Day 1 - Programme
Early morning arrival on the island of Mahé on the Air Seychelles flight. Personalised welcome at the airport, breakfast and briefing on your trip, then transfer to the hotel. Seychelles BBQ lunch on the beach. Free time and dinner at La Plage restaurant.
HOTEL Kempinski Seychelles Resort
It's all in the detail. Taken over by the Kempinski luxury chain, the hotel has been renovated and re-architected, blending the contemporary with natural elements. And it's a fantastic success. The result is, among other things, balcony balustrades and covered passageways topped with roofs made from wooden rods laid as they are. Better still, built in the granite tones so dear to the island of Mahé, never higher than the tallest of the coconut palms that dot the grassy areas right down to the beach, the Kempinski blends perfectly into the landscape. Quite simply, you can hardly see it from the sea. The ultra-spacious rooms are also impressively simple, with objects and coffee tables placed where they are needed. The walls are adorned with works by the painter Michael Adams, which don't spoil anything. Even the bed, disappearing beneath its tulle veils, with a touch that's as romantic as it is effective against a stray mosquito. As for white sails and tablecloths with big bows, the Kempinski organises gala dinners for groups on the beach that would make the princes of the Gulf, who are very present on Mahé, green with envy. When it comes to activities, the Kempinski offers a very upmarket version of everything you'd expect from a seaside resort: sunset cruises, deep-sea fishing, scuba diving or canoeing... 148 rooms, three meeting rooms and five venues for 10 to 250 people, three restaurants, swimming pool, spa, tennis...
Baie Lazare, P.O. Box 1356, Victoria, Mahé Island - Tel: +248 438 6666
Email: info.seychelles@kempinski.com - Internet: kempinski.com/seychelles
ALTERNATIVE Hotel Savoy
Behind it, the mountains and their heat haze; in front, the sea and the beach of Beau Vallon... The Savoy hotel has wisely settled between the two, taking advantage of its proximity to Victoria, the mini-capital of the Seychelles, a 15-minute drive away. The U-shaped building houses a swimming pool set in a tropical garden full of scents and birds. At the far end, a beach lounge-bar judiciously overlooks a pedestrianised seafront, like a slightly tropicalised Promenade des Anglais in Nice. As a result, the hotel is not totally out of touch with Seychelles life, which passes nonchalantly almost under its windows. And that's a real plus! As for the rest, the 163 rooms are truly very spacious, in seaside style, shall we say, and all come with an ad hoc balcony, which is also very spacious. The spa, with its full-length fitness pool, is a mini-complex in itself. Three restaurants and bars, swimming pool - the largest in the Seychelles - tennis court... Note that the hotel has a nautical base.
Beau Vallon, Mahé. P.O. Box 400, Victoria - Tel: +248 439 2000 Email. Email : rsn@savoy.sc - Internet : www.savoy.sc
RESTAURANT Terrasse à La Plage
All you have to do from the hotel is cross the road. And then it's the dazzle of a first evening spent on a terrace just above the beach, in one of the island's most renowned and undoubtedly most elegant establishments. That's for the decor! The menu is just as rich, offering French and Mediterranean cuisine, as well as dishes with a hint of Seychelles Creole. So, while we're at it, it's best to opt for the fish section which, as we'll see later, never disappoints on any of the islands in the archipelago. So it's fish, preferably fish and seafood. The wine list is endless, so you won't be disappointed either. And if you feel dizzy, the terrace is cooled by misters.
P.O Box 1118. Mare Anglaise, Beau Vallon, Mahé - Tel: +248 4 620 240 - Email: laplageresto@gmail.com
Day 2 - Programme
Early wake-up call and departure for the islands of Praslin and La Digue. Cosy chic lunch at the hotel restaurant l'Orangeraie. Cycle around La Digue. Return by speedboat. In the evening, rum workshop and dinner in a colonial mansion. It should be noted that when the programme was proposed, the receptive had envisaged, as an alternative, a reversed stay. In other words, a base in Praslin and a visit to Mahé. And not a hotel in Mahé and a visit to Praslin. The agency opted for the second solution.
