Seychelles
 

Looking for any input from those who have been there as to whether or not it is worth the effort. I have been to Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Moorea and loved Fr. Poly, however I would like to hear about the Seychelles from those who have been there.

Thanks

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Absolutely worth the effort.

Many of our best adventures were had there (and on the way).

The islands are incredibly beautiful, you have a complete range of activities, price points and accomodations and the islands are incredibly beautiful.

Did I mention it was beautiful? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Email for more details if you wish.

Do you also have any experience with Mauritius?

We're trying to decide between Seychelles and Mauritius as a wrapup to our South African safari.

Any comments would be welcome.

cmn

Mrs. Law Lord spent a week on Bird Island, which is in Seychelles some distance north of the main island. It was quiet, peaceful, and very pretty, with nothing to do and nothing to worry about. She adored the time there; the only drawback was how long it took to get there.

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"If you want to win the game, write the rules."

I have never been there. However, I learned a lot about it from the Seychellois I met and also met a lot of people from Mauritius while in SEZ. My impression is that Mauritius, though apparently quite pretty, is less of a "paradise" and more of a "real" place.
The people seem to genuinely love their country, however, many come to the Seychelles for vacation. I think aside from the favorable currency exchange, that does say something. I also seem to remember some folks I met snorkling say their beaches weren't as nice in Mauritius.

Personally, the next trip I take to the area would be to the Maldives (or back to the Seychelles). Hope that helps.

cnicklo:
Do a search for flyertalker gabbysz. They just returned from Mauritius last week. Perhaps you can e-mail them.

"...It was quiet, peaceful, and very pretty, with nothing to do and nothing to worry about..."

I'd say VERY! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

A perfect honeymoon location! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I went to both the Seychelles and Mauritius last summer and enjoyed both very much. The Seychelles overall have prettier beaches and somewhat better water, and are more of a quiet place with little to do except relax and "get away from it all", but costs are generally much higher price than Mauritius (I would say overall roughly double or more). Although Mauritius has more urban areas and caters more to the mass market, I still found it incredibly enjoyable. The scenery is spectacular, the culture is very interesting, the people are wonderful, the prices are reasonable, the food is good (and varied), and especially if you rent a car, you can find secluded, beautiful beaches to get completely away from the crowd. If you want to visit both places in one trip (and if you're flying that far, why not?) you can book it as an open jaw on British Airways, for example flying into Mauritius, returning from the Seychelles, with a stopover in Nairobi either going or coming. (I did this on a British Airways frequent flyer ticket.) You can book a one-way ticket on Air Mauritius between Mauritius and the Seychelles for about US$170 (This fare is not offered thru any of the online booking services. You have to call Air Mauritius directly. They have a phone number in the US).

Have any of you been to Mauritius, the Seychelles, and French Polynesia. I've been to FP and I'm wondering whether the other places measure up. If so, I'd love to go. By the way, when I was young, I remember people pronouncing "Seychelles" as "Seh-sha-leez". Does anyone there pronounce it that way or is it "say-shells"?

I've been to Seychelles on several times during the 1980s and enjoyed each visit. Beautiful scenery & beaches and lovely carefree people. I was told while there that more than 1/2 of all children are born out of wedlock and yet I didn't find the place at all sleazy.

There are three main languages in the Seychelles: English, French and Seychellois Creole...
In each, the word Seychelles is pronounced: "Say-Shell", with English pronouncing a "z" at the end.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Dupe

[This message has been edited by rpmkwpw (edited 03-21-2001).]

I just got back from MRU, SEZ and NBO two days ago. Flew BA First http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif at least on the African part. We took DL transatlantic.

I have a trip report 80% done and will try to finish it this weekend. In short, my impressions were SEZ had MUCH better beaches but the prices on MRU were much better.

A $100 hotel in SEZ (Mahe - the main island) got us a spotless Howard Johnson/Motel 6. Free continental b'fast though. In retrospect, I would spend one day on Mahe with a rental car driving around the entire island. If you sped like all the locals, you could do this in under an hour http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif
Then I would run like crazy to the domestic airport and head to any other island....the smaller the better. We made it to Praslin by aircraft and then connected via ferry to La Digue. Didn't see much of Praslin.

