Mahe
This was
going to be our first trip from Kenya and we were going for a holiday after a
year. It was just a 5 day trip and Aakaash and I were celebrating 15 years of
knowing each other, so we decided to go to one of the most tranquil places with
powder like white sand beaches and deep blue sea – Seychelles.
A little
more than 3 hours of flying over the Indian Ocean and we touched down in Mahe
which is the largest island among 115 islands of Seychelles. I have been to
30 different countries and till date no airstrip is as beautiful as Seychelles.
The airstrip was literally next to the ocean. The view was breathtaking as we
were taxing right next to the turquoise blue ocean and were ready to breath in
the fresh air plus the weather was just perfectly romantic. After going through
immigration and security we withdrew local currency and took a cab versus
hiring a car since we were uncertain about the location of our bungalow and the
connectivity of local transportation.There was a viewpoint of the entire Mahe from a hillock which was gorgeous.
Our hotel was almost 45 mins from the
airport. On the way to our Hotel we drove up a mountain which forms a part of
the Morne National Park that also covers 20% of Mahe and descended onto the
west side of the island towards the beautiful beaches of Beau Vallon. We also drove past a big Indian temple. Initially
we thought of booking a hotel but later decided to experience the creole
hospitality by staying in a bungalow. Well truth be told - most of the good hotels
were fully booked and exorbitantly expensive. However we settled in this duplex
self-catering bungalow right across the beach with the sea view and indeed it
was the best decision we made.
This beach
was perfect as few of the other beaches were not very safe coz either they were
very rough or were full of sharp rocks which can really cut through your skin.
However, Beau Vallon beach is considered as one of the best beaches in Mahe as
it is usually very calm, shallow and we could walk in for quite a distance with
kids. The kids had a blast dipping, soaking and splashing in the sea. Further away we could see a lot of hotel properties and restaurants
alongside the beaches. Our Romance bungalow was perched on a small hillock with
a sea view (I am not kidding! That was the name of the bungalow). The top of
the duplex had a king size bed and single bed for Aananya and the lower segment
had one bed with TV which was occupied by Aan. The kids had a blast running up
and down. It was like a single house with terrace and we were staying in the
terrace so when you look down from the railing you can see the kitchenette and
the bed below.
After
leaving our luggage in the room we spoke to the owners and understood the way
around the island. Although the transportation is good and some of our friends
had used the buses we decided to hire a car since we had a short trip and it
is more convenient. So Aakaash went and hired a cute Nissan March for 2 days.
We just went to the beach and by evening we were tired and did a take away from
an Indian restaurant nearby, came home gobbled our food and slept like babies.
The next
morning we were woken up by the housekeeper who had our breakfast and fresh
juices ready at our veranda. It was a real treat and amazing experience
smelling and seeing the sea early in the morning with hot breakfast being
served. After the breakfast we got ready and drove all around the island
stopping wherever we wished, hopping from one beach to the other, from one
resort to the next. It was pure bliss since we were spending quality time with family, taking pleasure in little things. Playing games with nature, when the water would recede Aan, Aananya and I would run after it and as soon as the waves would hit the shore we would try to out run it.. Had a great time with the inner child in me as well. We
stopped at a small departmental store filled up the car with knick knacks for
kids. I enjoyed driving up and down the mountains, next to the sea and all
around Mahe Island. At night when we reached back to the bungalow, to our surprise we got to
know that there was a night market with a local food fair right on the road next
to the beach across our Bungalow. We all had a great time mixing with the
locals and tasting food from stall to stall. Over all it was an amazing experience.
After a late breakfast we were better prepared and decided to sit in
the car with our swimsuits so as to avoid changing our clothes every 15 mins.
We stuffed our car with goodies and were out on the run. Seychelles is a place
to go and chill, there is not much that one can do. So we spent the whole day
driving through Mahe seeing all the most famous beaches of the world. Stopped at a local restaurant with a gorgeous view for lunch and then moved on. We also
visited the Baie Ternay Marine National Park and Eden Island – the Marina at
the Eden Island is one of the most wonderful properties I have seen. At night we decided to dine at the same Indian Restaurant since kids were
not willing to eat anything else and then called it a night. Tomorrow we were
leaving for Praslin – a must see island of Seychelles.
