Pure relaxation: A dream holiday on La Digue and Mahé
At the beginning of 2015, we decided to travel to the Seychelles in September of that year.
To say it straight away, we had an absolute dream holiday with our 6-year-old daughter. Both the direct Condor flight from Frankfurt and the transfers booked through SeyVillas, including ferries and shuttles, went very smoothly. We recommend booking in advance so that you do not have to arrange everything after the 9.5-hour flight.
La Digue
We spent the first seven days on La Digue at Pension Michel on a half-board basis. It is a lovely, family-run place with only around seven rooms. We had a very pleasant, spacious room with a large terrace. At this time of year, it is advisable to bring mosquito nets for the beds and insect repellent, as it rained on some days and was very humid.
Breakfast and dinner were delicious and served in the open-air dining area in the garden. The service was excellent and completely hassle-free. For example, the mountain bikes we hired for six days were delivered to the hotel and collected from there again. As there are very few cars, this relaxed way of getting around is ideal for reaching spectacular beaches such as Anse Severe, Anse Reunion or Anse Source d'Argent in around 15 minutes, or simply cycling around the entire island. Anse Severe was our favourite beach: it is ideal for snorkelling, and we were able to enjoy swimming with our daughter in the gentle waves. Be sure to bring swimming shoes.
All in all, we found La Digue to be an enchanting ‘world of its own’, where stress and hecticness simply do not exist.
Mahé
For the second half of our holiday, we travelled to Mahé. Here, we opted for self-catering at the Au Fond du Mer View apartment in the south-east of the island, around a 45-minute drive from the airport. The accommodation is set on a hillside with truly magnificent views of Anse Royale and is highly recommended. It is spacious and tastefully furnished, with a fully equipped kitchen, a very peaceful setting and extremely friendly, attentive management.
In the village around 500 m away, there are several supermarkets, restaurants and takeaways. You can also buy freshly caught fish directly from the fishermen on the beach, including mackerel, tuna and shark. It is a wonderful experience, and the fish tastes absolutely delicious.
Anse Royale stretches for several kilometres and is very beautiful and uncrowded. You can swim to a tiny island around 300 m from the beach.
To explore Mahé, it is advisable to hire a car. Ours was booked through the hotel for around €50 per day and delivered to the accommodation. It is well worth crossing the island on the narrow but well-maintained roads. We were treated to breathtaking views of the vegetation in the island’s interior and discovered secluded dream beaches in the west.
One of the absolute highlights was the Jardins de Roi. This large botanical garden is an oasis of peace and relaxation. It is wonderful to experience the exotic plants, fragrances and wildlife in such a completely tranquil atmosphere. Every visitor receives a brochure with information about the plants found at around 50 ‘stations’ and can then discover them independently while walking through the gardens. A culinary tip: try the fish curry at the garden restaurant.
We can wholeheartedly recommend the Seychelles and hope to visit again within the next two years.
