We had the most amazing holiday in the Seychelles, specifically on the main island of Mahe, when we visited this year. This is my guide on how to visit the Seychelles with kids.

The Seychelles wasn’t top of our list for this holiday, it was always supposed to be Japan. Due to Japan not reopening as quickly as other countries after the covid pandemic we had to look elsewhere for our holiday. The Seychelles ticked all the important boxes, no vaccinations for Teddy, no malaria tablets and being a safe place to travel, especially with a little one.

We flew with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, which has the most incredible airport I have ever been to! It’s absolutely huge and so modern. We picked these flights as we had nighttime flights both ways which worked out perfectly for Teddy. I packed his sleepsuit, blanket, pyjamas, favourite teddy, a carton of toddler milk and his inflatable footrest. He slept for a large portion of the flight which was fantastic. Turkish airlines were amazing I would really recommend them the service and food was really good quality.

After landing in Mahe it was only a matter of minutes until we had our bags and were out of the airport. We had hired a car as it seemed like the best way to explore the island. I had read that public transport was cheap but not always reliable and taxis were extortionate, so a hire car it was. This was absolutely the right choice we had a great time driving through the scenic hills and along the ocean roads. The scenery was stunning and most days we just went out for a drive for the fun of it.

We stayed at the Savoy Resort and Spa, in a junior suite, to make sure we had a little bit more room for Teddy. This was fantastic as we had a huge balcony where we sat every night whilst he was sleeping. The hotel itself was fantastic, the pool was amazing; the breakfast buffet was the best I have ever had and the staff just made the holiday. They were the friendliest people, especially with Teddy. This was true around the island in general, Teddy learnt to fist bump and high five whilst we were there, and they just made him and us feel so special. The location was fantastic, we were situated right on Beau Vallon beach which is the main tourist area. I have included a link to the hotel here. https://booking.tp.st/EiMc31PZ

The best part of this holiday was having the car, as I mentioned above, which meant we could travel as often as we wanted, specifically to various tourist hotspots, including the Botanical Gardens and the Tea Factory. We would stop off at different beaches just to have a quick wander and to take some photos. We are not beach people at all, so even though we spend time on Beau Vallon beach for Teddy to play in the sand and had a quick swim in the sea, the rest of the time we could just have a quick look round. The nicest ones we saw were Anse Royal and Anse Intendance. These were absolutely stunning to spend a bit of time on. They both had free parking minutes away.

There are other beaches that were recommended but were not as easy for us to visit with a toddler, but those two and Beau Vallon were so accessible for young families.

Beau Vallon had plenty of restaurants on it and stalls selling local produce, fruits and gifts. Food and drinks at the hotels were very pricey but the same items at restaurants nearby were almost half price. Try the local beer, Seybrew, lovely to drink in the heat and the cutest bottle design I ever saw!

Our first trip was to the Botanical Gardens, this wasn’t cheap but it was a really good day out. The highlight was definitely being able to feed the Giant Aldabra Tortoises. This was amazing for us all, but especially Teddy and the staff were really helpful and informative. We spent a really long time in this enclosure just feeding the tortoises with the leaves given to us by the staff members. The rest of the gardens were really cool, just remember to take some bug spray to prevent being bitten.

We had a couple of cloudy days so we did a few more trips out when it was slightly cooler for walking around. One was the Tea Factory which had amazing views over the ocean. The tour itself was ok, it was cheap around 4 euros each, there wasn’t a huge amount to see but it was still worth it. There was a nice café where you could sit and look out over the ocean and it served nice food and obviously there were lots of different types of tea to try!

After this we went to the Jardin Du Roi (spice garden) this was probably my favourite place we visited, the species of plants they had was unbelievable. You were given a map and a list of all the species of trees they had (including fruit trees and medicinal plants) to tick off as you saw them. They were all labelled as you walked round making it really fun to spot them. The landscape of the place was unreal, it’s very hilly but also just amazing to walk through, it almost had a jungle feel to it. The view from the very top, near the fruit trees over Beau Vallon was truly spectacular. There were several treks you could do from the gardens which we didn’t as it would have been impossible with a little one, older kids would have a great time I think. This was my highlight of things to do if you visit the Seychelles with kids.

We didn’t get the change to visit as many islands as we would have liked such as Praslin, due to having Teddy with us. However, we did do a private excursion to Moyenne Island. An island where tortoises roam freely which was lovely to see and also the resident dog Yellow! We had a fantastic boat trip from Mahe where we stopped in the Sainte Anne marine national park for a snorkel! Whilst Teddy was too young for this, we took it in turns and Teddy watched from the boat. We also did fish feeding which Teddy could join in with and had great fun throwing bread to them as literally hundreds of fish swarmed round the boat.

Once we got to Moyenne Island we had a tour round, you can do a 45 min trip around the whole island, but we decided not to do this as it was very hot and also steep to try and navigate with a tired toddler. We did however go and see the tortoises making their way round the island and also the two nurseries for the very young and delicate baby tortoises. There was a very informative small museum about the islands history and then it was over to the Jolly Roger bar for a beer (Seybrew) obviously. Apparently, they do an amazing barbeque for the guests who take the full day trip, this wasn’t included on our half day trip (half day due to Teddy getting over tired) but it smelt amazing! https://tripadvisor.tp.st/Itey5hx3

The last day trip we had was to Eden Island, this is a private island where the rich own homes, it was beautiful. The very front section of the island however has a hotel and a few bars and restaurants overlooking the harbour where the private boats and yachts are docked. We ate at the boardwalk restaurant and whilst prices were on the high end there was a fantastic atmosphere with music and dancing whilst the sun set over the harbour. There is also a relatively large and high-end shopping center where we were able to buy gifts to take home and a few ice creams.

Our trip to the Seychelles was fantastic and given that we are not beach lovers (I really do hate sand) the beaches were some of the most beautiful I have ever come across. Not only that but providing you have a car there is so much more to see and do than just visit the beachy areas. Its extremely accessible to get round the island.

The hotel was fantastic and in a brilliant location for us and the staff were truly some of the friendliest people I have ever met and that is the same all across the island.

I would absolutely recommend the Seychelles for a family visit, just make sure you have access to a car, and it really is the most perfect destination for a family. I hope this helps with your plans to visit the Seychelles with kids.

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