Ready for the Islands
What better way to treat yourself when you turn sixty in October? A lovely trip seemed fitting: escaping the German autumn for a dream destination in the tropics. After extensive research with my wife, we finally decided: the Seychelles it would be!
This island group in the Indian Ocean promised paradise beaches, magnificent flora and fauna, and much more besides – all with superb weather.
As I had no experience whatsoever of this destination or what it had to offer, I relied on the expertise of SeyVillas to plan and arrange the trip – and not only because of my own impressions; my guidebook recommended them too. The SeyVillas website provided the perfect way to ‘configure’ our holiday to suit us. Whenever we had questions, we always received prompt, personal advice and support. The end result was a 2-week island-hopping trip across Praslin, La Digue and Mahé, staying on a half-board basis.
On 19 October, the time had finally come – we flew with Qatar Airways from Frankfurt to Mahé, with a stopover in Doha. On arrival, we received a warm welcome from Creole Travel Services, SeyVillas’ local partner, before travelling by minibus to the harbour and then taking the ferry to our first destination, Praslin. Even during the crossing, we caught our first glimpse of the beauty of the Seychelles. Once on Praslin, we were taken to our Oasis Hotel, Restaurant & Spa at Grand Anse in the west of the island.
Praslin
We liked the accommodation straight away – it had an exotic atmosphere, with an open-plan restaurant and bar area, a large pool and lovely rooms with terraces. The flying foxes swooping through the lush vegetation were yet another reminder that we were a long way from Germany. As the nearby beach was only partly suitable for swimming because of the full-moon tides, we spontaneously decided to hire a car for the next two days – both to give ourselves greater flexibility and to explore the island’s beautiful sights independently.
After a delicious breakfast, we set off the next morning for Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve. We had already travelled through the palm forest during our bus transfer and were keen to take a closer look. Our guide Joseph (‘Cool Joe’) shared plenty of fascinating information about the famous Coco de Mer, of which there are more than 1,400 specimens here. At times, walking through the forest felt like being in Jurassic Park, such was the lushness of the vegetation. The wildlife was equally remarkable – not only were we lucky enough to spot black parrots, but a rather curious tenrec also crossed our path.
After this impressive encounter with nature, we were drawn back towards the sea. We continued by car past Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or) to Anse Lazio in the north. This glorious picture-postcard beach really is exactly how you imagine the Seychelles. Powdery white sand slopes gently into turquoise water, flanked on either side by the distinctive granite rocks. Perfect for swimming, snorkelling and relaxing! To give the game away: for us, this was the best beach of our trip – only Anse Georgette came close, although the snorkelling there was not as good.
That was where we headed the following day. The walk through the golf course was rather sweaty – we found ourselves wondering who could possibly enjoy playing golf in such temperatures – but the destination rewarded us with an almost impossibly picturesque beach setting and all the activities that came with it. Despite its fame, Anse Georgette was by no means crowded – no doubt partly because only a limited number of visitors are admitted each day, so booking in advance is recommended, which we had done.
In the afternoon, we drove a little further south without any particular destination in mind and happened upon Grosse Roche, a beautiful palm-fringed beach beside the road where we were the only people swimming – it felt like something out of Robinson Crusoe! Right next to our beach, we noticed the small Les Rochers Restaurant & Boutique, with an outdoor terrace facing due west. Naturally, we took a seat and enjoyed an absolutely perfect sunset over a Seybrew.
Curieuse
For the following day, we had booked an excursion to the neighbouring island of Curieuse. A small speedboat took us to this beautiful island, where a tortoise breeding centre is located right by the landing point. Being able to get so close to the giant tortoises was a source of great delight for me and especially for my wife, and made for a truly lasting memory.
From the centre, we followed a narrow hiking trail on foot to the other side of the island and Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or), where a delicious barbecue was already waiting for us. Once we had eaten, we took the boat out to snorkel in the bay off Curieuse and later continued to the uninhabited island of Saint Pierre. Both snorkelling spots were very impressive; as well as seeing a multitude of colourful fish, we even spotted two sea turtles.
La Digue
The next stop on our Seychelles trip was La Digue. The island is considerably smaller than Praslin, and the same was true of our accommodation: with its three small bungalows and just 8 rooms, Pension Michel proved to be an exceptionally charming hotel with a very personal touch. The varied, freshly prepared Creole cuisine also made for delicious meals.
Life in general moves at a slower pace on La Digue. Everything is even more relaxed, and the main means of transport is the bicycle. We hired bicycles as soon as we arrived and used them to explore the beautiful bay at Anse Severe in the north. On the way back, we stopped for a cocktail at Bikini Bottom – an original beach bar with references to SpongeBob’s home.