On La Digue, no cars are allowed except for three taxis and a few ox carts. Plenty of bikes though. $5 got me a 21 speed bike with shimano gears. Darlene and I biked around the entire island, stopped for an hour or two at 3 beaches and had a two hour lunch over looking one of the nicer beaches. On our last stop before the return ferry trip, I saw the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. That is all I am going to say.

All of our bags were still at our base hotel in Mahe and the hotel was paid for, but we almost decided to spend the night anyway. I regret that we didn't but we wanted to stick to our budget.

At MRU, we actually stayed put at the Hilton the whole time we were there. It was a quiet place and had lots of activities that we wanted to do....most for free. For about $125 US, we got a 2 room suite (probably an upgrade because of Diamond status) with full breakfast provided by room service or at the restaurant, along with dinner in the main restaurant. The NBO Hilton called the hotel directly and got this rate. I believe the rate that I looked at before beginning this trip was $200 without any meals. Call the hotel directly to see if they have any deals. The hotel was practically empty and I am sure they can cut a deal.

If I don't get the trip report finished by the weekend, send me an email. It is a pretty detailed report that I hope will help you.

Conte Nast Traveller has an article on these islands THIS MONTH'S ISSUE (I received it yesterday in the mail).

How do I get there usung mileage awards? UAL and Star Alliance does not work. Do other airlines besides Air Seychelles and Air France go?

I will read the Conde Nast article-

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if you NWA, KLM or maybe even Alaska miles, Kenya Air is a partner of those guys and they fly to Seychelles.

Last I checked, they only flew twice a week though (Wednesdays and Saturdays).

naxos: If you're looking for relatively inexpensive options for getting to the Seychelles, the bucket shops at LHR and FRA seem to frequently have good deals to Mahe. The last minute deals are particularly good. They seem to have those available two weeks or so in advance. http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/ is a pretty comprehensive listing of bucket shop flight prices out of London. They show fares as low as 350 GBP to Mahe.

[This message has been edited by letiole (edited 03-23-2001).]

Merci, Letoile. I will check out that site. I have always wanted to visit (the) Seychelles, but i did hear reports that the reefs were not in good condition-

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Yes, I too heard about the reef being 90% dead because of two consecutive El Nino years (perhaps 93 & 94?). Those who have been there recently, what's the status of the reef? Has it recovered at least in part?

For those of you who are interested, I have begun posting my trip report from SEZ and MRU. I'll add to it little by little as I finish it up.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/001644.html

Chris

I've been to the Seychelles in 1998 and I absolutely loved it. The islands are so tranquil and peaceful - as a European you just can't believe it. Plus, it is so easy to get to SEZ (at least from Europe), only 9 hours of flying time and only 2 or 3 hours time difference.
While Mahé is the largest and most diverse island in the inner Seychelles I prefer Praslin or La Digue. On Praslin you'll find the Vallée de Mai, a beautiful national park, and the wonderful beach of the Cote d'Or. La Digue is a real small island but my absolute favorite. I spent 5 days on Praslin, 6 days on La Digue and 4 days on Mahé and for me it was the perfect length of time on each island.
If you compare Mauritius and Seychelles you'll find significant differences. Mauritius caters more to the european mass market than the Seychelles. There is a saying that Mauritius is a two-star destination with five-star facilities whereas the Seychelles are a five-star destination with two-star facilities. While this has definitely changed (look for example at the new Frégate Island Resort or the Lemuria Resort or Hotel L'Archipel, both on Praslin) the prices in Seychelles are significantly higher than the prices in Mauritius. Instead of booking individually you might be better of when booking through a receptive operator or through one of the specialized european operators. If you have specific questions, drop me an email. [edited for, what else, UBB corrections]

[This message has been edited by curt (edited 03-26-2001).]

I'll be in the Seychelles in early April 2001 and have found this website to be useful for general information on the country and the various islands
http://www.seychelles.uk.com/

My husband and I have been married for three years and are finally taking our long-anticipated honeymoon. We're considering the Seychelles, and I'm intrigued by the Maldives. A few questions about the Seychelles:
1) what time of the year has the best weather?
2) what's the water temperature like?
3) if anyone here has also been to the Maldives, which would you prefer for a honeymoon?

Thanks!