluded and deserted bay of Anse Capucins. The water was a little too shallow and the waves too high for a proper swim, but an empty beach like this is perfect for relaxing and recharging your batteries before the walk back.

Hike to Anse Capucins On the second day, after our morning swim and a generous breakfast at the hotel, we took the bus to the capital, Victoria. There, we visited the historic Bel Air Cemetery, the very colourful Hindu temple, the cathedral and the National Museum. The highlight of Victoria, however, is a visit to the Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market, where it is particularly worthwhile buying spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and curry powder. In the late afternoon, we explored the snorkelling spot near our hotel at Anse Royale for the first time.

Our excursion on the third day of our holiday turned out to be an eventful one. Once again, we made use of the regular buses and travelled to Cascade. Our aim was to follow the hiking trail over the mountain, alongside Cascade Waterfall and on to Grand Anse on the other side of the pass. We managed the sometimes quite steep jungle trail, including its many steps, up to Cascade Waterfall without any problems. However, as it was the ‘dry season’, there was not actually that much to see. We continued following the arrows towards Grand Anse, but after a fork in the trail, the vegetation quickly became denser and we found ourselves pushing through the undergrowth in the middle of the jungle. After trying several other possible routes, we were forced to abandon our plan and return the same way, as it simply felt too dangerous without a hiking guide. Back in Cascade, we boarded the bus again and decided to stop at the Takamaka Rum Distillery on the way back to sample the local rum. A good alternative to hiking.

For the next five days, we hired a car so that we could be even more flexible than when travelling by bus and explore places and beaches farther afield around the island. We also took the opportunity to do several more short hikes. The Glacis La Réserve trail on Mount Brûlée comes highly recommended, with its many colourful plants and a beautiful plateau of granite rocks. It is well worth stopping there to enjoy the breathtaking view of the coast. We were treated to more fantastic views when visiting Sauzier Waterfall and the tea factory in the mountains of Mahé.

View from the tea factory Of course, we also made plenty of time for swimming, ‘wave riding’ and relaxing on the wonderful beaches. At Anse Louis and Anse Intendance, the high waves made it clear why swimming at these two beaches is at your own risk, although it was still great fun. We found tranquillity at the calm, expansive beaches of Anse Takamaka and Baie Lazare. We can recommend both for snorkelling, along with Anse Soleil and Sunset Beach. We enjoyed spectacular sunsets – sometimes accompanied by aerial displays from the native flying foxes – at places including Anse Gaulettes, Anse Soleil and, of course, Sunset Beach

. Sunset at Sunset Beach We spent our departure day doing plenty of snorkelling at the beach right on our doorstep and relaxing by the hotel pool, where we were also able to shower before leaving, as our flight back to Germany did not depart until late in the evening. It was a wonderfully relaxing final day of a truly dreamlike holiday in paradise!