The Seychelles is impossible not to be impressed with…
The Seychelles is an archipelago of 155 islands, of which only a small percentage are inhabited. Positioned almost directly between Africa and India, years ago the tourist board used a slogan “A 1000 miles from anywhere ” which nicely summed up the location.
A population of just over 80,000, of which the majority live on the main island of Mahé, the location of the capital, Victoria, and the international airport.
Getting There
There are no direct flights to Seychelles from the UK, so you travel via Dubai and Doha (Qatar) with change of flight. Total flying time including transit will be approx. 15 hours.
Weatherwise
The Seychelles are lush green mountainous islands, so you can receive rainfall year-round. Temperatures are consistently warm, with the highest rainfall usually December to March and the most pleasant months April to October. Seasonal variations can apply to sea currents depending on island & hotel location.
Why Seychelles?
Wonderfully romantic, it was the honeymoon destination of choice for Will & Kate, more politely known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Tropical scenery at its very best. Impossible not to be impressed with the variety and personality of each island. Mahé is the largest with 80% of the population, most living in the north, but you can still drive for many minutes around the south coast and see no one.
Praslin is the second-largest and is a 20-minute domestic flight away, but with a fraction of the population, has the wonderful Vallee de Mai tropical forest and some of the best beaches.
La Digue, is even smaller, with a delightful hideaway appeal with just a couple of hotels. A few cars, although bike and ox-cart are still the favoured mode of transport. Normally reached by ferry from Praslin, a 30-minute crossing – can be exhilarating at times and particularly mid-summer.
The Seychelles is one of the few places where tourism has grown slowly in the past decade, so it still retains a genuine sense of exclusivity. It’s not known for its gourmet cuisine, but if you prefer your sense of luxury to be feet in the sand, cold beer, and fish from the sea to the plate within minutes, few places do it better. The romantics might also like to try the curried octopus. Night-life is low key and spontaneous. For us, the real joy would be visiting at least two, or maybe three islands.
The wildlife in the Seychelles is unique, with many birds only found on these islands, plus probably the largest collection of giant tortoise which can be seen on several of the islands. You will see some in the botanical gardens on Mahe, located on the outskirts of the capital, Victoria. Also, they are found on Praslin, La Digue and Denis Islands. Many live to well over 150 years of age – incredible creatures.
If We Were To Be Critical…
International air services are limited, with no direct flights although there are good connections via Dubai on Emirates, and on Qatar via Doha.
You do need to take local guidance on seasonal sea currents which can be strong and deceptive. Most beaches do not have lifeguards. Hotel standards have improved considerably, but essentially you are buying a super luxurious location rather than speed of service. Given that most things are imported, incidental costs can be high.
Note – as with most tropical areas, the beaches are to be used by tourist and locals alike, private beaches are not permitted.
Hotels & Resorts in Seyhelles
“There’s no such thing as the best hotel, just the right one…”
Click for Booking Terms, Price Guides & Flight Information
All price guides are Per Person Sharing Double Room (Entry level), based on travel between May and/or June when prices are generally at their lowest and include promotional offers.
Supplements will probably apply at other times, particularly mid-summer in the Med, and for rooms and/or transfers arranged for single travellers.
For example, the Caribbean and Indian Ocean prices for winter can be approximately double the May – June level and about 50% more in Asia.
For the Mediterranean & Canary Islands, Caribbean, Arabia and the Indian Ocean (except Sri Lanka) price guides generally include airfare and transfers.
*For Sri Lanka and Far East we show a per person per night hotel guide, excluding air fare, as arrangements tend to be individually tailored multi-centre itineraries.
Please refer to Travel Advice on our home page or look at www.fco.gov.uk as the Foreign Office may have issued specific destination information on safety and terrorism.
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