2019 My trip to La Digue – Seychelles
I love La Digue. It is the fourth largest island of the Seychelles group but, in my opinion, the most characteristic. Having said that its not to say that the other islands are less beautiful. In fact, each of them has its own peculiarity.
I spent a whole month in La Digue, living the island life, meeting with local people and experiencing as much as possible the local life 🙂 I need to thank all the people I met as they have all been so helpful and friendly. They made me feel at home more than I feel at home when I am in London (which I consider home).
This was my 6th time in the Seychelles. This time I did not fly Emirates but I tried Edelweiss, a quite unexpensive airline belonging to Air Suisse. Edelweiss flight direct to Mahe’ from Zurich. I wanted to book British Airways that has a direct flight to Mahe’ but the cost was not affordable. Edelweiss had a very good fare and I took it. To be honest, I had quite a good flight at a cheap rate. However, Edelweiss is a sort of Ryanair of long haul with small and not so comfortable seats and a “so and so” service. I chose a gluten-free option as I don’t eat gluten, they did not have that for me and I remained without dinner as they could not give me anything that did not contain gluten (is that possible?) ;0 Anyway we left Zurich at 21.45 and arrived in Mahe the next day at 10.00am. When we arrived the weather was not great and it was raining cats and dogs. Therefore the ferry boat to Praslin first and La Digue second was not the best experience of the world………big waves!!!!!
Anway, we safely arrived on La Digue on a warm but rainy afternoon and went directly to the bungalow we had booked for the first part of the holiday. To be honest, the idea was to spend 18 days in La Digue and then move to Mahe’ but, in the end, we liked La Digue so much that we decided to stay the whole month there.
Ethel, the owner of the Flycatcher, the place where we spent the first 2 weeks, organised a taxi to pick us up at La Passe, as soon as we disembarked the jetty. I need to say that, compared with the last time I visited La Digue (1 and 1/2 years ago) there are much more cars and taxies on the island. Even though the bicycle is still widely the best way of travelling around, I was a bit surprised to see all these cars. I suppose they need them but I preferred last time with fewer cars :)……..personal suggestion…:)
We had a great time at the Paradise Flycatcher Lodge . The manager, Ethel, was very nice and her assistant Brigitte was really helpful with us. We rented a bungalow with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and kitchen. The bungalow is very big and the kitchen /living room massive….the garden is very green and well maintained while the veranda is nice and spacious. The only downside is that the place is a bit old style and it would need some modernization. On the other hand, the location is amazing, just outside the Union Estate entrance that leads to the most famoud beach in the world, Anse Source d’Argent.
As we could not book a longer stay at the Paradise Fycatcher Lodge, on 27th December we decided to move to another guest house, Benjamine’s Holiday. Benjamine’s house is just 5 minutes far from Paradise Flycatcher and close to Anse Source d’Argent and the Church. The owner, Monica, was very nice while her daughter prepared a nice breakfast for us in the morning with eggs, fruits, and cakes. The room was small but clean and modern and you could get everything you need. Monica is renovating her guesthouse and adding some new bungalows, a swimming pool and a restaurant that will be ready very soon…..worth to go and try!!!
Days were passing by quickly expecially when you are fine and the New year Eve approached. We decided to spend this last day of the year in the best way….just lying under the sun at one of the most beautiful beaches in the world……Anse Source D’Argent….not bad, true? 🙂 We had dinner at our favourite take away with grilled fish, octopus salad and passion fruit mousse and then we booked some tickets for the after dinner event at Orangerie hotel. The event was nice, we had a few glasses of champagne and hors d’oeuvre while sitting on the terrace overlooking the sea. The evening was beautiful, with some clouds on the sky but warm and dark as it can be a tropical night. They played some eighties music and we danced on the groove. At about 1.30pm we moved from the Orangerie to go to the main disco, the Tarosa, in front of the port. There were many stalls along the dock selling foods and drinks so we had some extra bites as, after the dance, we were quite hungry. It was one of those nights you will remeber for a long time as spent in such an amazing place!
La Digue is so beautiful that you cannot be bored, one day you can go to Anse Source d’Argent, another day cycle around the island. Or you can climb the hill and go to Bellevue to see one of the most beautiful panoramas on the island. You can hire a kayak or a boat, swim in the warm and clear Indian ocean or simply sit at one of the cafe/Kiosks and have some fruit/drink/coffee…..plenty of things to enjoy and relax.
La Digue is also a very relaxing island. The concept of time has another meaning there – especially if compared with a big city like London. You have not to rush, the island is small and you can take your time to do what you like. This is reflected in the island people’s life, no one is in a hurry, rushing or screaming. They take their time to have barbecues, meet with friends or have a nice swim in the beautiful Indian ocean.
I spent a magnificent month in the island. I went to the beach very often but I also went around to see the island, meet people and chat with them, get new friends and try the island life. As I really like it I am sure I will come back….
Just as the last note in this post, I would like to say hi to all my friends there and tell them I am coming back soon…….see you in paradise!!!! 🙂
