Coco de Mer or Coco Chanel ….? The Seychelles and Dubai – heady delights! By Gabriele Scholes

COCO DER MARE OR COCO CHANEL THE SEYCHELLES AND DUBAI HEADY DELIGHTS

by Gabriele Scholes

I left the UK in great anticipation, this was my first experience with Emirates Airlines and so convenient too as they fly from Gatwick.

A quick transit in Dubai and we were on our way to Mahe – the Indian Ocean and the Seychelles! I was to visit Praslin, with Air Seychelles, just a 15min flight from Mahe, I forgot everything as I looked below at islands and coral reefs dotting the blue sea.

We arrived for sunset at the Paradise Sun Hotel. The evening colours of the sky as well as the warm gentle sea was so soothing. The hotel faces east, so it’s well worth getting up for the sunrise. The rooms are beautiful chalet bungalows, with balconies. Easy on half board, with meals taken at the relaxed beach side restaurant and served as a tasty creole buffet.

Go back in time, and a visit to La Digue, which is an island 11km x 3km, with just 3 small hotels and a lot of bicycles! Everybody seems to use this as their means of transport. We had a little tour on a truck, saw the giant turtles and were shown how the coconut produces coconut oil.

Then we visited the beautiful beach of 'Source d'Argent'. This beach is famous for its boulders and white sands - truly beautiful.  Lunch was at the Fish Trap restaurant, again beautiful open air setting with live music and a great atmosphere.  We were pleasantly surprised by the prices of alcoholic drinks, as we expected them to be high but they were not much more than London prices, so we had a lovely cocktail in the sun before returning on the ferry.

The Coco De Mer Hotel and its Black Parrot suites are a special treat. With their own pool and bar away from the hotel - you will feel like royalty! This hotel is isolated but near the famous Vallee de Mai Woods, where the Coco de Mer grows and we had an interesting guided tour spotting the protected unique Black Parrot on the way.

Leaving Praslin, we took the Cat Cocos ferry back to Mahe as an alternative to flying. The journey is over an hour and can be choppy at times.

We had a tour of Victoria, the capital of Mahe, and went to the famous clock tower and market. The weather was very hot and humid, but the town was hectic and busy as it was pay day and a bank holiday weekend!!

After that we visited the Talamaka Rum factory and had the most amazing lunch at 'La Grande Maison' next door. It is like a colonial house and you can sit in the open air indoors or outside on the verandah or in the gardens.The food was the best I’d had in the Seychelles. A must for every visitor.

 

 

All too soon, I was leaving for Dubai... what a difference! …  and therefore so good as a stopover to contrast the Seychelles.

I stayed in the beautiful Jumeirah Zebel Sahay Hotel on the Palm which has the largest spa in the Emirates and has a real lovely holiday feel too.

But this was no holiday for me! A visit to the Burj al Arab for the conference, a couple of hours at Wild Wadi Water Park and a Desert Experience, which was  fabulous, ended my brief encounter with Dubai!

Next time I promise myself, it will be holiday, to shop and to enjoy!!

If you’d like to hear more …. Contact me! Anytime!