Anniversary in Seychelles

For those that are geographically challenged, the Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands located in the Indian Ocean, off the eastern coast of Africa. It lies northeast of Madagascar and is 1000 miles east of mainland Africa, roughly parallel with Kenya and Tanzania. It is also the smallest country in Africa, with a population of just over 100,000, a stark contrast to the continent’s total population of approximately 1.55 billion.

Why Are We Here?

Our main reason for visiting Seychelles is thanks to my friend and former colleague, Wendy. She has been here twice and raved about it so much that when planning our global journey, stopping here made perfect sense, especially as a natural stop between India and South Africa.

Mahe: The Start of Our Seychelles Adventure

We arrived on Monday afternoon on Mahe, the main island. After picking up our rental car, we checked into the Laïla Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Resort under the Marriott brand. We were upgraded to a beautiful suite with a huge terrace, just steps away from the beach club across the street.

Monday and Tuesday were spent relaxing at the pool and mostly on the beach. The water was perfectly warm and crystal clear, allowing us to see plenty of fish swimming right next to us. I did a little paddleboarding, but likely scared the fish away when I fell into the water multiple times. I did well paddleboarding last summer in Rehoboth Bay, but for some reason, I’ve been struggling both in Bali and now here in Seychelles. Maybe it is a Southern Hemisphere thing.

Exploring Victoria & Heading to Praslin

After breakfast on Wednesday, we checked out of the Laïla Hotel and drove into Victoria, the capital city of Seychelles. We explored the local market, wandered through some shops, and saw the famous Victoria Clocktower. I think we covered the entire city on foot.

For lunch, we stopped at the casino due to the air conditioning. We had chicken wings which sucked and watched a Premier League match (a replay from last weekend). The casino consisted of about a dozen slot machines, and no, we didn’t play. Soon after leaving, it started to rain, so we took cover for an hour at the Seychelles National Library, where we read travel magazines and waited for the weather to clear.

That afternoon, we took a 75-minute ferry from Mahe to Praslin. Upon arrival, we picked up our rental car and drove 15 minutes to L’Hirondelle Guesthouse in Anse Volbert. Our balcony view of the Indian Ocean was simply breathtaking.

For dinner, we walked down the street to Pizzeria at Berjaya Hotel. Given the name, we figured pizza was a safe bet—but we were so wrong. The pizza was bad, just awful.

Beach Days & Celebrating Our Anniversary

On Thursday, we drove to Anse Lazio and spent the day enjoying the beach before returning to Anse Volbert in the afternoon. We had a late lunch at Leo’s food truck and then went to Les Laurier for a special dinner to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary.

When Jane made the reservation, she mentioned it was our anniversary, and they offered to prepare a small cake. Not only was it beautiful and delicious, but it was huge, big enough to feed a dozen people. We each had a slice and they boxed up the rest of the cake for us.

On Friday, we started the day with breakfast cooked and served in our room on the veranda. Then, we hopped on a boat for a trip to Curieuse Island, where there are giant tortoises- some more than 100 years old. We hung on the beach and in the water and then boated a few minutes to an area where we had lunch. After lunch we went around the island on the boat and went snorkeling. Afterward, we stopped at St. Pierre Island for even more snorkeling. The turquoise and teal waters were unreal, and the fish and coral were stunning. It was truly a wonderful day out on the water.

Island-Hopping to La Digue

After three wonderful nights in Praslin, we took a quick 15-minute ferry to La Digue on Saturday. Each island we’ve stayed on has been progressively smaller.

Upon arrival, we had a 10-minute walk to Les Cabanes Des Anges, our accommodation on La Digue. The place is beautiful. We walked over to the beach, but unfortunately, seagrass was everywhere, making it less than ideal for swimming. Instead, we returned to our guesthouse and enjoyed the pool before heading out to a lovely dinner at Fish Trap Restaurant.

On La Digue, there are only a handful of motorized vehicles, everyone gets around by bike. On Sunday we rented bicycles for the day. Our first stop was Anse Source D’Argent, a beach Lonely Planet calls one of the world’s best. It’s also said to be the most photographed beach in the world, thanks to its massive boulders that look like something straight out of prehistoric times.

Later, we rode north to Anse Severe Beach, where we watched a gorgeous sunset. For dinner, we went to Le Repaire, where we had delicious Italian food.

Wrapping Up Our Seychelles Adventure

Of all the beaches we visited, my favorite in the Seychelles was Anse Volbert. The water was perfect, the sand was like sugar, and there was no seagrass or rocks in the water. It was pretty much perfect.

On Monday, we take the ferry back to Mahe for one final night before flying to Addis Ababa on Tuesday afternoon.

Seychelles has been an unforgettable experience and Wendy, you did well with your recommendations (even though we would have been fine not renting cars on Mahe and Praslin).

After overnighting in Addis on Tuesday night, our next stop is Cape Town.