Mahé and La Digue

We leave Lyon with Emirates, have dinner on board and spend the night in the air. After a stopover in Dubai, we fly to Mahé, arriving at Seychelles International Airport.

We arrive in the morning, then take the Cat Coco ferry shuttle from the port of Mahé to La Digue via Praslin. Once on La Digue, we collect our luggage and head to the Moonlight Small Hotel, close to the jetty.

Cyber welcomes us, and after dinner we spend our first night on La Digue.

The hotel offers very good value for money, and dinner was excellent. Every evening, we had deliciously prepared fish and meat dishes. We recommend this hotel.

On the first day, we visit Anse Source d'Argent, a superb beach.

It is best to go when it opens in the morning. There is an admission charge for this beach, but you can also see giant tortoises in an enclosure.

On the second day, we hire bicycles, which are available at every hotel or from rental outlets by the jetty, and set off to explore the island. Our first beach is Anse Severe. The second is Anse Patates, just below the road, and we absolutely fall in love with it.

We will come back here. The beach is close to the hotel, so we can stay until sunset. Be careful, though: once the sun sets, it becomes pitch-dark in the Seychelles, and the roads on La Digue are not lit.

On the third day, we book a three-island excursion with lunch at the tourist office opposite the jetty. We travel by boat to Grande Sœur for some snorkelling; remember to bring water shoes!

After landing on this private island, which belongs to a hotel owner from Praslin, we put on our fins and set off. We swim a little way out on the left-hand side of the beach and see magnificent multicoloured fish and a turtle that happily poses for photographs. Afterwards, we enjoy a delicious barbecue.

The captain tells us that the island is private and that we will only be able to explore it after lunch.

After a short rest, we walk across the island and spot the hotel on the beach. We understand why they want to keep visitor numbers to a minimum here, as in my opinion this is the most beautiful beach in the Seychelles.

Take care when swimming, however: there is no coral reef to shelter the beach, and there are large breakers. Signs warn that swimming is dangerous.

We then leave for Coco Island, a small islet with an abundance of marine life. With a little luck, you may see turtles and small, harmless sharks. We then head to Félicité, the final island, before returning to the port.

On the fourth day, I go scuba diving with the Azura club, based at La Digue Island Lodge.

We head to Marianne for two dives. It is a superb dive site where the coral has grown back, and I see a nurse shark, rays and whitetip reef sharks. Fantastic!

Loïc, the guide, is very friendly and introduces us to La Digue’s underwater world.

On the fifth day, as a diving instructor, I simply have to show Marianne to my wife and daughter. We hire equipment and return to Marianne, where I take each of them on an introductory dive. They dream of seeing a shark: with my daughter, we encounter a beautiful turtle, and with my wife, a small whitetip reef shark.

On the sixth day, I set off early for Grand Anse and Anse Cocos, cycling as far as Grand Anse and then continuing to Anse Cocos on foot. A narrow path leads me there. The guidebooks recommend hiring a guide, but it is manageable, if a little adventurous through the jungle.

We stay at the Sun Resort, a hotel we chose at random on Beau Vallon beach. It is best avoided: a beautiful hotel, but the service is dreadful. You are better off trusting SeyVillas.

On Beau Vallon beach, we feel as though we have returned to civilisation. There are large hotels and plenty of mass tourism. In the evening, street vendors prepare grilled fish and skewers, which we recommend.

The following day, we go parasailing. Wearing harnesses, we run along the beach towards the sea while an inflatable boat pulls us. Once we reach the water, we take off and rise to a height of around 30 metres. It is fantastic, and we have a superb view of the bay.

In conclusion, the Seychelles truly are paradise. We came here on our honeymoon 15 years ago, and returning with our 13-year-old daughter brought us real joy.

The Seychelles are accessible: there are not only luxury hotels, but also hotels and guesthouses to suit every budget.

Our thanks go to Cyber at the Moonlight, who is extremely friendly and a very good cook; Loïc from the Azzura diving club on La Digue; and the SeyVillas team for all their helpful recommendations.