Birgit’s Birthday Trip
For my milestone birthday, I wished for a special trip: a tropical island paradise with white sandy beaches, together with my husband and our two teenagers. Unfortunately, our possible travel dates were rather limited, as they are both (still) at school. But who knows how many more times the four of us will travel together ;-).
After some research and recommendations from friends, I chose the Seychelles. I joined the ‘Wonderful Seychelles’ Facebook group, studied Simone’s travel guide and booked through SeyVillas. We travelled during the Austrian ‘semester break’ in February, so unfortunately we only had one week. A few days on La Digue (an island without cars sounded wonderful…) and a few days on Mahé (travelling straight from the hotel to the airport sounded less stressful…).
As no one in Austria went on strike, everything ran like clockwork and, with two older children, it was genuinely stress-free.
We were certainly tired after the long journey by plane and ferry, but La Digue made up for it straight away. We absolutely loved the Le Repaire Boutique Hotel. It offers excellent value for money, as well as great customer service, lovely grounds, delicious food and much more.
The bicycles were not exactly luxurious, but they worked. And if they did not, they were replaced immediately. We cycled to L'Union Estate and Anse Source d'Argent, and later on to Anse Severe – the coconut and drinks tasted especially good afterwards.
We parents did groan a little during the uphill ‘island crossing’. But Grand Anse and Petite Anse were absolutely worth it, and the short walk between the two bays was a lovely experience.
In the middle of the week, we took the ferry back to Mahé and headed to the Kempinski Seychelles Resort Baie Lazare. Sadly, that was the end of the dream holiday for my husband, as he developed a fever of nearly 40°C. A nurse and doctor were able to provide him with medication the following day, but it simply takes time before you start to feel better …
So the three of us had to explore the area without him. Baie Lazare is beautiful, even after a few hours of stormy weather in the afternoon. The walk to the nearest supermarket was an interesting change of scene away from the resort. Highlights on the way to Maria’s Rock Cafe included the screeching fruit bats and the cheerful Seychellois enjoying their Sunday on the beach.
Unfortunately, our planned tour with Sabrina did not happen because my husband was ill. Instead, we spontaneously took a taxi to the Takamaka Rum Distillery . I was delighted to get hold of some of Dörte’s cool glasses. To help us see a little more of Mahé, our very friendly taxi driver showed us around the island two days later: Tea Factory, Mission Lodge Lookout, Victoria, plus a few stops at beautiful beaches and viewpoints along the way. I had not experienced such a pleasant, relaxed taxi ride in a long time – even with all those bends. It was wonderful.
In the end, we postponed our return flight by two days so that it would also be ‘manageable’ for my husband. The children were very sad to miss two days of school ;-) They enjoyed their time at Baie Lazare while their friends were sitting in school in grey winter weather.
All in all, it was quite an experience. Sadly, my husband does not have the fondest memories of this holiday, but the rest of us do. It was a wonderful birthday present – and now we have all those lovely memories :)
