Sublime Seychelles

Natalie Poat on 19 October 2015
I have been lucky to visit the beautiful islands of the Seychelles twice and on both occasions the trips have exceeded expectations.

The visit was arranged by the Seychelles Tourist Board in conjunction with our local agents and was a great mix of hotel inspections and time getting to know the islands.

My first trip was in 1992 and my husband and I did a couple of the excursions that were included in my recent itinerary including a tour of the capital Victoria which featured a visit to the daily produce market and the famous clock tower. This time we also had an authentic creole meal at Restaurante Marie Antoinette which was a real treat. The other was a full day boat trip to the Marine Park where we had time on a semi-submersible to get a view of the coral reef and fish feeding and snorkelling where I saw a myriad of reef fish, a turtle and a sting ray (top tip - wear a t-shirt when snorkelling as even with factor 30 sunscreen I still managed to get sunburnt for the first time in over 20 years! We went ashore at Moyenne Island where we were able to walk round the whole island looking out for the giant tortoises and had some time on the beach too.

We experienced four hotels on Mahe - the boutique Hilton Northolme Resort & Spa which is adult only and currently has just 40 sea facing rooms (they are opening their new pool villas in November), the Savoy Resort & Spa which is situated on the beach front at Beau Vallon Bay and well placed to get out and experience local bars and restaurants (although this is no reflection on the food at the hotel which was excellent), the Constance Ephelia - an all-suite hotel with some fantastic family villas with their own pools and a great range of activities, and finally the Kempinski Seychelles. It was the Plantation Club when I stayed there 23 years ago and is still a marvellous place to stay.

We took an inter-island flight to Praslin for a stay at the glorious Constance Lemuria - the only hotel in the Seychelles with its own golf course. We also managed a visit to the Vallee de Mai Nature Reserve; a nature park and UNESCO World Heritage Site and took the regular ferry service to the island of La Digue for a tour of the island including a stop a Anse de l'Argent which is reputed to be the most photographed beach in the world - well worth a picture with the white sand, pink granite boulders and amazingly blue water.

Our last stop was Denis Private Island - a barefoot resort a 30 minute flight from Mahe which has just 29 cottages and one villa. With no phone signal and only limited Wi-Fi the island is a real escape from the modern world.

I really hope it is not another 23 years before I get to return to these enchanting islands.