Seychelles at the Seashore!

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!!!