Mahé, Bird Island, La Digue & Praslin – a Seychelles dream come true
This time, our destination was the Seychelles, justifiably renowned for their beauty. As we had neither the time nor the inclination to plan this trip independently, as we usually do, we searched online and came across SeyVillas’ very clear and informative website. We contacted Ms Bentrup at SeyVillas by telephone, and she organised the package holiday in collaboration with Creole Travel Services, tailoring it precisely to our wishes. Although these were expensive, they were certainly worth fulfilling.
The scenery was breathtaking, as were the flora and fauna. We were equally impressed by the friendliness of the Seychellois people. We would like to thank the teams at SeyVillas and Creole Travel Services for the excellent planning and execution of our dream holiday.
Mahé
On 5 September 2015, we flew with Etihad from Berlin to Mahé via Abu Dhabi. Even our first views as we approached Mahé were captivating.
We stayed at the Romance Bungalows, and the view from our ‘Hibiscus’ apartment was quite lovely. The view from the Rose apartment is even better. Unfortunately, we were unlucky with the weather on Mahé. It rained for hours every day. On the plus side, we saw a beautiful rainbow from our terrace.
We visited the market at Beau Vallon and tried calou. There was also good, inexpensive food, although we were disappointed by the souvenir stalls. Before leaving Germany, we had hired a car with satnav from Maki Car Rental for 3 days, although the satnav was no help at all. We drove to Victoria and visited the usual sights. We found the location and layout of the cemetery in Bel Air interesting.
La Café de L’Horloge was also a pleasant place to sit, with a view of the clock tower.
We drove our hire car through the south-east of Mahé to Petite Police Bay at the island’s southern tip. We particularly liked Anseá la Mouche. As we were determined to visit Anse Intendance, but it had rained so heavily, we had to walk the final stretch to Anse Intendance.
The current at Anse Intendance did not actually look that dangerous. Nevertheless, we decided simply to admire the sea. Afterwards, we continued via Police Bay to Petite Police Bay, where the road ended.
As the weather was really only suitable for brief spells of sunbathing, we also drove our hire car to North Cape. Another fascinating landscape awaited us there. At Anse Etolie, we saw schoolchildren who greeted us cheerfully. The roads certainly take some getting used to for us Germans, but they are not really dangerous.
Bird Island
On 10 September 2015, we flew to this truly special destination aboard a Twin Otter. We were also lucky with the weather and consequently had excellent visibility, as the view back towards Mahé shows. The view of the marine national park was breathtaking too. After just under 45 minutes, Bird Island came into view.
We were allocated bungalow 20, which really did offer a sea view. (I had contacted the Bird Island Lodge in advance and requested a bungalow with a sea view)
Drink prices at the Bird Island Lodge are not suitable for anyone who needs to watch every penny. The lodge only offers full board, as there are no shops whatsoever on the island. The food was plentiful and delicious.
Bird Island is home not only to countless birds but also to several giant tortoises. We enjoyed watching them. And, of course, we also paid Esmeralda a visit in the village. She is easily recognisable by the damage to her shell. We were particularly impressed by the variety of birds. The chicks were always a delight to see.
And, of course, we visited the bird sanctuary.
We were lucky with the weather: it did not rain once, despite the ominous dark clouds that appeared.
Bird Island is simply the perfect place for anyone seeking tranquillity and romance, and wishing to switch off from the hectic pace of everyday life. The beaches were simply beautiful and ideal for long, solitary walks along the shore – as well as, of course, doing nothing at all.
The sun was relentless, however, and there are no parasols or trees providing shade on Bird Island’s beaches. Snorkelling on Bird Island is also an experience, even if the underwater world cannot quite compare with the Maldives, the Great Barrier Reef or the Red Sea.
During our evening walk along the beach, we felt as though we were in a Hitchcock film when we were near the bird sanctuary.
We were repeatedly captivated by the magnificent sunsets. On 14 September 2015, we flew back to Mahé with Jil Air, with only the two of us and the pilot aboard. Once again, we enjoyed wonderful views.
La Digue
The weather was also on our side during the Cat Cocos ferry crossing, allowing us to make the most of our excellent seats on the upper deck.
After a stopover on Praslin, we continued punctually to La Digue with Inter Island Ferry. At around 18:15, we arrived at the Patatran Hotel, which enjoys a genuinely beautiful location on Anse Patates. We had booked a Superior room. Our allocated room, ‘Boisdamier’, was in the main building and offered a wonderful view. (Less wonderful were the cooking smells that drifted up during mealtimes, as the room was directly above the dining room)
The Patatran served the best breakfast of our entire trip: plentiful, varied and delicious. Anse Patates may be small, but it is spectacular. The hotel’s swimming pool was also impressive. We particularly liked the comfortable beach pavilions, which allowed us to relax outdoors even when it rained and offered lovely views of the sea.
