My Trip to the beautiful Seychelles islands

I flew to the Seychelles on a direct flight from Johannesburg to Mahe, the capital of Seychelles. From Mahe, there is a short connecting flight to Praslin – one of the most scenic flights in the world.

The Constance Ephelia Resort on the west side of Mahé island is only a 20 minute drive from the airport via a scenic road over the mountain. The entrance to the resort is behind a bridge over some mangrove forest. The resort stretches over a huge area, but is very well planned. It offers everything families or honeymoon couples would want. The spa facilities are very good and welcoming. I liked the children’s club area as they offer many indoor and outdoor activities in a friendly environment.

5 restaurants on the property cater for everyone’s tastes. The junior suites are all sea facing and there are very nice one and two-bedroom villas scattered around the resort. The resort is surrounded by a huge Mangrove forest and walks can be done there. There is also an adventure centre offering zip lining (8 lines) and rock climbing in the hills within the resort.

One day I was picked up from the hotel, transferred to the ferry terminal in Victoria, and then taken by high speed ferry to the islands of Praslin and La Digue. Here I spent the day swimming, snorkelling, walking around La Digue’s old Palm Oil factory, Planation houses and watching the Giant Tortoises (Hundreds of them). A visit to the ancient Palm forest on Praslin is a must: Valleé de Mai.

My favourite moment on that day was to have a cool drink at the beach restaurant on the famous beach of Anse Lazio as the sun was setting.

Another great day on Mahe is to rent a small car for the day and visit the capital Victoria and other beaches such as Beau Vallon Bay. The roads crossing over the mountain in the middle of the island are very scenic.

Seychelles’ beaches are incredible, it is always summer and the forests are beautiful. Most of the hotel deals include meals only, so it is important to have an ample budget for drinks and water – these are expensive at the hotels and restaurants, but where else in the world can you have a drink in such a beautiful setting?

Air Seychelles fly to Mahe from Johannesburg 4-5 times a week, and the service and meals are completely fine and the legroom in economy class ample.