The Real Seychelles

Advantages: A place where local life can be appreciated away from tourist resorts
Disadvantages: Expensive

...It's time to dispel the myth about the Seychelles. When people think of Seychelles, even those who have been there, they conjure up images reminiscent of a Bounty commercial, all indulgent wealth and luxury. And this dream can be fulfilled by heading to one of the outer islands, where tourists can cocoon themselves in a resort just expending enough effort to adjust the straw in their alarmingly expensive cocktail and direct their masseuse to that aggravating knot of stress. These visitors will leave suntanned and happy, regaling tales from their superficial experience about perfect beaches and the helpful pool boy, but without the first idea of the real people, the politics and the culture. And for the Seychellois, life isn't such a beach. Seychelles has a history of social and political unrest, and there are many tales of forced...

VC81 17.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of Victoria (Seychelles)

Seychelles-The most beautiful country in the world

Advantages: beautiful, safe
Disadvantages: expensive

...Just a word of warning that I am biased about this country because I originate from there. However, there is no doubt that it really is the most gorgeous place to visit. I'm really only able to talk about the main island, Mahe, because that’s the only island I've been to. Mahe is the only Seychelles island with an airport but there are many boat rides available to get to the others such as Praslin and La Digue. The main town on Mahe is called Victoria. There are a variety of shops there including a supermarket, craft shops and food places. All the utility headquarters are here including embassies. Victoria is really the only place in Mahe to buy stuff as the local shops are like your everyday newsagents. Unfortunately products are rather expensive because at the moment there are severe shortages in the country. You can find your...

blueuk 19.05.2002 · Read review
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Review of General: Seychelles

♡ For Birds and Lovers ♡

Advantages: It really is a get away from it all place.
Disadvantages: Not for bird haters or claustraphobics or clubbers.

...One of the most memorable questions I have been asked was put to me several years ago by the boyfriend of the day. 'Where in the world would you go for your honeymoon if you could go absolutely anywhere?' Without hesitation 'The Seychelles' tripped off my tongue. There was no premeditation involved, in fact I admit to my shame that I had no idea where in the world the islands of the Seychelles were. All I knew was it was romantic and fitted my fairytale expectations. Afterall, I-live-in-a-fantasty-world dot com. Just a few weeks after this question was posed, my fairytale boyfriend popped the question in the pouring rain (just like in all the best movies) and announced that he had already booked the honeymoon and did I want to know where to? Of course I did. He told me we would be island hopping in the Seychelles. Years later, I...

susie191 06.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of Bird Island, Seychelles

The Best Beach In The World - It's Official!

Advantages: Fine, white sand; Excellent restaurant; Outstanding sunsets
Disadvantages: Not great for swimming

...Praslin is the second largest island in the Seychelles and the most popular with tourists. It has primeval forest and wonderful scenery, coupled with some good quality hotels which are less expensive than their exclusive counterparts on the outer islands. But what Praslin is most famous for is the soft white sanded beaches and crystal clear turquoise waters that surround the small island, many of which have been voted among the best in the world. Anse Lazio is situated on the north west corner of Praslin in Bay Chevalier. It is a 1Km long perfect crescent of soft, lightly fluffed up white sand so finely grained it feels like flour. The beach is relatively deep, from the fringe of takamaka trees and palms to the waves of the warm Indian Ocean, so there is no need to retreat far to avoid an incoming tide. To the right of the beach...

VC81 26.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of Anse Lazio (Seychelles)

Underwater Paradise - Mahe

Advantages: crystal waters, high abundance and diversity of fish, whale sharks are regular visitors
Disadvantages: lots of damaged coral

...For most visitors to Seychelles, Mahe is just the location of the international airport, where they change planes to head straight to the more popular and tourist savvy Praslin or one of the outer islands. It may be the largest and most populated island, but Mahe has a lot going for it, with a strong Kreol culture, beautiful mountains and beaches and some excellent dive sites. I worked there for three months as a scientific diver, and I found the range and diversity of dive sites very impressive. The coral reefs around Mahe are by no means the most colourful or diverse in the world, and have been damaged not only by the tsunami, and coral bleaching events, but also by construction work on the island, for example when the airport was upgraded, which has resulted in a lot of debris being washed onto the reefs and smothering them...

VC81 26.09.2005 (16.10.2005) · Read review
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Review of Seychelles (Dive Sites)

No bird in the hand, but thousands in the bush!!!

