Client Blog: Seychelles & Mauritius

Helen & her partner were looking for somewhere a bit different for their winter escape & I was thrilled to be able to help. Having booked their holiday last year to the Philippines, I already knew they love gorgeous scenery, wildlife, activities offering a bit of adventure & the opportunity to meet the local people. Finding somewhere with the weather in March that she hadn't already visited was a challenge, but one I was delighted to take on. 

Mauritius & the Seychelles are both often associated with luxury beach resorts, but along with my destination specialists, we created a bespoke itinerary so they could indulge their sense of adventure. How did we do? Well, read on to hear more about their holiday in Helen's own words in this client blog. 

Mauritius

March time again, time for our long haul holiday. We start with 5 nights on the beautiful island of Mauritius where the people are super friendly with people of all religions getting on with each other & the place where the Dutch ate all the Dodos!

The first 2 nights we spent in the South West of the island atthe Lakaz Chamarel Lodge, the setting was lovely with lots of birds & trees. We did a tour with Javad visiting several places, including the Black River Gorge, Hindu Temple, Chamarel Rum Distillery & the Seven Colour Earth. At the rum distillery, we got to taste 12 different rums with Javad filling shot glasses to the top. We had to tell him to put less in them 

Next, we moved on to the North of the island, we stayed at Toparadis Guest House, just across the road from the beach. Here we went on a tour to see a beautiful Tamil Temple, the Red Roof Church, Port Louis & a Botanical Garden. We did stop at a shop for some (more) rum tasting, we only got to taste 5 sips this time! 

Enquire to start your adventure in Mauritus & the Seychelles

Seychelles

Next, 9 nights in the Seychelles on 3 different islands: Praslin, La Digue & Mahe

Praslin

This is where I spent my birthday, when we got to the room the bed was decorated for me. We had a walk alont the beach just across the road from our hotel. After we had some cocktails before a lovely meal in the evening, I had lamb chops & coconut tart with ice cream then they brought out a birthday cake for me which was very nice but I'd just had pudding 

The following day we went with Robert in his boat to Curieuse Island where they have 240 giant tortoises. There is one who lives on the other side of the island all by himself & loves tickles on his neck. We had a lovely stay on Praslin even though we had a lot of rain, it didn't last long and the people are friendly. 

La Digue

This island in the Seychelles is 5 km long & 3 wide. It is where I learnt how to ride a bike again as there are not that many vehicles & everyone travels around by bike. Our apartment was above a small supermarket which was very convenient for us. On our first night, we had a walk around which didn't take long as the road through the main town is probably less than a quarter of a mile, they do have a first station, a police station & a hospital just outside the main town. There is one roundabout which is very small. 

We went on a boat trip to see some of the other smaller islands which were private & one which was very expensive to stay on. We went snorkelling but unfortunately was not as good as Apo Island in the Philippines, the visitibilty was poor & it was quite choppy although the last stop was the best one.

On our last full day, we went exploring on our bikes, there is only one road across the island, and you can get about half way around the island on the North coast road before it runs out. On the East side, the beaches are better but you can't go in the sea there as it has got a strong undercurrent. After biking around, I ended up with a sore back side due to the seat being so hard & a leg covered in oil 

Did you know? 

• The Dutch didn't in fact eat all the dodos, they did eat them but by many accounts didn't really like the taste. Other factors did contribute to the extinction of this unique bird
• The Coco de Mer produces the largest & heaviest fruit in the world, weighing in at 35 to 45kg!
• The Black Parrot is the national bird of the Seychelles, & exclusive to Praslin

Thank you to Helen for sharing her story & these amazing photos. It was a pleasure creating this adventure for Helen, & whilst she preferred Mauritius, they had a great time experiencing the local culture.