A Dream Trip

We made the rather spontaneous decision to travel to the Seychelles in January 2015 and had very little time to research suitable components for our trip. All we knew was that we wanted to go sailing on an old ship like this one. We soon came across SeyVillas and entrusted the planning of our trip to this specialist company. Looking back, we can wholeheartedly recommend them, as their advice, the speed with which they incorporated our requested changes beforehand, and the service on site were all truly impressive.

Our 7 days aboard the Sea Pearl were wonderful, the crew were always very attentive, and the full-board catering was excellent. Our only complaint was the extremely high price of drinks, some of which were outrageous (a bottle of wine cost at least €30). The 3-berth cabins were also very cramped, meaning that when they were fully occupied, luggage had to be left in the corridor. As there were only 2 of us, this did not affect or bother us. It was lovely to have already seen so many of the main sights from the boat, meaning we did not then have to pay extra for expensive excursions later on. It is therefore definitely advisable to take this sailing trip at the beginning of your Seychelles holiday.

Our days on Praslin were very relaxing. We stayed right by Anse Possession, where passengers embark and disembark, at the Sea View Lodge (very good and it even had Wi-Fi). Every day, we took the bus to Anse Lazio and walked to Cote d'Or in the evening (around 20–30 minutes). Hitchhiking also works very well, incidentally, as the buses stop running at around 18:00. In fact, travelling by bus is about the only thing in the Seychelles that is genuinely cheap (around €0.50 per journey, regardless of the distance).

Looking back, however, we feel that 3 days on Praslin would have been enough and that we would have preferred to spend another 2 or 3 days on La Digue. This small island, covering just 15 km², is simply enchanting, and its sense of peace and tranquillity is infectious.

We explored the island from the boat for a day, cycling south and enjoying the peace and spaciousness of the beaches at Grand Anse, Petite Anse, and Anse Cocos. The short walks between these beaches are very picturesque, and it is a delight to reach the small natural pool at Anse Cocos for a swim.

Our next stay coincided with the Assumption Festival on 14 and 15 August, when almost every Seychellois and tourist who could manage it came to La Digue and celebrated for 2 days with fantastic live music and inexpensive food and drink. Anyone who enjoys this sort of event should definitely experience it, but should also allow some time on the island either before or afterwards to get to know it properly.

We were slightly disappointed by the much-praised Anse Source d'Argent, which, in our view, could not compare with Anse Lazio on Praslin. However, this was probably because we did not arrive until after midday, when it was overrun with tourists. It is therefore well worth following the guidebook’s advice and arriving very early in the morning. That said, our photographs of this beach are so incredibly convincing (and contain no strangers) that, looking back, we cannot understand our impression of it at the time.

The far less frequently visited beaches in the north of the island are also incredibly beautiful. We were also recommended the ‘Belle Vue’ restaurant on Nid d’Aigles mountain, where you can watch the sun set over Praslin while dining, which was lovely. We were not entirely convinced by the food, but the cocktail was sensational! This was by far our favourite island, and we would gladly have spent more than 3½ days there. The Fleur de Lys accommodation was also excellent, with very tasteful furnishings and a location not far from the beach (there was no Wi-Fi, but there was a book-exchange shelf, which was very welcome after 2 weeks in the Seychelles).

We spent the next 3 days on Mahé at the small, locally styled Augerine Hotel by Beau Vallon. It was also very pleasant, and the omelettes served at breakfast were excellent. The only thing that bothered us was the lack of a clearly marked separation between the swimming area and the area used for water sports. This meant that people on jet skis and similar craft sped past very close to swimmers, so you always had to remain alert.

In our view, this was enough time on Mahé. On Sunday, we explored the island in a hire car, although the tea plantation was unfortunately closed. The ‘Jardin du Roi’ spice garden was very difficult to find, but it was beautiful and the food there was excellent. We would recommend leaving your car at the bottom and walking up the hill, as it is a lovely stroll and several drivers had difficulty making it up the slope.

The following day, we took the bus to Victoria to see all the main sights. It is important to have seen almost everything by 16:00, as the city suddenly becomes very quiet then, presumably because the shops close. Those who are interested can also take the bus to Eden Island, an artificial island created as a form of erosion protection. It is primarily a place where foreign nationals can purchase property and thereby obtain ‘resident status’.

We spent our final nights at the Hilton on Silhouette and had a beautiful bungalow, even though it was not in the first or second row from the beach. The food was excellent, but it is worth knowing that there is little point in booking breakfast only here (as we had at all our other accommodation), because tourists have nowhere to buy groceries on the island. We therefore upgraded our booking to half board, although this did not cover every menu at the themed restaurants, and we were frequently asked to pay supplements. We can, however, recommend the teppanyaki restaurant on the lake, which offers a type of show cooking where your chosen dishes are prepared right in front of you. We had the first sitting of the evening, so the chef was able to give us even more attention, which remains a particularly positive memory for us.

We had a truly wonderful and eventful time and can wholeheartedly recommend SeyVillas to anyone who does not want to, or cannot, invest too much time in planning their trip. There is one more thing worth mentioning, however: anyone who struggles with rough seas should consider taking one of the small inter-island aircraft from Mahé to Praslin and back. We flew on the outbound journey but took the fast ferry on the way back. For at least 1 of us, this required an enormous amount of concentration and self-control to avoid joining the ranks of passengers who were being sick. We would therefore replace the ferry crossings with flights whenever possible (15 minutes rather than a 1½-hour journey!). You should also be aware that eating out and even supermarket shopping are extremely expensive in the Seychelles, while the much-advertised inexpensive takeaways are by no means found on every street corner.