Advantages: Unique tropical island restored to natural state; see some of the world's rarest birds
Disadvantages: Ornithophobics beware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...Cousin Island Special Reserve is one of the granitic Seychelles Inner Islands, located 2Km from the south west coast of Praslin, in the remote Indian Ocean. Cousin was one of the world's first whole island and sea reserves. When Cousin was settled in the early 1900s, the 27 hectares of natural vegetation was cleared to make way for a commercial coconut plantation. In 1968 the island was purchased by Birdlife International and became the world's first internationally owned reserve to protect the last tiny population of the near extinct Seychelles Warbler. Decades of careful restoration of native vegetation and habitat management has been undertaken to return the devastated island to its natural state, to give these remarkably rare birds and others like them a fighting chance for survival in a world scarred by the destructive...

VC81 17.11.2005 · Read review
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Review of Cousin Island (Seychelles)

Very Naughty Nuts!!!

Advantages: Unique world heritage site, species found nowhere else on Earth, love nuts in their natural environment, Garden of Eden???
Disadvantages: Gaggles of European tourists

...Praslin is the second largest of the Seychelles inner islands, a beautiful sleepy isle fringed with white sandy beaches and turquoise waters. What Praslin is most famous for however, is not its award-winning beaches, but the Vallee de Mai. Situated in the heart of Praslin National Park, the Valle de Mai is one of the smallest natural UNESCO World Heritage sites. As the Seychelles are some of the oldest and most isolated islands in the world, the Vallee has remained a unique remnant of the primeval palm forest which once covered the ancient continent of Gondwanaland. Many plants here are endemic, and the area remained completely virgin forest until the 1930s, when the land was bought and "beautified", and many ornamental trees were added. These were thankfully removed when the government purchased the land in 1948, and the area was...

VC81 13.10.2005 (19.09.2006) · Read review
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Review of Vallée de Mai (Seychelles)

Curious About Curieuse???

Advantages: Historical and natural wonders; giant tortoise sanctuary
Disadvantages: Landing area can be congested with day trippers

...A BRIEF HISTORY Curieuse is a tiny island, only 1 square mile in area, and is a member of the Inner Island Group of the Indian Ocean nation of Seychelles. It is situated about 1Km north of the popular holiday destination of Praslin, and was named after "La Curieuse" the ship carrying the party that discovered the island in 1768. Curieuse was originally covered in the mystical and unique coco de mer palms, a source of legend and folklore in Seychelles, but during an attempt to harvest them in 1771 the island was set alight and they were tragically destroyed. Today the small island is a lush, verdant mix of takamaka trees, palms and mangroves, fringed with several beaches of fine golden sands. From 1833 to 1965, Curieuse was a colony for lepers imported from Mauritius. Today, as an uninhabited National Park it is home to many land...

VC81 07.12.2005 · Read review
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Review of Curieuse Island (Seychelles)

A slice of true paradise

Advantages: weather, scenery, relaxing pace
Disadvantages: not really for teenagers, very pricey

...I visited the Seychelles with my family a couple of years ago. It is the closest I have ever come to my idea of 'real paradise' and I recommend it to anyone that wants to experience gorgeous beaches, turcquiose water and breathtaking scenery. Being a teenager in Seychelles has its disadvantages. There is little to no nightlife and activities on the islands are minimal. We stayed on the largest island, Mahe, and activity was generally confined to sightseeing, sunbathing and swimming. This is, of course, the best way to spend a holiday, but it can get tedious after a couple of weeks. We booked a tour around the whole island with a private driver and it was fascinating. He took us to see the most stunning sights - curved rocks stretching out to a deep blue sea. We also took a trip to the capital and experienced a shopping trip to a spice...

lec299 22.12.2000 · Read review
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Review of General: Seychelles

Honeymoon - Banyan Tree, Seychelles

Advantages: Pure luxury
Disadvantages: None that we found

...My wife and I spent the second week of our honeymoon at the Banyan Tree on Mahe Island in the Seychelles. It was the most perfect week of our lives and for our honeymoon we could not have imagined anything so perfect. This resort is on a secluded end of the island however the coastline there is a little rough at times. Anyway, with infinity pools in each room, and a massive infinity pool in the communal area of the hotel, there is no need to swin in the sea. When arriving at the resort, a prisitine white house greets and, standing infront is placed a huge Banyan Tree which is light up at night. The staff could not be more friendly and, after the welcome cocktail and photo (which was presented to us at the end in a frame) we were taken to our villa. There are choices of villa: hilltop, seafront, pool. We stayed in the much more...

c.peach 20.12.2005 · Read review
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Review of Banyan Tree, Mahe Island