Dream Honeymoon

My husband and I spent our honeymoon in the Seychelles in October this year. As we like to get to know the country and its people better when travelling, we decided against staying in a hotel and chose a guest house instead. We quickly found several online, but SeyVillas ultimately won us over with both its wonderful photographs and comparatively affordable price.

When we arrived on Praslin, we took a taxi from the harbour. The driver immediately knew where the Villa Bananier was and took us straight there. Even the journey itself was an experience – the impressions of our new surroundings, the architectural style typical of the Seychelles and our first glimpses of the turquoise sea made me more excited by the minute.

Anse Volbert, Praslin After around 15 minutes, we arrived and were very relieved to find that our guest house matched both SeyVillas’ description and our expectations. The owner gave us a warm welcome, first preparing a refreshing drink for us and then explaining the breakfast arrangements, the short walk to the beach and some local customs.

Guests can book excursions with her to beaches and sights that are difficult to reach – she then arranges both the transfer and payment of the admission fees. As we had already organised our stay from home, we did not take advantage of any of her excursions. However, we found it incredibly helpful and reassuring to know that such a wide range of alternative options was available to us at any time with so little effort.

Our room at Villa Bananier was very clean and was tidied and cleaned every day. Every now and then, we even found fresh flower petals on the bed and fruit waiting for us when we returned ‘home’ from our excursions in the evening. The traditional Seychellois breakfast was excellent and varied – if we asked, we could always have another helping at no extra charge.

Breakfast at Villa Bananier Praslin is home to some of the most beautiful and photogenic beaches in the Seychelles. Anse Lazio, in the north of the island, is easy to reach by bus followed by a walk of around 20 minutes. The bus stops about a 3-minute walk from the guest house and costs €0.50 per person. After getting off at the bus stop, you walk a short way up the road, where you can already catch a glimpse of the sea.

Bus stop and bus near the guesthouse Continue along the road in the shade of the palm trees for another 15 minutes, and you will find yourself, almost unexpectedly, on a picture-perfect white sandy beach.

Anse Lazio, Praslin Here you can swim and snorkel, explore the smaller coves along the beach or take a break at the honesty bar.

Relaxing at the honesty bar The beach near the guest house is also wonderful for swimming and relaxing – during our stay, it was hardly any busier than the more difficult-to-reach coves. You can take a water taxi to nearby islands or watch the crabs clearing the constantly returning sand from their burrows.

7668 On the third day of our trip, I injured my foot while hiking on Curieuse and felt rather distraught, as I was not sure whether our first-aid kit contained everything needed to treat the wound. However, our host immediately came to my aid with disinfectant and plasters, and a few kind words from her put my fears and concerns to rest.

We felt completely at home throughout our stay, and if we ever return to Praslin, we will most certainly stay at Villa Bananier again and feel ‘at home’ despite being so far from Germany.

Katja and David wish you a wonderful holiday.