Seychelles Island Hopping holiday

IGO TRAVEL | 27 November 2017

My fiancé, Rob and I recently travelled to Seychelles, evidenced by our tans and rejuvenated spirits.

Our trip started with a flight on Air Seychelles to Mahe, Seychelles. On our flight we were met with warm smiles, a plethora of in-flight entertainment and mouth-watering food. 4 and a half hours later we landed in a balmy Mahe.

We met with our lovely representative of Seychelles Tourism Board, Gretel, who gave us a warm welcome. We then transferred to Berjaya Beau Vallon Resort and Casino with our wonderful taxi driver, Marlin; who gave us a ton of information on where to find great local treasures and where to go for the ultimate in Mahe sightseeing.

On arrival at Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort and Casino; we were met with warm smiles again and were taken to our room. We were exhausted and allowed ourselves to have a great night’s rest. The next morning, we awoke to a stunning sea view and the warmth of the tropical climate. Breakfast was a welcome treat. We quickly gobbled up our omelettes and then decided to go exploring for the day in Victoria; the capital of Mahe and, the smallest capital in the World! We took the 5 Rupee bus, which is the local bus; and explored the town of Victoria.

Our greatest find was “Big Ben”, or “Little Ben” as our taxi driver called it. The people were so relaxed and hospitable. After walking around for an hour or so, we took the bus back to our resort; at which we quickly got changed and went to have a dip in the welcoming cool sea. The sun was hot and the day, beautiful! That night we shared a lovely blue cheese pizza before turning in early to make sure we were ready for our next day of adventure!

The next day, we relaxed at the resort for a while before Marlin; our taxi driver, collected us and drove us to the Victoria Inter-Island Quay at which we were to board our ultimate holiday, the cruise on board the M/Y Pegasos with Variety Cruises.

We boarded and were met by Kristos; our cruise hotel manager; and a welcome drink which was as per its name sake, truly welcome and refreshing. We were shown to our cabin which was lovely and were delighted to see that we had an ocean view window; which all cabins on the yacht have. Then we unpacked; and rushed upstairs as fast as we could to get a glimpse of the view from the upper deck. We watched the anchor being raised and then relaxed on the deck before starting our sailing journey.

That night we had a briefing with our amazing cruise co-ordinator Vivek as well as a delectable cocktail. After that we sat down to dinner. Dinner… WOW! The food on board opened me up to what fine dining cuisine is and has set that standard for me for all future meals.

I’m not a fan of fish, but the dining changed my mind! That’s how good it was! Then there was the beef steak that melted in my mouth, yum! The desert was also so wonderful that I decided right there and then that I was not going to watch my weight on the cruise; it just wasn’t worth denying myself of such delectable pleasures! Then just when I thought I couldn’t stuff my tummy any more; I got back to the cabin with a turn down gift; a little chocolate on my pillow. It took me back to my childhood and reminded me how lovely it is to get a little gift before bed.

The next morning the smell of bacon and eggs wafted through the cabin and woke me up. Rob (my fiancé) and I got dressed and explored the buffet. The bacon was cooked to perfection and the omelettes were delicious! There was a wide variety of fruit, cold meats, cheeses, vegetables, cereals, yoghurts, nuts and then some! Our bellies were full and we were ready for a day on Curiese Island. We hopped on the Zodiac and a few minutes later arrived on Curiese Island; with a warm welcome from the massive Tortoises that inhabit the island. We took a hike through the mangrove and saw a plethora of birds, crabs, insects and some amazing plant life.

Day 4 of our cruise was set for Aride island. I personally didn’t do this excursion as I wanted to spend the day relaxing completely, but Rob did and said the bird life on Aride was also vast. Once everyone was back from Aride we set sail for Praslin, where we docked overnight and enjoyed local entertainment and stunning local cuisine.

Praslin island is absolutely amazing, and that was our port on day 5. Vallee de Mai is one of Seychelles’ 2 UNESCO world heritage sites; and boasts the famous Coco de Mer! The Valle de Mai has been referred to as the original site of the Garden of Eden because it is so beautiful!

That afternoon we set sail for Felicite. The snorkelling in Felicite is incredible! My favourite part of the snorkelling was that we saw so many fish, and it was a kaleidoscope of colour! It truly is mesmerising.

On day 6 we went to La Digue. La Digue was my favourite island. Myself, Rob, Juanita and Tinu (a couple we befriended from Switzerland) hired bicycles and cycled through a small part of La Digue. We saw the Vanilla Plantation, the plantation house, a coconut oil mill, the coconut oven, and a lovely little souvenir shop. Then we walked along the beach which was adorned with black granitic rocks that create such an incredible feeling! We found a perfect spot of white powdery beach, swam for a while and then relaxed with our packed lunches that the yacht crew had prepared for us. That night, we had a lovely dinner again, and had an early night, exhausted from the day’s fun and activities.

For our final excursion we went to Moyenne island.   Moyenne Island was one of mine and Rob’s favourites. We are dog lovers, and it was so exciting to find out that one of the previous owners of Moyenne Island had 43 dogs that she cared for herself. The island was also owned by Brendon Grimshaw who has a burial grave there for his grave and his friend’s grave as well as 2 other graves that have the epitaph “Happily unknown”.   We hiked around the island and saw amazing sights and had an incredible view from “Elephant Rock” where Rob took magnificent pictures of the azure waters of the ocean below. After a mildly strenuous hike we met with the other cruisers and enjoyed a braai and great conversation. We were even treated to Tinu (our new Swiss friend) attempting to peel a coconut.

We took our Zodiac about half an hour after eating and snorkelled off Moyenne Island. Once again, we were blown away by a kaleidoscope of colours of fish, and were pleasantly surprised by beautiful coloured coral. What a treat!

Back on board the Pegasus, we were treated to our farewell dinner, which was incredible and then some! The Captain then organised some karaoke and almost all the people on board had a turn to sing karaoke that was chosen by the Captain. It was such fun! We then partied with fun music into late hours of the night.

The next morning, Rob and I had to leave earlier than the prescribed disembarkation time and to our surprise, we got up to the dining deck and a breakfast buffet had been arranged especially for Rob and me. That for me, is the epitome of service! We ate our last breakfast which was incredible!

Marlin fetched us from the port in Mahe, drove us to the Airport and we were soon after in the air and on the way back home to South Africa.

It was the holiday of a lifetime and Rob and I have such special memories to cherish for years to come. Both Rob and I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Seychelles Tourism Board for our incredible flights and transfers which we won; and to Variety Cruises for the cruise of a lifetime and an experience unparalleled to any other.

I cannot wait to go back to Seychelles… for now though, I have my memories and pictures to serve me well.