If you thought for a second that a resort on a remote island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia might provide a reprieve from the inane insanity and consumer orgy of the American Christmas season, you’d be wrong. Comically wrong. It turns out that they’re well aware that it’s Christmas in The Seychelles. Contrary to what some may have suggested, they know it’s Christmas in most of Africa. The mindless lyrics and migraine-inducing repetition of pop renditions of Christmas songs can be annoying in many settings, but having them pierce the lull of turquoise waters washing over white sandy beaches seems almost criminal. And tacky half-decorated artificial Christmas trees have no place amongst a backdrop of lazy palm trees, especially on an island where the tree worth celebrating is the “sexy” coco de’ mer. Regardless, relaxing in The Seychelles for a few days was still lovely and rejuvenating.
It wouldn’t be fair to compare our Seychelles experience to our Maldives experience. In The Maldives, we stayed at a fairly premium resort on a private island, while in The Seychelles we stayed at a chain resort on the main island for a fraction of the cost. Also, our time in The Seychelles was a bit rainier than we would have liked. I have no doubt that there are private Seychelles islands that rival the Maldives experience, but for us the experience was fairly uneven. The rocky coastline and smooth black stones that pepper the coastline in Mahe island are more charming in pictures than in person. There’s something a bit more relaxing about a flat, featureless island where you can walk around barefoot completely carefree.
Our group rented a car, which is definitely the way to get around on Mahe Island. There manages to be some bothersome traffic at times, and driving on the left side, particularly with many complex roundabouts, is a bit of a learning experience. The streets are windy and quite narrow winding up and down the hills. Also, rather than any breakdown lane space, there are deep, trip-ruining gutters on the side of the roads. Despite the concerns though, a rental car is a better choice than the infrequent and expensive cabs or the very slow-going public buses. We saw groups of very sad tourists waiting for the buses daily. The Seychelles (like many resort destinations) is not exactly a culturally rich experience, but that’s a bit beside the point. Much like The Maldives, tourism is what keeps the country running. The food is very international, but around town there are certainly some French and Creole influences. There are many bakeries and crepe shops wafting deliciousness onto the sidewalks. Other than a few comically unremarkable landmarks around Victoria, the only destination worth checking out is the Botanical Gardens, where you can see some fruit bats, an assortment of local flowers and trees (including the famous coco de mer), as well as feed some of the indigenous giant tortoises. Otherwise, it’s lounging at the beach and drinking and eating too much. So, that’s pretty much what we did. Pics below.