HOTEL Paradise Sun
The sun of Paradise! Never has a resort better deserved its name! In every way, it matches the idea of a Seychelles resort. Everything is there: the lush tropical garden, the vernacular bungalows hidden in the vegetation, the restaurant in a straw hut overlooking a large beach fringed by coconut palms, the delicious sea and the very friendly staff, who are certainly responsible for the overall exotic-chic atmosphere. All this is complemented by friendly entertainment at all times of the day, from pétanque games to Creole cookery classes, bike rides, snorkelling trips to the neighbouring islet, yoga sessions and sunset cruises. The 80 bungalows and villas? They are all on one floor and each has four bedrooms with either a large private balcony or a veranda, which is also private. They are decorated with finesse, using recurring elements of tropical décor: almost black wooden floors, ceiling fans in addition to air conditioning, screens, photophores, sun loungers and mosquito nets... On its welcome cards, the hotel writes "welcome to paradise". You can't go wrong. Swimming pool, two restaurants, diving centre, spa.
AnseVolbert, Praslin - Tel: +248 4 293 293 Email: paradise@seychelles.net
Internet: www.paradisesunhotel.com
PRASLIN The Garden of Eden exists
Praslin, the sea, the sky. A divine ménage à trois that, given the tenderness it exudes, is destined to last forever. A real magic reigns on this island buried in lush vegetation. Everything is calm on Praslin, starting with the pace of life of its inhabitants. A bit of fishing here, a bit of trading there, a lot of idleness and quiet days deliciously spent without any major surprises. In fact, Praslin, 11 km long and four wide, the largest island in the Seychelles after Mahé, has always managed to protect itself from the ravages of invasive tourism. The mass market is not the order of the day here, as evidenced by the quality of its hotels and... the prices that go with them. The island is even home to one of the world's most famous resorts, once the refuge of Zinedine Zidane and Gérard Depardieu. Not to mention its spectacular golf course, which also boasts some of the most famous greens in the world. For the rest, Praslin offers a succession of immense, sun-drenched beaches fringed by languid coconut palms. The sea is always caressing, as nature has protected Praslin from the ocean waves with a solid coral reef. In the evening, there used to be a casino... It is now closed, but the building that housed it is still there, sublime in its decay. Some are betting on its reopening, which would certainly liven up the Praslinian nights. For the moment, only a few scattered venues and the big hotels offer evening entertainment... In the end, perhaps it's for the best; and that's certainly the price to pay for keeping this paradise completely away from the hustle and bustle of the world.
MAI VALLEY The origins of the world
Whispering streams, whistling black cateaux - an endemic species of parrot that lives only here -, the muffled cracking of palms swaying in the wind, roots, creepers, gigantic dead leaves and... absolute darkness. The May Forest covers 19 hectares in the middle of Praslin Island. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984, it is made up of 7,000 giant coconut palms. Unique in the world.
God, it's dark! Hectic, chaotic, Dantesque, with gigantic dead leaves and overturned trunks left to be drawn on an already cluttered ground... This May Forest, and its 19.5 hectares that you walk through on sandy paths, is unique in the world. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and is undoubtedly the highlight of the island of Praslin. For it is here, and practically only here, that a race of coconut palms grows that are as giant as they are unique, the coco-fesses, copying the genitalia of human beings, both male and female, with a disturbing degree of veracity. With our noses up in the air - which they must be, since these palm trees easily reach a height of around thirty metres - we wander through a very shady world, with a few rays of light here and there. Hills, then. Large granite boulders, waterfalls, streams, creepers, two or three metre high palms, fallen trunks, the sinister creaking of the wind in the canopy and a demented vision of what the rainforest might have been like before. Millions of years ago, when the world was still in its infancy.
