Perfect Relaxation with a Toddler on the Dream Beaches of La Digue and Mahé

We made the most of our parental leave and took our 15-month-old son on a 15-day trip to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. Our adventure began with a direct overnight Condor flight from Frankfurt to Mahé, before taking us to the paradise island of La Digue. The transfers with Creole Travel Services and Cat Cocos were well organised, getting us safely and without any problems to our accommodation, Le Surmer.

Set in a beautiful tropical garden, Le Surmer offers several small holiday cottages with fully equipped kitchens, very friendly and helpful staff, optional breakfast and dinner in the restaurant, and a good location. Both a well-stocked supermarket and a lovely beach where you can enjoy the sunset are just a short walk away. All the island’s other beaches and attractions can be explored using bicycles available to hire directly at the property, including bikes with child seats. La Digue is paradise on earth, with some truly magical places to discover on this small island. We particularly loved Anse Severe and, of course, Anse Source d'Argent.

Anse Source d'Argent Anse Severe offers plenty of shade, a beautiful backdrop of granite rocks and offshore islands, several excellent juice bars and two free-roaming giant tortoises. We were also lucky enough to swim alongside a sea turtle for several minutes while snorkelling on the very first day of our holiday. It was a wonderful experience.

Giant tortoise The famous Anse Source d'Argent is every bit as idyllic and beautiful as people say, and the scenery is simply wonderful to take in. As we spent several days on La Digue, we were fortunate enough to visit this lovely spot before and after the day-trippers arrived, and had the bay almost entirely to ourselves.

The three of us thoroughly enjoyed our days on La Digue, and the island’s leisurely cycling pace helped us to truly relax.

After five nights at Le Surmer, we travelled back to the main island of the Seychelles with Inter Island Ferry and Cat Cocos. The transfer was once again perfectly organised for this change of accommodation, and the local staff kept waiting times as short as possible for us with a young child.

On Mahé, we stayed near Anse à la Mouche at Grann Kaz in a ground-floor holiday apartment. As the building is still quite new, the furnishings and technology are modern and of a very high standard. However, the kitchen equipment is rather basic, which makes self-catering somewhat limited. The staff here were also very welcoming towards children and, on request, prepared a good continental breakfast or an affordable dinner, which we could enjoy on our own terrace.

There is also a pleasant restaurant called ‘Anchor Cafe’ on the main road, where you can enjoy good food and watch the sunset over the west coast from the terrace.

Given the location of Grann Kaz and the size of the island, we had booked a hire car in advance directly through SeyVillas. We were able to collect it at the accommodation, and it was very well equipped. It offered truly excellent value for money!

Our hire car allowed us to explore every corner of the island. We were not dependent on the buses and had plenty of flexibility when planning our days, which is highly recommended when travelling with a young child.

View of Anse Royale Our favourite beaches on Mahé were Anse Royale and Anse Soleil.

Anse Soleil With its offshore granite rocks and small island, Anse Royale offers an excellent snorkelling experience, while the large overhanging tree branches provide plenty of natural shade. Freshly grilled fish is available right on the beach, and it is a lovely place to spend a few hours, although the nearby road does detract from the tranquillity slightly.

Colourful fish while snorkelling at Anse Royale Anse Soleil is somewhat more secluded and difficult to reach. As a result, however, there are few visitors to disturb the idyllic setting, and nothing can be heard but the waves. The surf is considerably stronger here and rather too rough for young children, although they can enjoy the wonderfully fine sand for building sandcastles. This bay also has offshore granite rocks with beautiful coral and a diverse array of fish, which drew us back several times.

We did not enjoy the area or beach around Beau Vallon. It is noticeably more touristy and feels more like a Mediterranean beachfront promenade, so we missed the Creole atmosphere and the Seychellois way of life. There is definitely no need to travel so far for that kind of experience.

The Seychelles are also defined by their Creole culture, as well as the islanders’ outlook, hospitality and warm welcome towards children. We enjoyed these every bit as much as the idyllic beaches and enchanting underwater world during our holiday.