Shopping on the Paradise Islands
The road to paradise
Our holiday began in rainy November at Munich Airport. As our flight did not depart until shortly after midday, the relaxed holiday feeling began on the way to the airport, and our excitement grew as we drew closer to the Seychelles. We landed in Victoria on Mahé, which was already an impressive experience due to the airport’s location right by the water.
After collecting our suitcases, we received a warm welcome from Creole Travel Service and were escorted to our driver. We were taken straight to the ferry port on Mahé, as our journey was beginning on Praslin. We had a short wait there, which we spent sitting in the sunshine at the nearby café. We had tickets for the upper deck of the boat and sat right by the railing. The view of the sea during the crossing was exceptional. Before long, Praslin came into sight. As we entered the harbour, we did not know what to photograph first, as there were several picturesque little hotels and apartments dotted along the coast.
We could not wait to reach our first accommodation and explore the island for ourselves. When we arrived on Praslin, we were once again greeted by a Creole Travel Service employee and were able to go straight to our transfer. It took us directly to our apartment. The drive through the jungle gave us a spectacular first impression of Praslin.
Arriving on Praslin (or: Welcome to Paradise)
When we arrived in the spacious courtyard of Palm Holiday Apartments, the owner came over to greet us straight away. He was very friendly, and we immediately felt at home. The apartments looked as though they had only been built the day before. Everything was spotlessly clean, modern and very tastefully decorated. There was a large terrace, a spacious bedroom, a modern bathroom with a large shower and a small kitchenette where we could cook if needed. After unpacking our suitcases, we set off to explore the surrounding area. On our way out, we hurried to reception to ask about a trip to Curieuse, the tortoise island. Without hesitation, the owner immediately called a friend who was a guide and booked the excursion for us for the following day. Delighted by how quickly everything had been arranged, we headed along the road straight to Fond de l'Anse (Grand Anse).
When we arrived at the beach, we were overwhelmed. It was deserted and absolutely beautiful. Although this beach did not have the famous granite boulders, it felt simply perfect compared with rainy Germany. We ended the evening here. Our excursion began first thing the following morning. It was one of the most beautiful trips we had ever taken on holiday. The tortoises were incredibly chilled and relaxed, and the scenery on the way to the island was breathtaking. At last, we saw the granite boulders that we had already seen countless times in photographs online. The photographs do not even begin to do the spectacular scenery justice. The water was turquoise, and you could see all the way to the bottom. The palm-fringed beaches we passed by boat on the way to the island looked like postcards. Simply indescribable. There were even three snorkelling spots along the way, at Saint-Pierre Island and the beaches of Anse Georgette and Anse Lazio.
We spent the next few days on Praslin exploring the beautiful beaches we had seen from the water, which we could now discover from the shore. We hired a car for this, which was easy to arrange locally.
Here, each beach seemed more beautiful than the last. Anse Lazio was easy to reach by car, and you could — as an insider tip — drive past the first parking spaces to a bar at the end of the road and park there for a small fee. We received the fee back as a voucher that could be redeemed at the restaurant. We spent the day on the beach here and stopped for something to eat on the way back.
For Anse Georgette, which is located within a golf resort, you had to register in advance because only a limited number of people are allowed to enter each day. Once again, our accommodation gave us this information and immediately registered us by telephone. We had to park the car outside the resort and then walk for a few minutes to reach the beach. In hot weather, this can be fairly strenuous. Anse Georgette was our favourite beach on Praslin because it looked as though it had come straight out of a film.
Simply picturesque: white sand, turquoise water, palm trees and large granite boulders. Before leaving for the next island, we went on a day trip to go diving. It was now time to say goodbye to Praslin and make our way to La Digue.
Onwards to La Digue
The transfer to La Digue once again went perfectly. We were collected on time, taken to the ferry and driven straight to our accommodation upon arrival. Here, we stayed at
Unfortunately, the sand here was not as fine as on Praslin, so we had to be careful when swimming. The beaches were not as wide as those on Praslin either, so they felt a little busier with other visitors. For the following day, we booked an excursion in the famous glass kayaks. We joined a Robinson Crusoe tour, during which we visited the beach where the film was shot. Unfortunately, it was before our time and neither of us had seen it, but that did not detract from the beauty of the beach. We had great fun paddling the kayaks, and it was incredibly beautiful to see the beaches from this perspective. When we arrived at Anse Pierrot, we learnt how to open a coconut, Robinson Crusoe-style. Stranded on a desert island.
We spent our remaining days on La Digue walking from the starting point at Grand Anse through the jungle to Petite Anse, Anse Cocos, Anse Caïman and a secluded, unnamed beach to boot.
As long as we were careful, the walks were easy enough to do in flip-flops, and the paths were fairly easy to find. As we set off early, we had the beaches all to ourselves, which was really cool. We had a drone with us and were able to take some superb photos. We also really enjoyed swimming at the beaches here. There were some lovely waves, and we had great fun.
Here, the sand was finer again, but there were few shady spots. We spent a whole day on each beach and simply enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere before moving on to our final stop, the main island of Mahé.
Final stop: Mahé
Our final stop began at the ferry port where we had arrived on the first day, followed by a drive of almost an hour to our accommodation. On Mahé, we stayed at Appartements de vacances La Villa Therese. It consists of two properties comprising several apartments. We were on the third floor of what was probably the newer building and had a magnificent sea view from the balcony. The rooms were similar to those at our first accommodation on Praslin and were very modern. Anse Royale, just down the road, was another beautiful and very peaceful beach, so we spent our first day there. The accommodation staff recommended a takeaway down the road called ‘Leo’s Food Bus’. We liked the food so much that we came back every evening.
Once again, we had a hire car arranged by the accommodation and visited various beaches, from secluded beaches reached by hiking through the jungle to the island’s larger beaches and the beach belonging to what is probably the most expensive hotel in the Seychelles: the Four Seasons on Mahé. You can visit the beach here free of charge; you simply need to register beforehand, as on Praslin. Our favourites here were Anse Intendance and Petite Anse. Apart from a short detour to the rum distillery, we simply enjoyed our final few days on the beaches of Mahé and relaxed.
Conclusion
This holiday was certainly one of the best, if not THE best, we have ever had. The breathtaking scenery, the beautiful beaches, the friendly people. We would return to the Seychelles at any time, and I think I have already convinced everyone around me that this is somewhere everyone should visit at least once. The well-planned itinerary certainly played a major part in allowing us to enjoy such a beautiful and relaxing holiday.
