What do you do when you have some expiring airline points? Book a
spontaneous weekend trip to the Seychelles! Kristal and I spent a four day
weekend in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We are including all the
details here about how we planned our trip, which islands to visit, and some
recommendations if you find yourself in paradise!
General Info:
Choosing Islands: The
Seychelles is an island nation made up of around 115 islands. The main island
is Mahe and that has the main international airport. The other two main
islands, which are accessible by ferry, are Praslin and La Digue. Both are
between 60-90 minutes by boat. Most people choose to spend their time at some
combination of these three islands. We chose to split time between La Digue and
Praslin.
Ferries: You can book your
inter-island ferries at www.seychellesbookings.com/cat-cocos.
Be warned that the ferry from Mahe to Praslin can be rough but at least it is
only an hour!
Itinerary: Our time in
Seychelles was very short so we focused on Praslin and La Digue. No matter how
you decide to spend your time we can’t recommend La Digue enough. Here was our
itinerary:
September 1: Arrive in Mahe and Ferry to La Digue via Praslin
September 2: La Digue
September 3: Ferry from La Digue to Praslin
September 4: Praslin and evening ferry back to Mahe for flight
La Digue
With some of the world’s most beautiful beaches and an island that can
be fully explored by bicycle, La Digue is a must see! You can take ferries to
La Digue directly from Mahe or catch a ferry from Praslin. Here are some of our
tips and highlights:
Activities: Rent bikes and
explore the 5kmx3km island,
Accommodation: We stayed at
the La Digue Island Lodge (http://www.ladigue.sc/)
which was a gorgeous resort! To save some money stay in one of the basic rooms
for about $100 a night and get a great breakfast and access to the full facilities!
Food: Restaurants on La
Digue are pricey but there are some great “Take-Away” options where you can get
rice and curry for about $5. The best take away option by far was called “Mi
Mums” and is located near the petrol station on the island. It was probably the
best meal we had the whole trip! Make sure to have whatever the special of the
day is.
Best Beaches: Source
d’Argent and Grand Anse (make sure to walk over to Petite Anse and Anse Coco)
Praslin
As the second largest island in the Seychelles, Praslin has lots to
offer in terms of beaches, excursions, and a great national park. It is here
that you can find the largest forest of the Coco de Mer, the famous “suggestive”
coconuts. Here are some tips for enjoying your time in Praslin:
Activities: Vallee de Mai is
the park in the center of the island to see the Coco de Mer. They offer free
tours daily and have plenty of parking out front. There are a variety of boat
excursions you can do from any of the beaches as well. For between 60-75 USD
per person you can do a full day boat trip which will visit 2-3 islands
including lunch. We visited Curieuse and St. Pierre island while we were there.
Transportation: It is really
easy to explore Praslin by car with only a few roads on the island. We used
Bliss Car Hire (http://www.blisscarhire-seychelles.com/)
and they had great rates and great service!
Accommodation: The best
place to stay is near Anse Volbert. We stayed about a 5 minute drive from there
are a great local B&B called Mirella Villa. The owners were wonderful and it
was a self-catering unit with incredible views!
Beaches: Anse Lazio was
absolutely incredible! Don’t bother trying the other beaches that have more
hotels/restaurants than sand. Take the road until it ends and you have arrived!
We could not recommend the Seychelles enough and we actually preferred
it compared to the Maldives. There was tons of exploring to be done, better
budget accommodation and food options, and equally stunning scenery! We hope to
be able to go back one day but are so thankful to have had the chance to
explore over the weekend! Video and photos to come!!!
