A Symphony of Colours
To begin with, flying on an Emirates Airbus A380 for the first time was fantastic: it is a completely different way to travel in terms of comfort and customer care.
One piece of advice is to consider the timing of your trip very carefully, as rainfall can be frequent and long-lasting. During our 11-day trip in early September, we had 7 days of non-stop rain from morning until evening.
Another tip is to consider your transport between Mahé and Praslin carefully. We would not recommend travelling by boat when the sea is rough, or at least make sure you bring seasickness tablets.
Praslin
When we arrived on Praslin, we stayed at Berjaya, a fantastic place. The property is very attractive, well maintained and spotlessly clean, while the staff are friendly, courteous and always happy to help. We would recommend booking breakfast only, as the property does not have its own restaurant and there are plenty of excellent restaurants nearby serving both local and international cuisine.
The beach in front of the property is stunning, with wonderful colours and plenty of opportunities for fairly long walks along vast stretches of white sand. You just need to keep an eye on the tides, as the beach disappears at high tide, although only briefly during the day.
For diving enthusiasts, there is a very good, well-organised dive centre on the beach. The dives are beautiful, with plenty of fish and a lovely reef.
One place you should certainly see on Praslin is Anse Lazio, a true marvel: white sand, turquoise sea and breathtaking rock formations. It is also excellent for snorkelling.
Vallée de Mai is also interesting. This forest nature reserve is home to the Coco de Mer, a distinctive coconut found only on Praslin.
It is well worth exploring the whole island, as there are many small beaches to discover, almost all deserted or with very few people. You can easily hire a car or a motorbike.
Despite driving on the left, the roads are not very busy and are reasonably wide. More experienced cyclists can also hire a bicycle.
The island is very hilly, with some extremely steep climbs, so cycling is best suited to experienced riders. Alternatively, you can use public transport; you just need to be a little patient…
La Digue
La Digue is a little gem. You can hire a bicycle, which is suitable for everyone, especially as cars are not permitted on the island, apart from a few exceptions…and you can easily explore the whole island.
Small beaches dotted around the island with very few visitors, distinctive little houses and stunning rock formations all make La Digue a little gem. There is also a park inland with giant tortoises, which is certainly worth visiting!
There are also plenty of excellent little restaurants on the island, so staying somewhere that offers breakfast only is sufficient. On the larger, better-known beaches, there are also small stalls serving freshly prepared fruit.
Cerf Island
We then arrived on Cerf Island, which we would certainly recommend to anyone seeking peace and quiet. Here, I would advise booking full board, as there is absolutely nothing outside the resort apart from a small church, a woodland trail leading to the other side of the island, a few private houses and one other resort.
The island is wonderful and exceptionally peaceful, with excellent snorkelling and lovely walks along the brilliant white beach. The resort, L’Habitation, is beautiful, the staff are kind and helpful, and the food is excellent. The property is very close to Mahé, and the resort provides a shuttle service to the capital at various times throughout the day.
All in all, the Seychelles are a collection of wonderful islands that are certainly worth visiting.
We booked the entire trip, including transfers and accommodation, through SeyVillas, with prices to suit every budget. The website is very clear and well designed, and all the information provided accurately reflects what you find when you arrive. The advisers on the telephone are all extremely helpful, kind and friendly, so we would certainly recommend SeyVillas.
Thank you to everyone at SeyVillas as well for the wonderful holiday we enjoyed.
