A Holiday in Paradise
Following our spontaneous booking, we travelled to the Seychelles for the second time. As we had stayed in hotels on Praslin and Mahé during our first trip in 2022, this year we decided to include a short stopover on Cerf Island. But first, we travelled directly from the airport to the ferry terminal and then on to the beautiful island of Praslin. As we had stayed on the Côte d’Or last year, we wanted to try somewhere different this time and therefore booked the Oasis Hotel, Restaurant & Spa at Grande Anse. We can wholeheartedly recommend it: it is a small hotel with large, lovingly furnished rooms and wonderfully attentive staff. Although the hotel is not directly on the beach, we could reach the beautiful Grande Anse in less than 2 minutes from our room, and it is perfect for romantic sunset walks.
After recovering from the long journey on our first day, we headed straight to Anse Georgette the following day. Together with Anse Lazio, these are the most beautiful beaches on Praslin in our opinion. Even the walk across the Constance Lemuria golf course to Anse Georgette and the jungle-like path from the bus stop to Anse Lazio put us in a wonderful mood. We did not have a hire car. Once we reached the beach, we simply enjoyed the day and the gorgeous sea.
The following day, we visited the aforementioned Anse Lazio, where we stayed until the evening. When the beach became quieter later in the afternoon, we took a walk along the sand, which had been rather strenuous during the day because of the heat, and then plunged back into the cool water. It is particularly worth mentioning that the snorkelling here is excellent. We saw lots of colourful fish, which we had not expected so close to the shore.
Another highlight on Praslin was an excursion to the Curieuse Marine National Park and its tortoise sanctuary. We booked a tour with Sagittarius Taxi Boat Excursions, as we had already visited Curieuse with Kevin and his team the previous year and had been completely satisfied. This was not only because of the team’s warmth and professionalism, but also because they shared so much information about Curieuse, the giant tortoises and the Seychelles in general. As we had enjoyed it so much the first time, we were eager to return to the impressive and sometimes even affectionate giant tortoises, whom we surprised and fed with plenty of bananas.
As we are passionate snorkellers, we then went on another tour with Kevin and his team. We were the only guests on both tours, which we loved because it meant they could tailor everything to our wishes. This time, we went snorkelling off Félicité, Coco Island and Grande Soeur. It was incredible: alongside countless fish, especially ‘batfish’, we saw small sharks, five sea turtles and a large reef shark. Seeing these wonderful animals swimming so peacefully in their natural habitat was an absolute highlight, and we are still raving about it today.
Alongside more beach days on Praslin, we also took a day trip by ferry to La Digue. We hired bicycles directly at the ferry terminal and cycled to the L'Union Estate Farm. It was our second visit to the park, and once again it was wonderful to cycle past the vanilla plantation and stop to see the tortoises. It was a little disappointing that the famous Anse Source d'Argent was quite crowded, both this time and on our first visit. The beach could be beautiful if there were not so many people milling around, as unfortunately it is difficult to truly enjoy it like that.
The beaches in the south-east of La Digue, such as Grand Anse and Petite Anse, are far more recommendable. Unfortunately, there is very little shade, but the journey there is an adventure in itself and well worth it once you arrive. The beaches in the north, which we visited afterwards, are also ideal for lingering, including Anse Severe, where there is shade (????), and Anse Pate Beach. We had a wonderfully relaxing time there before taking the ferry back to Praslin in the afternoon.
On 22/11/23, the time finally came to say goodbye to our wonderful stay on Praslin. We took the ferry to Mahé, travelled by taxi to Eden Island and then took a taxi boat to the small island of Cerf, around 5–10 minutes from Mahé. We were already expected when we arrived at the jetty and were able to go to our room almost immediately. It had been lovingly decorated with flowers. We felt at home straight away and walked through the beautiful garden directly to the sea to cool off. We spent most of our days on Cerf relaxing on the beach, occasionally taking one of the hotel’s canoes out for a paddle. On one occasion, we paddled around the entire island, which was quite an adventure. The waves were a little stronger on the far side, and we had to manoeuvre our way through several rocks.
What we particularly liked about Cerf was the tranquillity: no buses or cars, no supermarkets, no roads and very few people. The island is truly small and peaceful, but perfect for unwinding for a few days. And one thing should not be forgotten: there is a fantastic view of Mahé, and from afar you can catch a glimpse of the lively atmosphere on the main island. That was where we headed after 2 days of complete relaxation, taking the taxi boat back to Eden Island and then a taxi to Beau Vallon.
Although the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay was too large for our tastes, is one of the oldest hotels in Beau Vallon and is no longer in top condition throughout, its location is unbeatable. The nearest supermarket, bus stop, car hire company, restaurants and takeaways are all within easy reach of the hotel. The pool, where we swam a few lengths every day and which is ideal for doing so, is also almost directly beside the beach. This meant we could relax in the pool after swimming in the sea. On Mahé, we spontaneously hired a car for 2 days and drove around the island. Our highlights included the Takamaka Rum Distillery , which is always worth a visit, Anse Intendance, where we spent several wonderful hours, the route that follows the coast almost the entire way, and relaxing in the bay at Port Launay.
The return journey across the steep mountains to Beau Vallon that evening was quite an adventure. Alongside magnificent views, which become even more impressive the higher you climb, and the breathtaking scenery you pass through, the roads are very winding and not for those with a weak stomach. Once we had almost made it and could already see the lights of Victoria from above, we stopped for a break at the roadside and enjoyed the wonderful view of the sea of lights below us. Another highlight on Mahé was our hike to Anse Major along the famous Anse Major Trail . We set off relatively early on a Sunday morning and were amazed by how many locals in their prime (????) overtook us at a running pace during the hike. Although we are both young and fit, this is not a trail we would jog along, as in places you have to watch your footing carefully and even do a little ‘climbing’. Despite the exertion, the trail and its magnificent panoramic views are well worth it. When we reached the beach below, we rewarded ourselves with a long swim in the sea and recharged our batteries for the return journey.
All in all, even after our second visit, the Seychelles remain an absolute paradise for us and the epitome of a dream holiday. The islands we have explored are incredibly varied and offer so much diversity that there is never a dull moment and always something new to discover. We were equally charmed by the cheerful and helpful Seychellois, and we did not experience a single unpleasant situation or feel uncomfortable at any point. Not to mention the delicious Creole cuisine, coconuts and exotic fruits, almost all of which we sampled. Yes, the Seychelles truly are paradise!
