A Dream Trip and a Dream Wedding!

We stayed at Coco Blanche on Anse Royale. Lucy, Maricel and Mikel could not have been more warm and welcoming. They were like family to us, and Lucy taught us so much about life there. The beaches on Mahé were one more beautiful than the next, and almost all of them were deserted. Our favourites were Anse Takamaka, Anse Soleil, Anse Machabée in the north, and Surfers Beach, just 5 minutes from our accommodation, with an affordable restaurant right on the beach serving absolutely delicious pizza! Mahé, Takamaka Beach We would also highly recommend Le Jardin Du Roi Spice Garden, where you can discover all the islands’ endemic plants in a magnificent mountain valley. We also recommend ‘Sauzier Waterfall’, where you can enjoy a refreshing swim. Perhaps you will be lucky enough, as we were, to meet Marvin on the little access road. For around €10, he guided us through the jungle along a wonderful trail to the waterfall. During the walk, he told us so much about the plants, the history of the Seychelles and more, and because we were with him, we did not have to pay a separate admission fee. Mahé, Sauzier Waterfall

We had the enormous family suite at Amitie Chalets on Grand Anse. Praslin, Amities Chalets Once again, we had a lovely host, Jacque, as well as Isabelle, the heart and soul of the property. The accommodation is virtually right on the beach. During the south-east monsoon in July, this side of the island is windy and the sea can be a little rough, but it is still absolutely beautiful and, above all, refreshing. During the north-west monsoon, the water on this side of the island is calm and turquoise. On Praslin, the beaches of Anse Georgette and Anse Lazio are a must! Even in July, the snorkelling on the right-hand side of Anse Lazio was quite good. Another tip is the beach in front of the Raffles Hotel – all beaches are open to the public! We were even allowed to use the hotel’s wonderfully comfortable padded sun loungers, as it was low season. ‘Côte d’Or’ is also very beautiful and particularly suitable for families with children, as the water remains shallow for a good distance. There is also an excellent takeaway here called ‘LEO’S’! Praslin, Cote d'Or and Leos Takeaway That is also where we met DAVIS – simply ask for him; he speaks German too. We booked the tour to the tortoise island of ‘CURIEUSE’ through him for just €80 per person, rather than the usual €120–€130. The price included CURIEUSE, a BBQ, the island tax and snorkelling at ST. PIERRE. It was an unforgettable experience! And, of course, we also enjoyed Vallée de Mai National Park! Praslin, Vallée de Mai We would also have liked to visit Fond Ferdinand, which is said to be even more beautiful and varied, but almost all the trails there were inaccessible at the time because of ‘construction work’. There is also a tiny coconut oil factory. We recommend that too, as it is interesting and a great place to buy delicious gifts as well as treats for yourself. We love the coconut oil and coconut jam!

The smallest and by far the most relaxed of the 3 islands, although there are more tourists in a smaller area. Even so, you can experience plenty of local life up close if you wish. It is definitely worth exploring the ‘hinterland’ away from the main routes by bicycle too! La Digue by bicycle On La Digue, we stayed in 1 of the 8 cottages set in the beautiful garden at Le Surmer. La Digue, Le Sur Mer Chalets Because of the construction work on the property’s beach – a restaurant and pool are being built there over the next 8–10 months – we had been given the option of changing our booking beforehand. Fortunately, we decided not to! The construction work did not bother us much at all. We enjoyed leisurely breakfasts on the sun loungers at the front by the beach, went swimming, and the people at ‘Le Surmer’ were simply so, so wonderful! But more about the team of Junia, Sagar and ........ later.

Every evening, we faced the ‘problem’ of having to ruin the beautiful towel decorations – they know 200 different designs – so that we could shower. In July, you can swim at our beach, Anse La Réunion, as well as at Anse Source d'Argent and Anse Severe, where you can also snorkel. La Digue, Anse Severe All the other beaches are stunning, but during the south-east monsoon they are very rough and wavy, and unsuitable for swimming. You should definitely cycle around the northern coast until the road comes to an end. From there, you can continue on foot to Anse Caïman at the tip of the island, where there is said to be a small beach bar. However, the route from this side is apparently quite strenuous. It is better and easier to reach on foot from the other side, starting at Anse Cocos. And yes: you absolutely must cycle to ‘Grand Anse’ and hike from there over rough terrain to Petite Anse and Anse Cocos. I recommend sturdy footwear, although some people walked in flip-flops or even barefoot.

Right at the beginning of Anse Cocos you can get the best food ever from around 13:00! (We had freshly grilled fish, curry, salad, vegetarian noodles, lentils and more. So delicious, and just 250 SR, around €17, with as many extra helpings as you like. They also serve incredibly tasty fresh juice for 100 SR, around €7.) At the far end of Cocos Beach, there is a natural pool where you can enjoy a wonderful swim. Swimming is otherwise impossible at all these beaches at this time of year because of the impressive surf! And anyone who gets married on La Digue, as we did, is making absolutely the right choice! On our very first day, we met Mr Wilfrid, our wedding planner arranged through SeyVillas. We chose the decorations and discussed everything. On the wedding day – I was so nervous – everyone supported us like family and made everything feel effortless. Junia pinned my flower crown securely in place.

The ‘boys’ from ‘Le Surmer’ had prepared an enormous surprise for us: for the first time ever, they had secretly decorated the club car for us. They drove us in it to the ceremony location at ‘Source d’Argent’, accompanied by Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect’! We were so touched, and everything was simply wonderful! That evening, after showering, we used the beach towels for the first time because we could not bring ourselves to ruin the ‘Just Married’ decoration on the bed straight away. It was a dream wedding that we will never forget! And, by the way, our photographer was called Shanna. Thank you to Shanna too, who guided us through the photo shoot with such ease, even though we had been so nervous about it! And she took such wonderful photos! Wedding on La Digue

So, we truly did spend 3 weeks in paradise! We hope we can carry some of the relaxed outlook, joie de vivre and gratitude we experienced there into our everyday lives and work. And, of course, we hope we will be able to return! Mahé at sunset A huge thank you to everyone who accompanied and supported us on this journey, and an equally huge thank you to SeyVillas!