LA DIGUE Of light and silver
This setting, these rocks marvellously sanded by the sea and artistically set on dazzling sandy beaches; this garden of light and silver, this confetti measuring six kilometres by three, a 30-minute boat ride from Praslin, opened up to the world thanks to the torrid eroticism of Sylvia Kristel, when she immortalised a few scenes from the film Good Bye Emmanuelle in the late 70s. Then it was the turn of fashion photographers and their models, using the famous scree slopes and the beach at Anse d'Argent, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in the world, as a backdrop. The authorities have understood this, using it almost too much to promote the natural beauty of the Seychelles Islands. As a result, Anse d'Argent is somewhat spoilt by the influx of tourists. No problem: there are so many other beaches, most of them with hilarious names. There's Anse Patates, Anse Banane, Anse Fourmis and Anse Cocos, to name but a few... But alongside its dreamy, dreamy setting, La Dune also has a unique atmosphere, a unique way of celebrating the slow, easy way of life. In fact, there are virtually no cars on La Digue. And why should there be? Virtually everything can be done by bike, including the tourist walks that weave their way under the coconut palms, passing the famous film house here, an enclosure where very large and very old tortoises frolic, and elsewhere the shattered charm of an old cemetery overgrown with weeds. For a light lunch or late afternoon, the terrace of the elegant Domaine de l'Orangeraie, on Anse Sévère, is perfectly suited to the requirements of a corporate group. The management has even set aside a lounge-restaurant for their exclusive use, with its feet half in the sand. So chic!
The Domaine de l'Orangeraie. Anse Sévère, La Digue - Tel: +248 4299 999
Email: marketing@orangeraie.sc - Internet: www.orangeraie.sc
RHUM WORKSHOP Takamaka and manor house
First, there's the visit to the distillery and all the speeches that go with it to better understand the business. From the harvesting of the cane to its distillation. In the background: bricked copper stills, stainless steel vats and oak barrels, an undrinkable liquid distilled at 80° and, at the end of it all, a tasting room where you can try six or seven superb varieties of Takamaka rum as an aperitif. The estate once belonged to rich planters. So there's a mansion, a superb varangue building now converted into a restaurant. This is undoubtedly one of the best restaurants on the island, offering original dishes created by Christelle Verheyden, a passionate and enthusiastic chef who likes to talk about her Creole cuisine, which is largely based on local produce. Her desserts are to die for.
Trois Frères Distillerie. La Plaine Saint-André. Cape Town. Mahé - Tel: + 248 437 2010
Restaurant La Grande Maison. La Plaine St André. Cape Town. Mahé - Tel: +248 25 22 112 - Email: lgmsey@gmail.com - Internet: www.facebook.com/LGMsey/
Day 3 - Programme
Discovery of the island of Mahé and its capital Victoria. Lunch at the Bliss restaurant. In the afternoon, cultural discovery: spice garden, batik workshop and workshop of the painter Mr Adams.
MAHE At the roots of the archipelago
Landing in Mahé and heading straight for Praslin or La Digue, or any of the other accessible and habitable islands in an archipelago that includes no fewer than 115 granite and coral islands and islets; landing there, leaving straight away and neglecting it is without doubt a gross error. Because Mahé, the largest of the Seychelles islands - 27 km long and eight wide - with its miniature capital Victoria, its rugged terrain buried under an abundance of vegetation, its beaches, its coves - around sixty in all - its coconut groves, its colonial houses, its rusty-roofed Creole huts and its hairpin roads with improbable names: La Misère, Sans Soucis, Chemin Mont Plaisir? Mahé, then, is a seaside resort in itself. With its history and culture to boot... Famous names have ventured here, first those of pirates, forbans and other freebooters like La Buse, then the much more orthodox explorers like Lazare Picault, and still others with very noble particles like Gabriel de Choiseul, Duc de Praslin. Although he gave his name to the island, Governor Mahé de la Bourdonnais never set foot on it, having moved to Mauritius. Together, they and their colonists, those deported from France by Napoleon and their slaves, succeeded in building an ocean nation, whose roots can be found everywhere, in the language, in the music, in the crafts and in the gastronomy. As far as the latter is concerned, Mahé has it covered. Tables, from the most chic to the most traditional, are numerous and... always open.
VICTORIA Around the Clock Tower
Even though it's a mini-capital, one of the smallest in the world, it's still a capital. With everything a capital has to offer in terms of political and administrative institutions, embassies, banks and shops. In fact, everything revolves around a clock, the Clock Tower, which stands at the junction of Victoria's two main thoroughfares. It was planted there in 1903 by the British, who wanted to mark their new colonial stronghold, and is supposed to reproduce the clock tower on Vauxhall Bridge near Victoria station in London; a tiny tower, like a toy painted with silver paint, whose four dials mark different times, as no one knows exactly why...
