Discovering La Digue
On 24 August, after spending a night on Mahé, we set sail for La Digue aboard the Cat Cocos ferry.
The sea is quite rough at this time of year, so it is advisable to prepare for the ferry crossing with anti-sickness tablets or wristbands.
The crossing to Praslin takes around an hour, while the journey from Praslin to La Digue takes 15 minutes.
After arriving at the jetty on La Digue, we head to Orchid Self Catering Apartment, which is very conveniently located near the harbour and offers excellent value for money.
The apartment is spacious and clean, the gardens outside are well maintained and the staff are very kind.
As soon as we arrive, the property arranges two bicycles for us at a reasonable price, and we begin exploring the island.
We head north and, after a short ride, reach Anse Severe, followed shortly afterwards by Anse Patates. The former is famous for its spectacular sunsets, while the latter offers exceptionally beautiful views.
We have a late lunch at Chez Jules, on Anse Banane, a lovely seafront bar serving Creole dishes throughout the day, as well as excellent cocktails.
The sun sets early, and it starts getting dark at around 18:00, so we make our way back towards La Passe.
That evening, we dine at Le Repaire, an outstanding Italian restaurant. The prices are not cheap, but they reflect the quality of the food, which is well above average.
The following morning, we set off early by bicycle for Anse Source d'Argent, in the south-west of the island.
To reach it, you need to enter L'Union Estate , a nature reserve where admission costs around €8 per person. There is also an area home to several century-old tortoises, which visitors can feed with specially provided leaves and branches.
The beach offers breathtaking scenery, with natural pools, granite rocks and dazzling white sand.
We spend the day here and have lunch at one of the two beach bars, which serve delicious fresh fruit smoothies, roast chicken and rice.
The weather in August is changeable, with frequent spells of rain and sunshine, so we return to the hotel before sunset and dine at Le Repaire again, as it never disappoints!
On the third day, we head south-east to reach Anse Cocos. We cycle to Grand Anse and continue on foot across Petite Anse. From there, it takes us around 30 minutes to reach the deserted and unspoilt Anse Cocos.
We spend the day here, once again enjoying delicious smoothies on the beach.
At 16:00, we return to Grand Anse to collect our bicycles before heading to Snack Bellevue, a bar and restaurant at Nid d'Aigle with magnificent views across the entire island. Getting there by bicycle is far from easy, as the road is very steep, but the view from the top is spectacular.
We are told that the restaurant provides a taxi service for dinner and serves a set fish menu. We stay for dinner and are very pleased with our meal. It costs around €35 per person.
On our final day, we decide to spend the first part of the day at Petite Anse, which is more unspoilt and less crowded than the beaches in the north and, above all, Anse Source d’Argent. We recommend visiting the latter early in the morning to avoid the large afternoon crowds. In the afternoon, we return to Anse Severe to watch the sunset while sipping a cocktail at one of the beach bars, before heading back to Le Repaire for dinner.
The following morning, we take the ferry to Mahé, with a brief stop at Praslin, and say goodbye to La Digue after a wonderful stay!
