Seychelles

[minxtabb]

Can anyone suggest a good hotel on Mahe or the close islands that has GREAT snorkelling from the beach? we have a few days either side of our cruise and would love to spend our days splashing about with the fish in the sea.

 

thanks in advance,

[Sekhmet]

We last visited the Seychelles three years ago, island hopping from Cerf Island to Bird Island and finishing on Praslin. I'm not sure "GREAT" snorkelling is a feature of the Seychelles, but I could be wrong. The best we found was off Anse Source d'Argent on La Digue, where the Bounty Bar advertisements were filmed some years ago - not too many fish but we did see Hawksbill turtles. However, there aren't any top hotels on La Digue, as far as I know.

 

On Mahe, Northolme and Le Meridien Barbarons are supposed to be good, and the hotel we used on Praslin, La Reserve, was excellent. Also on Praslin (a fifteen minute flight on a Twin Otter), Lemuria has a good reputation.

 

If you have a few days both sides of your cruise, you might like to consider going to one of the slightly further out islands as well, such as Bird or Denis for complete relaxation on an unspoilt desert island. We reckon the Indian Ocean has the best beaches we've ever seen.

 

Have a look at www.seychelles.com the official tourism site.

 

Hope this helps.

[minxtabb]

thanks for your response. What was Cerf Island like - did you stay at the Cerf Resort? what was the snorkelling like there as its in the marine park?

thanks,

[Sekhmet]

Cerf is pretty small, we stayed at L'Habitation which has just 10 rooms and is on the side of the island facing Mahe. It is basically a complete relaxation spot - no nightlife, no shops, nothing. They run a shuttle boat to and from Mahe, and we also used it for a trip round the island and did a bit of snorkelling, but it's nothing special.

 

We went to Mahe a couple of times, having arranged a guide to meet us there, and had one day of doing absolutely nothing, and I guess three or four nights is about enough. We then went to Bird for three days and Praslin for six, with a couple of side trips from Praslin (La Digue, Cousin and Curieuse).