So, with its approximate hands, it sets the tone, the mood, and distils a je-ne-sais-quoi of authentic relaxation. Just a stone's throw away, but everything is a stone's throw away in Victoria, past a few pretty Creole houses in coloured wood with canopies and balconies, rescued from the temptations of a modernisation that was as dubious as it was inappropriate, beats the heart of the town's major attraction: the market. Housed in the halls of a building renovated in 1998, it is open before the heat of the day, in other words early in the morning, when fish, an essential part of Seychelles cuisine, is available. For the rest, the Sir Selwyn Clarke Market operates like any other tropical market in the world, with its many colours and mountains of exotic fruit and vegetables. In the surrounding streets, the old shops - those of cloth merchants, ironmongers and other grocery shops - have remained as they were before the arrival of supermarkets and supermarkets. So there's a lot of chatting, laughing and fanning, because it's still a bit hot. Cool and quiet? You'll find it right next door, in the Hindu temple on Quincy Street - 2 % of the island's inhabitants belong to this faith - or in the large 19th-century Catholic church, a religion practised by 82 % of the population. Except on Sundays, when the big organs are in full swing. You can hear them all over the neighbourhood.
BOTANICS Jardin du Roy, spice garden
The origins of the island lie in the adventures of Monsieur Poivre's emissaries, who tried to introduce spice plants here in 1771. Unfortunately, they were singularly incompetent and only succeeded in burning down all the plantations, if not the whole island of Mahé. Today, the land taken over by Micheline George's ancestors is a marvellous spice garden, a fragrant plantation clinging to the mountainside, planted with vanilla, pepper, nutmeg, cotton, cardamom and patchouli. There are more than fifty such varieties flourishing there, high above the sea. It's a real pleasure to explore, even if it's not too strenuous, despite the steep gradients. All the more so as it is complemented by a visit to the former manor house, now converted into a museum, and possibly by a real Creole lunch, unpretentious home cooking, eaten under a panoramic pergola. Even better: a shop selling products from this land of delights has been opened in a former warehouse. Groups come here for their cookery classes, to stock up on supplies in the company of chefs from the top hotels.
Domaine de l'EnfoncementAnse Royale. P.O. Box 3037, Victoria, Mahé - Tel: +248 437 1313 - Email: brymich@seychelles.net
BLISS Restaurant with a view
The polished granite rocks are there, as is the pink sandy beach and, of course, the coconut palms are leaning over it. A rooftop restaurant perched above a boutique hotel that graces the pages of the most beautiful interior design magazines. A marvel of whitewashed raw materials, fine cotton curtains, sofas and sofas where you can lie down and, at the very bottom, a natural seawater pool built into the rocks. Lunch of seafood and salads and international dishes with a Creole touch.
Vista Do Mar, Glacis, Mahé - Tel: +248 253 01 04 - Email: blissresa@bliss-hotel.net - Internet: www.bliss-hotel.net
ATELIER PINEAPLE ET MICKAEL ADAMS From craft to high art
What to bring back from the Seychelles? Well, there's the famous coco-fesses, of course, but you have to admit that in a suitcase that's a bit bulky... So, just as exotic, we'd prefer a luminous batik, cut into a sarong or applied to a T-shirt, which we'll see made in situ in the Pineaple Studio open to the public. With a bit of skill, you can even try your hand at it. Next door, in the house next door, is the studio of internationally acclaimed painter Michael Adams, who has lived in the Seychelles since 1972. His paintings are light, teeming with detail, showing here a dreamlike jungle and there scenes of tropical life. Talent and the art market dictate that his paintings are a little expensive, but his lithographs are perfectly affordable. All in all, a very high quality 'souvenir'.
Pineapple StudioAnse Poules Bleues. PO Box 431, Victoria, Mahé - Tel: +248 4 361 230 - Email: pastudio@seychelles.net
Michael AdamsStudio Anse Poules Bleues. South West. P.O. Box 405, Victoria, Mahé - Tel: +248 463 61 OO6 - Email: adams@seychelles.net - Internet: www.michaeladamsart.com
Day 4 - Programme
Free morning for aquagym, cardio or yoga. Very chic cocktail lunch and start of the afternoon at the residence of the French Ambassador to Seychelles. Transfer to the airport and return to Paris. Early morning landing and transfer to the respective provincial cities.
Also in this dossier: Interview : Bernadette Willemin, Director of the Seychelles Tourist Office in Paris