This was
going to be our first trip from Kenya and we were going for a holiday after a
year. It was just a 5 day trip and Aakaash and I were celebrating 15 years of
knowing each other, so we decided to go to one of the most tranquil places with
powder like white sand beaches and deep blue sea – Seychelles.
A little
more than 3 hours of flying over the Indian Ocean and we touched down in Mahe
which is the largest island among 115 islands of Seychelles. I have been to
30 different countries and till date no airstrip is as beautiful as Seychelles.
The airstrip was literally next to the ocean. The view was breathtaking as we
were taxing right next to the turquoise blue ocean and were ready to breath in
the fresh air plus the weather was just perfectly romantic. After going through
immigration and security we withdrew local currency and took a cab versus
hiring a car since we were uncertain about the location of our bungalow and the
connectivity of local transportation.There was a viewpoint of the entire Mahe from a hillock which was gorgeous.
Our hotel was almost 45 mins from the
airport. On the way to our Hotel we drove up a mountain which forms a part of
the Morne National Park that also covers 20% of Mahe and descended onto the
west side of the island towards the beautiful beaches of Beau Vallon. We also drove past a big Indian temple. Initially
we thought of booking a hotel but later decided to experience the creole
hospitality by staying in a bungalow. Well truth be told - most of the good hotels
were fully booked and exorbitantly expensive. However we settled in this duplex
self-catering bungalow right across the beach with the sea view and indeed it
was the best decision we made. 
This beach
was perfect as few of the other beaches were not very safe coz either they were
very rough or were full of sharp rocks which can really cut through your skin.
However, Beau Vallon beach is considered as one of the best beaches in Mahe as
it is usually very calm, shallow and we could walk in for quite a distance with
kids. The kids had a blast dipping, soaking and splashing in the sea. Further away we could see a lot of hotel properties and restaurants
alongside the beaches. Our Romance bungalow was perched on a small hillock with
a sea view (I am not kidding! That was the name of the bungalow). The top of
the duplex had a king size bed and single bed for Aananya and the lower segment
had one bed with TV which was occupied by Aan. The kids had a blast running up
and down. It was like a single house with terrace and we were staying in the
terrace so when you look down from the railing you can see the kitchenette and
the bed below.
After
leaving our luggage in the room we spoke to the owners and understood the way
around the island. Although the transportation is good and some of our friends
had used the buses we decided to hire a car since we had a short trip and it
is more convenient. So Aakaash went and hired a cute Nissan March for 2 days.
We just went to the beach and by evening we were tired and did a take away from
an Indian restaurant nearby, came home gobbled our food and slept like babies.
The next
morning we were woken up by the housekeeper who had our breakfast and fresh
juices ready at our veranda. It was a real treat and amazing experience
smelling and seeing the sea early in the morning with hot breakfast being
served. After the breakfast we got ready and drove all around the island
stopping wherever we wished, hopping from one beach to the other, from one
resort to the next. It was pure bliss since we were spending quality time with family, taking pleasure in little things. Playing games with nature, when the water would recede Aan, Aananya and I would run after it and as soon as the waves would hit the shore we would try to out run it.. Had a great time with the inner child in me as well. We
stopped at a small departmental store filled up the car with knick knacks for
kids. I enjoyed driving up and down the mountains, next to the sea and all
around Mahe Island. At night when we reached back to the bungalow, to our surprise we got to
know that there was a night market with a local food fair right on the road next
to the beach across our Bungalow. We all had a great time mixing with the
locals and tasting food from stall to stall. Over all it was an amazing experience.
After a late breakfast we were better prepared and decided to sit in
the car with our swimsuits so as to avoid changing our clothes every 15 mins.
We stuffed our car with goodies and were out on the run. Seychelles is a place
to go and chill, there is not much that one can do. So we spent the whole day
driving through Mahe seeing all the most famous beaches of the world. Stopped at a local restaurant with a gorgeous view for lunch and then moved on. We also
visited the Baie Ternay Marine National Park and Eden Island – the Marina at
the Eden Island is one of the most wonderful properties I have seen. At night we decided to dine at the same Indian Restaurant since kids were
not willing to eat anything else and then called it a night. Tomorrow we were
leaving for Praslin – a must see island of Seychelles.
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