A Dream Holiday on Praslin and La Digue

Admittedly, travelling straight on to a smaller island after arriving makes for a long journey – because of the wait for the 11 am Cat Cocos ferry after our early Condor arrival, we were travelling for over 20 hours – but we would do it again, as the smaller the island, the more relaxed the atmosphere and pace become. Once there, the leisurely pace more than makes up for the long journey. The sight of the turquoise water in the harbour basin and all the bicycles with their colourful plastic baskets right by La Digue harbour makes you feel as though your holiday has truly begun. There are a few hectic minutes at the jetty after arrival, with hotel vehicles collecting guests, and then everything returns to its wonderfully unhurried pace!

On La Digue, we stayed at Villa "Le Melon", which suited us very well as we like to have plenty of space. We were able to hire bicycles directly at the villa through the manager’s husband, Jacinte. Whenever there was a minor problem, such as the occasional flat tyre, he was there immediately – brilliant! The access road from the main road to the villa was under as much as 20 cm of water several times, but we did have an exceptional amount of rain. So we simply cycled through the puddles and then went straight into the sea or pool – you get wet anyway! We can also highly recommend the tour with Robert Agnes of Sunnytrails. It was an incredibly adventurous excursion around the southern tip of the island, from the magnificent Grand Anse to Anse Source d’Argent, including a delicious lunch at one of the most beautiful coves of all, Anse Marron. The tour takes around 7 hours, with approximately 4–5 hours spent walking and scrambling. Without an experienced guide, however, you would be unlikely to find the trail and would miss far too much.

We went on a wonderful snorkelling trip to Coco Island and Felicite with Nevis Ernesto and his boat, Zico. The crew did not give up until even the youngest participant, who was too afraid to go into the water, had seen a sea turtle. It was wonderful.

Our favourite beach on La Digue became Petite Anse, which is anything but small. Its beautiful, crystal-clear turquoise water is perfect for playing in the waves. You cycle to Grand Anse and then continue on foot to Petite Anse – or, for those with energy to spare, carry on to the next bay but one, the equally magnificent Anse Cocos. Anse Patates in the north-west is particularly good for snorkelling.

We found the best fish and the most delicious fresh fruit juices at ‘Chez Jules’ on Anse Banane. It is a palm-thatched restaurant directly on the beach, overlooking the islands of Curieuse and Felicite – unbeatable!

To round off our trip, we spent 3 days at Villas d ´Or, whose location directly on the beach is a real highlight. The bungalow complex is exceptionally well maintained, and Pierre and Cecile are extremely helpful. The only drawback is that the large ventilation openings above the windows are not ideal for anyone with a fear of creepy-crawlies, as the Seychelles are also home to some very large spiders. According to Cecile, screens may soon be fitted over the openings. If that happens, there really would not be a single reason not to stay there. We even had the chance to admire some baby giant tortoises. Anse Lazio is an absolute must when visiting Praslin!

All that remains to be said is that our entire family would have preferred not to fly home at all, as the GREAT TURQUOISE enchanted us.

We would love to return! Thank you very much for all your help with planning our trip!