We found the thunderous evening surf fascinating, and we could also watch it clearly from our room’s terrace.
Of course, we also visited La Passe to have a look around and do some shopping. The cemetery was very interesting. On the way back, we enjoyed the view of the sea from La Passe. We were equally delighted by the views at Anse Severe.
We took a snorkelling trip to Coco Island and off Félicité aboard the Etoile Labrine’s boat. The boat and crew were absolutely excellent. At Félicité, the deckhand lifted a turtle out of the sea to show it to me. The snorkelling was lovely, though not as spectacular as in some other parts of the world.
We also took a private sunset cruise aboard this boat to Anse Source d'Argent. The swell at Grand Anse was terrifying. We were glad to be on such a large boat.
We saw bizarre rock formations at Anse Marron. We watched the sunset at Anse Source d'Argent.
We also went on a cycle trip to L'Union Estate. As we discovered there, tortoises have needs too. Alongside the other sights, we also found the old boatyard interesting. And, of course, we cycled to Anse Source d'Argent as well.
The cycle ride to the eastern part of the island was another memorable experience. We loved Anse Banane and Anse Fourmis.
Praslin
On 18 September 2015, we took the Cat Roses II from La Digue to Praslin. Fortunately, the weather was good this time too. At the harbour on Praslin, we were met, as reliably as ever, by a member of staff from Creole Travel Services. From SeyVillas’ extensive selection, we had chosen Les Villas d'Or, located at Anse Volbert. Before leaving Germany, I had contacted the manager, Pierre, and requested a villa close to the beach with a sea view. Pierre was particularly kind to us and upgraded us to the semi-detached villa at no extra charge. From the lovingly furnished, spacious terrace, we had a partial sea view. Just as on Mahé, we experienced some heavy rain showers here too. The grounds are beautifully laid out and impeccably maintained. The villa was also a dream: exceptionally spacious and spotlessly clean. The swimming pool has very comfortable loungers, perfect for a relaxing doze.
Tip: Book without breakfast, as the breakfast really cannot be described as plentiful. Les Villas d'Or has an excellently equipped kitchen, and there are shops nearby in the village. Do not be alarmed by the prices: 250 g of butter cost the equivalent of €5.50.
Anse Volbert is ideal for long walks along the beach, or simply doing nothing while lying on the warm white sand. Tip: My smartphone and money were stolen from my belt bag right on the hotel beach after I had dozed off for about half an hour. The belt bag was approximately 20 cm from my head! Working together with Creole Travel Services, Pierre arranged for the police to come discreetly to the hotel so that I could report the theft.
We took a boat trip to Curieuse and St Pierre with the crew from the Hirondelle hotel. One major advantage is that Emilia, who runs the Hirondelle, speaks German. We found Curieuse very interesting. Baie Laraie, the beach where we landed before walking across the island, is another picture-perfect Seychelles beach.
Before the trip, I had contacted Mario from Edelweiss Tours online to arrange a private island tour by car. That proved to be a very good decision and was certainly worth the surprisingly modest fee by Seychelles standards. Our tour first took us to the Lemuria resort, where a very impressive property awaited us.
Thanks to Mario letting the staff know in advance, we were also able to visit the magnificent Anse Georgette. Anse Kerlan was also a feast for the eyes.
Our trip continued to Grand Anse, followed by our next stop at Anse Takamaka. Here, we ate the lunch we had bought earlier from a takeaway in the village of Grand Anse. We then continued to Anse Consolation. Another highlight of the excursion was our visit to ‘Fond Ferdinand’ park. It covers a smaller area than the ‘Valleé de Mai’, but has just as much to offer, including the legendary Coco de Mer, and can be explored more quickly.
We travelled via Anse Blague to Baie St Anne. After a brief stop at Anse Boudin, we reached Zimbabwe. On the way there, we enjoyed a unique view of Anse Lazio.
For the grand finale of the tour, we visited Anse Lazio. The enormous rock formations make the beach very impressive, but unfortunately it was rather crowded, and during our swimming break we were subjected to rather intrusive music. A restaurant tip for truly excellent food: From ‘Les Villas d'Or’, call ‘Les Lauriers’, book a table and arrange their pick-up and drop-off service. It was the best meal we had anywhere in the Seychelles.
On 22 September 2015, we flew from Praslin to Mahé on a Twin Otter, then continued with Etihad via Abu Dhabi to Berlin Tegel.
It was a truly wonderful trip filled with many unique experiences – just try not to think too much about the money!