The next morning, we first stocked up on fresh mangoes at the nearby market. Later, we headed to one of the Seychelles’ most famous beaches, Anse Source d'Argent. To get there, we had to pass through the admission-charging L'Union Estate, where we briefly visited a tortoise enclosure. Our main destination for the day, Anse Source d’Argent, looked exactly as it does in the photographs – turquoise sea, white sand and granite boulders. We, too, could not resist its fascination and took countless photographs. Unfortunately, swimming and snorkelling were only possible to a limited extent, as in places the way into the water led over rocks and seagrass. Even right by the beach, however, we were able to watch beautiful tropical fish in the crystal-clear water – and otherwise focused on relaxing in the sunshine.
During our time on La Digue, the Creole Festival was held in Union Estate Park on several evenings. We did not want to miss the opportunity and visited the festival several times. Together with locals and other visitors, we enjoyed the great music, numerous stalls serving delicious food and cocktails, and a fantastic sunset every evening. Perfect!
During our stay on La Digue, we spent different days exploring virtually every part of the island accessible by bicycle. One day, we followed the coast northwards and continued around to the other side of the island, reaching Anse Fourmis . On another occasion, we cycled across the island to Grand Anse – a beautiful but very wild beach with high waves that are more suited to surfing than swimming. Still absolutely worth a visit, especially as it is less busy than the other beaches.
Mahé
The final stop on our island-hopping trip was the main island of Mahé. After travelling by ferry and minibus, we arrived at our accommodation there, the Bliss Hotel in the Glacis area in the north. For us, it was the clear highlight of all our accommodation: the room was not only very spacious, but also tastefully furnished with great attention to detail. There was a mango tree directly in front of the balcony, with glimpses of the sea through its branches. A small pool close to our room always provided a refreshing end to the day. Then there was the main building: situated directly beside the sea on a beautiful little bay that was ideal for swimming and snorkelling. To my fascination, I even spotted a red lionfish there on one occasion. Every evening, we were able to enjoy a fantastic, unobstructed sunset. The food was also wonderfully varied and delicious, with a different themed buffet each day.
Victoria
Of course, despite the hotel’s many advantages, we did not spend all our time on Mahé there. One day, we took the public bus to nearby Beau Vallon, a large bay that is particularly good for swimming.
The capital, Victoria, is also well worth seeing, and we travelled there by bus as well (conveniently, there is a bus stop directly by the Bliss Hotel). In Victoria, we first had a look around the market (‘Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market’) and browsed the various small shops. Later, we walked to the Botanical Gardens, which – since we were already there – we naturally visited as well. Given the high admission fee, however, what was on offer was somewhat disappointing. The range of plants was limited and poorly documented, and visitors were not even given a leaflet describing the paths and plants. Being plagued by mosquitoes was the final straw – although, of course, the park operator could not be blamed for that.
Island tour
The next day, we hired another car for a tour of the island. Driving on Mahé is somewhat easier than on Praslin, where the roads are quite narrow and there is often an immediate half-metre drop into a ditch beside the carriageway. The roads on Mahé are generally wider. The only slight drawback is that most routes take you through Victoria – but even that was less daunting than we had feared.
The first stop on our tour was the Takamaka Rum Distillery . As I had to drive, the two of us shared a rum tasting. The rums on offer really do have very different flavours, so the tasting is definitely worthwhile. Afterwards, we bought a few bottles of our favourites – after all, we wanted to enjoy some delicious reminders of the Seychelles at home too.
Our next stop was the Le Jardin Du Roi Spice Garden in the south of Mahé. It proved far more interesting than the Botanical Gardens in Victoria. Alongside all kinds of spice plants, there are numerous other trees and shrubs to see. At the entrance, you are also given a fold-out leaflet that clearly guides you through the various sections of the garden and describes the plants found in each one.
We continued along the coastal road until it eventually curved inland and crossed to the other side of Mahé. We made one final stop at the La Gaulette restaurant, situated directly on Anse Takamaka and offering a wonderful view of the beautiful bay. Afterwards, we drove back across the island to the hotel.
In summary, our holiday in the Seychelles was a wonderful experience for my wife and me, and one we will remember fondly for a long time. The excellent support provided by SeyVillas and its local partners also contributed to this. We always received timely reminders by email or WhatsApp before each stage of our journey, and everything was perfectly organised. If we ever feel ‘ready for the islands’ again, we would happily book with SeyVillas!
