Sey Yes – Paradise in Three Beautiful Forms

Our long-awaited island-hopping adventure in the Seychelles began on Praslin. At the Bliss Hotel Praslin, we were warmly welcomed with chilled vanilla tea and fresh coconut, and the 22-hour journey immediately gave way to a relaxed holiday feeling.

The Bliss Hotel is located directly on Grand Anse beach, has a very modern design and stands out for the friendly service provided by all its staff. Unfortunately, the beach was covered in seaweed during our stay, so the very next day we decided to hire a car and explore the island – definitely a must! The drives alone are an experience – remember to keep left and not to park beneath palm trees. We drove right alongside the ocean on narrow roads with gradients of up to 30% and often no crash barriers.

In the east, we stopped beneath palm fronds at Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or) and enjoyed the turquoise water and powdery white sand. Dogs and crabs took turns visiting us – the peaceful residents of the Seychelles. In the north, we explored the beautiful Anse Lazio. From the terrace of Mabuya Restaurant, we had a wonderful view of the Indian Ocean.

For sunset, we drove to the northernmost point of Grand Anse. Our wonderful day somehow became even better – with a marriage proposal. We will never forget this magical moment – beneath the palm fronds, with the sound of the ocean and the soothing Seychelles way of life.

The following day, we tackled the Mont Plaisir to Anse Georgette Nature Trail. Through what felt like jungle, desert and savannah, we kept our destination, Anse Georgette, in sight throughout.

When we finally arrived, we were proud that we had persevered and were left utterly speechless by the dazzling white beach, intensely turquoise water and towering waves. Swimming was quite an adventure and required tremendous concentration to avoid being swept away by the waves.

After so many wonderful experiences, we spent the next two days at our hotel. The Bliss offers an excellent selection of spa treatments. We treated ourselves to massages and manicures and relaxed beside the two pools. Every now and then, we watched the giant tortoises that live in a beautiful enclosure at the hotel and marvelled at the fruit bats living among the hotel’s many palm trees.

We travelled to La Digue by ferry. As soon as we arrived, we noticed the island’s unique, car-free way of life. A local drove us to the hotel in his open electric bus. Passing beach bars where giant tortoises were enjoying their midday rest, the driver told us about the peaceful, cheerful coexistence of La Digue’s residents of different nationalities and its visitors. Looking back, we can only agree with him.

At the Patatran Village Hotel, we were also warmly welcomed with cool towels and fresh cocktails. Our hotel room, with its direct view of the Indian Ocean, left us amazed.

After a walk to Anse Severe bay, we enjoyed a fresh coconut and a banana juice at Karim’s Fruit Bar, where Karim’s cheerful nature is infectious. After waking to a beautiful sunrise the following morning, we hired bicycles and explored the island. At Grand Anse Beach, we left our bicycles and hiked over two hills, passing Petite Anse and Anse Cocos.

We watched the sunset at Freedom Square by the harbour. We were also amazed to see how the crabs gathered on the rocks while the tide was in. The following day, we booked a snorkelling tour. Although the boat journey was not for the faint-hearted, every one of the three dives was worthwhile. We saw an incredible variety of fish, a turtle and some impressive coral reefs, although sadly they were dead.

On our final day on La Digue, we wanted to take a relaxing walk along the beaches of the east coast. When the path ended and a series of very tall rocks appeared before us, our curiosity was piqued and we decided to climb them. We reached our limits many times, but today we can proudly say that we walked all the way around La Digue. After passing the Rock Pool, we were grateful to find the beach bar at Petite Anse, where we were offered a fruit mix and invited to stay for lunch. When we finally reached the hotel, we spent the rest of the day on the beach. However, because of the tall rocks and powerful waves, swimming on La Digue is not quite as relaxing as it is on Praslin.

With the sea extremely rough, we travelled by ferry via Praslin to Mahé. We immediately sensed the atmosphere of the Seychelles’ main island: there are considerably more people, more traffic and more stress. At the Fisherman's Cove Resort, however, we found ourselves in the heart of paradise. The enormous open-plan lobby, incredibly delicious food and highly attentive staff made an immediate impression.

We also hired a car on Mahé and drove around the island. Mahé has several tropical highlights, but its beaches are less beautiful than those on Praslin and La Digue. We loved the view from the large rock at the end of the Copolia Lodge Trail , which offers a beautiful panorama of the harbour, Eden Island and the airport.

Central Victoria is also well worth experiencing. We strolled through its markets and admired its Hindu temple.

To sum up, we can say that the Seychelles are the very definition of a paradise holiday. Each of the three islands is unique: Praslin will remain in our memories forever because of its dreamlike beaches (and, of course, the marriage proposal), La Digue immersed us in a truly special holiday atmosphere, and Mahé introduced us to the different sides of a capital island in the Indian Ocean.