Beau Vallon, Mahé

I had initially planned to stay in resorts but the reviews about staff and at times cleanliness were so off-putting that I did a second round of research. I'm glad I did because the places we selected were clean, comfortable and quirky.

Unless you're a sun worshipper, a resort is not ideal.

I felt this most on Mahé because it's a big island and when we took individual tours and a tour bus would drop or pick up people, the vast distances between big hotels and the rest of civilization became apparent.

Yes, resorts tend to be near the best beaches but this does not necessarily mean that they are near anything else. So, you're stuck unless you hire a vehicle or are picked up for tours.

Staying at a small hotel/guest house means you can observe local life, attend a weekend market, pop into a local 'supermarket', eat at different restaurants and wander around.

Beau Vallon seemed residential. Families were constantly at the beach. Children playing in the water while adults sat watching the waves, chatting and sipping beers.

A market fair (possibly a weekend market) was on when we were there. All stalls held food of some kind. From coconuts and fruit to grilled fish and meat.

Most foreigners gather at the Boat House bar for a drink and socialising towards evening.

Heading 'home' by torchlight listening to waves crashing against rocks and music blaring from the occasional passing vehicle, you knew this was 'island life'.

Air Seychelles

The flight with Air Seychelles deserves a blog post.

I travelled from Praslin to Mahé. It wasn't the first domestic flight I'd taken in another country but it was by far the only one worth remarking on.

We were met by an Air Seychelles representative immediately after clearing the first security entrance. She took us to the check-in counter and then led us to the departure lounge.

I don't know whether all patrons get this kind of personal treatment but it was certainly pleasant.

The airport itself is small as is the departure lounge. Again another first for me. Nowhere else was this small and at no point on my travels have I been on such a small aircraft - a 19-seater DHC-6-400 Viking to be exact.

Seychelles - First impressions

The sea is a lovely blue and sands are a lovely white but the heat radiating off this lovely white sand is like hell fire

The ocean around the islands is far saltier than any other I've encountered

The tides change in a strange way - I'm used to low tide during the day and high tide in the evening but here the tide would rise and fall a few times within an hour

Things are expensive - or at least they seem to be for this South Asian traveller. I don't recall paying LKR12,500 for a meal anywhere else 😲

There don't seem to be a lot of people in the country - never encountered crowds on any of the islands

Public transportation and taxis are few and far between

Everyone is totally relaxed - so much so that driving along with a good song blasting over the radio and a beer in hand is not an uncommon sight

Street lights haven't made their way to many parts but walking around by torchlight isn't too scary

Food is tasty and portions are generous but there isn't much variety for a tropical island

Wow is definitely a colour!

I don't know what deals were drawn among the islands of the Indian Ocean but clearly Seychelles went the way of the Maldives and got themselves these awesome blue waters and white sandy beaches 😍

Research

A few things I've learned along the way ...

☼ Check several travel sites because listings, reviews and prices differ

☼ This also makes it a bit time-consuming

☼ Everything is covered; from accommodation to transport, itineraries to travel guides/agencies.

☼ Whether it's cheaper to book directly with a hotel or guide than using a site depends on several factors so you really need to do your research

☼ If you're taking the direct route, you should probably elect to pay in person if that's allowed. If not, using an established site is safer as payments then are through them.

☼ Booking - flights - Booking early tends to be cheaper and allows you the luxury of selecting your seat most often but if you don't have to worry about visas or putting down deposits for accommodation, you could get a good deal at the last minute

☼ Booking - accommodation - If you're a risk-taker, the non-refundable bookings tend to be the cheapest. But if you're not a gambler, go for deals with free cancellation allowed close to the time of your visit. That way you can keep an eye out for flash sales either for the same accommodation or others at the same location. Then just cancel your existing booking and re-book!

Why do any research at all? Why not get a travel agent to book things for ya?

