Seychelles 2016

We landed on Mahé early in the morning, welcomed by glorious sunshine as well as a representative from the Creole agency, who accompanied us to Villa Dorado. It was a delightful little Victorian-style villa right on the beach, where we had breakfast each morning while enjoying breathtaking views of the sea and palm trees.

The following day, a very lovely lady from the agency came to welcome us and check that everything was as we had expected. She helped us with the hire car, which I think is essential for exploring the island from end to end, although I noticed that the buses were quite frequent.

My mind now retraces the coastline: around every bend there was a different view to admire. I would have stopped at every turn and swum in every cove, it was all so beautiful.

The beach at Beau Vallon is certainly beautiful. At this time of year, it is practically deserted, and you can walk its entire length while enjoying the wonderfully fine sand beneath your feet.

We ate fish and fruit from the stalls, partly because, unfortunately, eating in restaurants is quite expensive.

During our constant exploring, we stopped at Port Glaud, a ‘blue lagoon’-style cove with a stunning coral reef hidden beneath the water just a few steps from the shore, along with turtles, giant emperor fish, moray eels and corals of every shape.

They say the weather at this time of year is not at its best, but we were lucky. It only rained on the afternoon of our first day and on our final day, so thanks to the sunshine we were able to admire the many shades of the Indian Ocean. Naturally, we also visited Victoria; we certainly could not miss the market, full of colour, the scents of countless spices and souvenirs. Villa Dorado was almost perfect. It was just a shame that we could not use the kitchen to cook, as in the evenings, when we were tired, we would have liked to stay in... However, we discovered some fantastic takeaways offering excellent quality and value.

Our stay on Mahé lasted 5 days, after which we moved on to Praslin. Here, I had chosen a small hotel, Villa des Mer, overlooking Grand Anse. I was able to admire picture-postcard sunsets from there, not least because the restaurant is practically on the beach.

The rooms were lovely and spacious, with a fridge and terrace, and the food was excellent, although drinks, including water, were not included with half board.

A hire car was essential here too, as the buses run to fixed timetables and, if you miss one, you may have to wait for more than an hour. What can I say about Anse Lazio... It was beautiful, and the snorkelling here was also very enjoyable, shark aside. It followed us for a while and then swam away; it was an incredible thrill.

We simply had to visit Curieuse, the island of tortoises. They are adorable and very happy to have their necks rubbed. We had a barbecue on the beach and, of course, went for a swim.

We also went fishing by boat, and my husband caught a small tuna weighing around 20 kg. He was overjoyed... as were the local people who had taken us out, since they kept the catch.

On our final day, we took the ferry and went to La Digue. As soon as we disembarked, we hired bicycles and rode through the nature reserve until we reached Anse Source d'Argent. The huge boulders, which look as though someone placed them there specifically to make visitors sigh with wonder, make this beach unique.

Another 5 days had flown by, but we returned home delighted with our wonderful holiday, and all the photographs I took are proof of it!