Family Holiday in the Seychelles

Our family, with two children aged 5 and 12, spent two wonderful weeks in the Seychelles at the beginning of July 2025. After an overnight flight from Frankfurt via Dubai to Mahé, we were very excited about the prospect of idyllic beaches, sea and sunshine. At the airport, we quickly found our transfer to The Palm Seychelles. After a drive of around 30 minutes, we arrived at our accommodation on Mahé. Following the long journey, we wanted to get to our room as quickly as possible, and even the manager’s friendly welcome could not quite make up for our exhaustion. Our young daughter was delighted by the enclosure housing the two resident tortoises, while our son immediately enjoyed the small but lovely pool. As there were relatively few other guests staying at the property, we often had the pool entirely to ourselves. The Palm is situated on a hillside, a little away from the main road, so a hire car is essential.Palm forest Our holiday consisted of six nights on Mahé, followed by another six nights at Coco de Mer & Black Parrot Suites on Praslin. The main island was a very pleasant surprise, as many tourists tend to focus primarily on Praslin and La Digue. We had a varied itinerary ahead of us each day. At first, we enjoyed nearby Beau Vallon at sunset, with its numerous stalls run by locals selling snorkelling trips or fruit, as well as the chance to watch flying foxes. The next day, we finally wanted to explore the country’s rainforest. On Mahé in particular, the weather is very changeable in July. You can experience everything from brief, intense rain showers to sunshine, cloud and wind. We slightly underestimated the hike to Morne Blanc with our daughter, especially the descent, as it was very slippery. Sturdy footwear is highly recommended. After around 30–40 minutes, we were rewarded with a breathtaking view and could admire the clouds drifting past. The descent took a little longer because of the rocks and steep slopes, but every member of the family made it safely to the bottom and felt very proud.Flying fox One unforgettable highlight was undoubtedly our day trip by boat with three skippers to Sainte Anne Marine National Park. We snorkelled in the open sea, encountered a reef shark, fed fish from the boat, stopped at a sandbank and visited Cerf Island with its famous tortoises. After a traditional lunch, we were able to stroke and feed seven tortoises – great fun for the children and my wife.Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue Another adventure was the Port Glaud Sauzier Waterfall in the west of the island. As it had rained that morning, it was well worth making a detour to see the waterfall, which was now full of water. Nearby is the beautiful Port Launay North Beach, whose sheltered bay setting made a great impression on me. Unfortunately, the weather was quite rainy that day, so we were unable to try out the well-known snorkelling spot. Over the following days, we visited more beaches, including Anse Takamaka and Anse Soleil. Anse Soleil certainly lived up to its name: we enjoyed many hours of sunshine beside the turquoise sea and soft, fine sand. Halfway through our holiday, we flew to Praslin on a propeller plane. It almost felt like travelling by private jet, as there were only a handful of passengers on board. At the Coco de Mer & Black Parrots hotel, we were very impressed by the pool, the friendliness of the staff and the cleanliness. Our first destination was Anse Lazio. Together with Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or), it is considered one of the most beautiful beaches on the island and is an absolute must. However, care is needed when swimming, as both the waves and the undertow can pose a risk to young children, at least in July. Nevertheless, everyone went into the water and enjoyed the sea. Here too, as almost everywhere, snorkelling is well worthwhile. However, warnings about possible sharks in deeper water should be taken seriously. We did not see any here.Anse Lazio, Praslin Another highlight of the trip was undoubtedly our excursion to La Digue. It is advisable to allow two days here so that you can enjoy the island’s beaches and natural surroundings more fully. We, however, took the first ferry to La Digue early in the morning, a journey of 15 minutes, and returned on the final ferry at 5 pm. After hiring bicycles, we cycled in the hot sunshine directly to the famous Anse Source d'Argent. After taking plenty of photographs and admiring the large fish in the shallow water, we discovered enormous tortoises lying right in the middle of the road, then stopped at Anse Severe, where we enjoyed some excellent smoothies. Over the next few days, we visited Vallée de Mai to see the Coco de Mer palms, admired Anse Georgette and took a trip to St. Pierre Island, very close to Anse Volbert (Cote d'Or). After 12 nights in the Seychelles, which passed far too quickly, it was time to begin our journey home. We first had to take the ferry, which was rather rough and not suitable for anyone prone to seasickness, before flying back to Germany via Mahé and Dubai. We would love to return and can only recommend the trip. Even during the summer holidays, it is a great way to escape some of Europe’s tourist crowds and heatwaves. The only drawback, although it did not spoil our trip, was that the wind sometimes made snorkelling impossible, while certain species, such as whale sharks, are rarely seen in July.Morne Blanc Overall, our holiday in the Seychelles was an unforgettable experience for the whole family. We loved the combination of adventure, relaxation and nature. We can wholeheartedly recommend the Seychelles, even during the summer holidays, and would return at any time.Anse Volbert, Praslin