SEYCHELLES, TRAVEL, FASHION

Praslin Island Seychelles | Photo Diary + Travel Guide

November 16, 2017
HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide

Now that it’s sufficiently cold and gloomy outside, I’m feeling extra sentimental about the sunshine, salty air and tan lines that come standard with a visit to the Seychelles. After our time on safari in the Masai Mara, we made our way to this little known grouping of islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean—touted for magnificent white sand beaches lined with granite boulders and crystal clear turquoise waters. Located about 1000 miles due East of Kenya, the Seychelles consists of 115 islands, mostly uninhibited, with exception to the three main islands: Mahe (the capitol), Praslin and La Digue. These three islands provide the majority of tourism, but a handful of other private islands containing no permanent residents also offer very luxurious and secluded accommodations including North Island (the honeymoon destination of Prince William + Kate as well as George + Amal Clooney), Fretgate, Felicite and Silhouette to name a few.  Once under the rule of France, the culture in the Seychelles is a mix of African, Indian and Creole. French and Creole are the main languages spoken in addition to English.

 

— ARRIVING —

Our first stop was to Praslin island. We spent three nights just off the Cote D’Or coast and after an exciting few days of chasing lions and elephants across the savannah, we wanted nothing more than to lounge and relax all day at the beautiful beaches this island has to offer. From Mahe International Airport we took a 15 min plane ride directly to Praslin via Air Seychelles, operating flights between the two islands about every half hour all day long.

HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide

— ANSE LAZIO —

Day one we made our way to the beautiful Anse Lazio beach. Set on the northwest side of the island, Anse Lazio is often listed as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and most definitely lives up to its reputation. The beach is made up of one longer stretch of sand and two smaller cove areas surrounded by boulders. Getting to the beach is easy via rental car or bus, just note that if you do take the bus you will be dropped off about 1km from the beach and will need to walk to rest of the way. There is a nice little restaurant on the beach called Bon Bon Plume perfect for lunch serving traditional creole cuisine and drinks.

HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide^^exploring one of the boulder filled covesHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide^^Are you kidding me with that water color? Incredible.


— LUNCH AT BON BON PLUME —

Bon Bon Plume is a great little beach restaurant serving delicious traditional creole food. No shoes or shirt required.

HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide^^A delicious traditional Creole feast: Chicken curry, grilled fish, lentils, rice, papaya salad and a local SeyBrew.HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide^^Beach bars are the best bars. Coco frio is a daily island essential in my book.HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide

Maroon Dress | Faithfull the brand

Espadrilles | Ball Pages

Gold Necklaces | Missoma London

Straw Hat | Lack of Color

Sunglasses | Ray-ban

Beach Bag | Abaca

Turkish Towel | Hammamas (similar here)


 — ANSE GEORGETTE —

Spending a day at Anse Georgette requires a reservation through Constanse Lemuria since reaching the beach requires walking though the hotel’s property. There are technically no private beaches in the Seychelles so no matter if you can afford to stay at a high end hotel or not, the natural beauty of the island is there for everyone to experience. If you are heading to Anse Georgette from the Cote D’Or area like us, you will drive through the Vallee de Mai nature reserve, making for a nice chance to see both if you aren’t looking to spend an entire day at the beach. There is also a great take-away shop on the drive called Whole Foods Market (yes, they even copied the logo but no this is not the real Whole Foods from the States!). This cute little shop has some really nice food selections as well as a little in-shop restaurant servings burgers and sandwiches + smoothies and drinks.

HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel GuideHANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guide

White Blouse | Merlette

Denim Shorts | RE/DONE

Black Sandals | Posse

Red Swimsuit | J. Crew (similar here)

Gold Necklaces | Missoma London

Straw Hat | Lack of Color

Sunglasses | Ray-ban

Beach Bag | Abaca


– VALLEE DE MAI NATURE RESERVE –

HANNAH SHELBY: Seychelles Islands: Photo Diary + Travel Guideimage credit

We opted to spend all our time beaching, but another fun daytime activity on Praslin is visiting the Valle de Mai nature reserve, which is home to many unique species including the extremely rare Coco de Mer—the largest coconut on the planet found only in Praslin and neighboring island Curieuse. The Valle de Mer is legend to be the “Garden of Eden” and the Coco de Mer the “forbidden fruit” which is made a more interesting tale considering the non discrete shape of this rare coconut. Guided and self-guided tours are available.


SHOP THE POST

Travel Tips:

A rental car is very useful on Praslin if you plan to bounce around the island. The bus is a viable way to travel but you will be subject to the time schedule and in some cases, such as going to Anse Lazio, you will be dropped off a good distance from your destination. Pricing is reasonable and the process is very easy.

Some restaurants have strict dress codes for men wearing pants at dinner, which we found out the hard way.

Bring rain gear no matter what season you are visiting—rain is possible any time in the tropics but the good news is if it does rain, it’s usually for a short period of time.

 

Where to Stay:

SPLURGE: Constance Lemuira, Raffles

MID-RANGE: Le Duc de Praslin, Hotel L’Archipel

BUDGET SELF CATERING: L’Hirondelle, Cote d’Or Footprints

 

Where to Eat:

CASUAL: Bon Bon Plume, La Goulou

FANCY: Cafe de Arts, La Gigolette

 

Beach Getaway Packing Essentials:

Sun Bum Travel-Sized Sun Care Pack

Deet Free Bug Wipes

Cucumber and Sage Cleansing Towelettes

Activated Charcoal Pills

Lightweight Turkish Beach Towel

Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

 

Photography: Images shot using the Fujifilm X-T2 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 R LM OIS Lens and the Fujinon XF35mmF1.4 R Lens, as well as the iPhone 6s.

HANNAH SHELBY: Praslin Island Seychelles Travel Guide

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