In the Realm of the Giant Tortoises
We decided to go on holiday for 3 weeks in August and booked our entire stay, apart from the flights, with SeyVillas.
Accommodation
My boyfriend and I are very active, so we tend to prefer self-catering apartments, which works extremely well in the Seychelles. There are small supermarkets on almost every corner for everyday shopping, and anyone who enjoys fish can often find it here at reasonable prices. Most supermarkets accept card payments as well as USD/EUR or SR. We recommend withdrawing rupees in advance and using them for smaller expenses, as card fees are often high.
The accommodation has everything you need to prepare a variety of meals. We were happy with all our bookings. 
Beaches
Both are very long and have beautiful white sand. As Petite Anse is located within the ‘Four Seasons’ hotel grounds, you have to park your car outside the hotel, register and then walk for around 10 minutes to reach the beach. However, it is well worth the walk. You should bring enough food and drink for Petite Anse, as there is nothing available to buy there. Tip: At ‘Beau Vallon’ beach, on the far right, there is a local man called Raul who has a small barbecue and cooks fresh fish throughout the day. Simply stop by and he will show you the ‘Catch of the Day’; you choose a
fish and a time, and Raul will then prepare it with salad and fruit. Very tasty and reasonably priced. We shared one fish between us each time, costing around 300–500 SR.
On Praslin, there were two lovely beaches during our trip: Anse Georgette and Anse Lazio.
Anse Georgette is more sheltered and calmer. Once again, you have to park your car outside a hotel and, after registering, walk for around 15 minutes across a golf course to reach the beach. Two small stalls selling fresh juices provide some welcome refreshment.
On La Digue, our favourite beach was Anse Severe. There are a few bars where you can get a drink and a long stretch of beach, so visitors are nicely spread out. If you fancy seeing something different, you can cycle to Grand Anse, park your bicycle there and then continue on foot across the rocks to the beaches Petite Anse and Anse Cocos.
Excursions
As we are divers, we booked four dives on Mahé, two of them with Blue Sea Divers.
One was at Shark Bank, which was definitely worthwhile. Visibility was good, and there were numerous shoals of fish as well as a few rays. 
We had secretly hoped to encounter whale sharks during our holiday. By chance, we were offered a private whale shark tour at Port Launay North Beach . Our diving instructors had already told us that they had regularly seen whale sharks over the previous 3 weeks and that the sharks were currently close to the island, so we took the chance and booked the tour. And it was worth it! We headed out and began searching. We saw 5 in total, and on three occasions we were able to jump into the water and swim with these gentle giants. And we had them entirely to ourselves! The tour guide was extremely attentive and did everything possible during that hour to ensure we had a wonderful time. The tour cost €150, and the experience was certainly worth every cent!
While on Praslin, we also booked an excursion to ‘Curieuse Island’ online because we really wanted to see giant tortoises in the wild. The tour included a Creole barbecue on Curieuse and two snorkelling stops (St. Pierre Island and Lazio). Although the snorkelling was not particularly worthwhile, we were all the more delighted by the tortoises, so we would definitely recommend the trip! According to one guide, there are more than 200 of them on the island, so despite the number of visitors, you can always find one away from the crowds. They are very trusting, and you can stroke them without any problem. The barbecue was also delicious.
We had actually planned to do most of our dives on La Digue. However, as August is known not to be the best month for diving and the weather conditions were not ideal, we ended up doing just three dives with Trek Divers. The crew made every effort to give us the best possible experience nonetheless.
Hire car
We booked a hire car in advance with SeyVillas on both Mahé and Praslin. Collection and return always went smoothly. If the car is too sandy when returned, a fee of €25 may apply, so it is worth taking a little care. In our opinion, a hire car is the best option on these islands. It gives you flexibility and allows you to travel quickly from A to B. Even if the weather becomes unsettled, you can quickly return to your accommodation.
On La Digue, it is best to hire a bicycle for the duration of your stay. The island is small, and you can see everything by bicycle in a very short time. A little tip: At the ‘Maison de L’histoire’ art gallery, there are four old penny-farthings that you can try free of charge. You should definitely give it a go!
Conclusion
We had an unforgettable holiday in the Seychelles. Everything was very well organised and went smoothly. If we return, we would probably choose a different month, as the heavy swell meant that many good dive sites could not be visited, while several days were also affected by poor weather and heavy rain.
