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 😍