Well, I've saved €50 by booking flights just three months in advance and there's a €1,000 difference between what my Seychelloise travel agent quoted for accommodation and what I booked on my own after some research.

Research has its rewards!

Be prepared

Sites I refer to when planning a holiday:

Skyscanner - I love that it shows you the cheapest month to fly to a destination

TripAdvisor - Not only are a range of things reviewed here (accommodation and attractions), you can ask for help from other travellers

Agoda - In general I find that they have lower prices and quote prices in a more direct way

Booking.com - They have additional listings

Airbnb - It's not my go-to for accommodation but I've come across some amazing listings so I always have a peek at it too

Lonely Planet - Helps you get the lie of the land, what attractions sound interesting, what unique restaurants should be visited etc. Don't rely on the maps in the books though - unless things have improved lately ... the number of times they misled me and my sister in Europe!!

Where next?

I have a terrible habit of spending the last hours of the return journey from a holiday thinking about where to go next. It doesn't diminish the happy glow gained from the new sites and sounds I've just experienced but it might be borderline obsessive methinks.

So, I've been thinking about where to go next.

Having experienced the unbridled joy of visa free travel during my brief visit to the Maldives, I want to try another destination that doesn't involve suppressing the urge to throw people/things across embassy counters.

Seychelles offers visa on arrival.

It is considered part of Africa, where I've never ventured.

And several solo journeys later, my sister is finally free to travel with me. Yay!

Abu Dhabi

For the longest time I thought both Dubai and Abu Dhabi were cities in the UAE, not the individual Emirates they actually are.

Visiting only Dubai wasn't enough so off I went to Abu Dhabi as well.

There I visited Masdar City, a fairly new, planned city meant to be entirely green and clean. I didn't get the opportunity to ride in one of their driverless cars because my own car complete with driver was on a tight schedule but I did walk around and take a look at the buildings and cooling tower in its courtyard.

In spite of being in the middle of the desert, thanks to this wind tower, the courtyard and surrounding streets are kept some 15-20 °C cooler. Neat!

I only popped in to the mall in Yas Island for a bit as I'd had enough of shopping malls and only wanted a bite to eat.

The Emirates Palace is a grand place worth a visit. I enjoyed wandering around there. I was labouring under the misconception that it was once a palace but has in fact always been a luxury hotel.

It's a rather odd setup because there are tourists wandering around as well as guests. I'm not sure I'd like to stay at a hotel with people floating around the whole time but I figure they don't always allow visitors because my guide said we'd have to try our luck and only after I'd been subjected to a long hard look were we allowed inside.

The jewel in Abu Dhabi's crown is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It's beautiful by both day and night.

Though I'd worn a long-sleeved top and full length trousers, because my wrists and ankles were still visible I had to don an abaya to enter the mosque. For the uninitiated, this is very warm attire. But the interior of the mosque is very pretty and beautifully decorated and for the opportunity to see its beauty, I didn't mind steaming gently.

Unforgettable

I was doing some reminiscing as a new year dawned ...

There have been a few moments during my travels that have been so extraordinary that they have stuck with me far longer than the overall experience.

The first I've mentioned before ... It was in Vietnam while swimming in Halong Bay. I watched the sun set over the bay while I was paddling about in the water. This was a magnificent sight in itself and then it became even more amazing when flying fish chose to launch out of the water and sail past!

When I visited Ireland - The Republic of, to be specific - the tour bus was making its way down a highway. I looked over to my left and saw one of the many 'round towers' in that area ... its top was crumbling and black birds were circling above it. It was a surreal sight like something out of LOTR. My overactive imagination almost heard their raven-like calls 😋 

Then there was that time after visiting the glowworm caves in Te Anau. Visiting the caves was an amazing experience to start with - sitting in silence in a boat in almost complete darkness with thousands of glowworm bums shining above and around you. As the water taxi made its way back to the mainland, I remember looking out through a rain-splattered window at row upon row of mountains in the distance and simply feeling happy to be alive.