Honeymooning in the Seychelles

Controversial as this may seem, I think honeymoons are overrated. They come with so much pressure to organise the vacation of a lifetime in a romantic hideaway on a tropical island. We succumbed to this pressure and began looking at typical honeymoon packages in destinations such as the Maldives and the Seychelles. We were on the hunt for somewhere with miles of glorious sandy beaches, dotted with secluded oceanfront resorts and cosy honeymoon suites. We decided that the Seychelles ticked all the boxes. There were countless resorts tailored to honeymooners, as well as other activities on the islands to fill your itinerary with. A quick google of “Seychelles honeymoon” is bound to bring up lots of outwardly irresistible hotel offers with magnificent photos of infinity pools looking out onto crystal clear waters. With 115 islands to choose from, the options for a good time in the Seychelles seemed endless.

One of the famous Seychelles sunsets

Here’s where the problems start. And why I’ve concluded that honeymoons are, indeed, overrated.

You may be researching the different islands and are thinking of island hopping your way around. The main islands for tourists are Mahe, La Digue and Praslin. Mahe is the main island, where the international flights and the majority of ferries come in and out of. It’s likely that you will need to spend at least some of your trip here. But, here’s the catch. These islands aren’t exactly close. The ferry crossing from Mahe to Praslin is 60 minutes and La Digue is 90 minutes away. On top of this, the ferry only runs two to three times per day. So, a day trip is almost impossible. In addition to this, it’s extremely costly. A return trip from Mahe to La Digue for a couple will set you back around $300 depending on the time of year you travel. So, while not impossible to island hop, it’s certainly difficult. The situation worsens when you read some trip advisor reviews of the crossing. Hundreds of people talk about how sick the journey made them, and their fellow passengers, on the boat. The ocean around the islands is notoriously choppy during the summer months and, from what I understand, even those with the strongest sea legs will likely suffer on this ferry! Spending an hour and a half violently unwell doesn’t really fit with the romantic image I had in mind for our honeymoon.

Indian Ocean

So, after we discounted the idea of island hopping, we decided to stay on the island of Mahe. This is the largest island and we had read there was a lot to do there. This is the total opposite of what we found. There are lots of beaches, but they have no facilities. No beach bar, no opportunities for water sports, no lifeguard (given the rough sea conditions). There was really nothing alluring about them, other than the beautiful colour of the sand and water. However, this beauty depends on the time of year you visit. In the summer months, the southerly winds push a lot of seaweed onto the beaches and increase the strength of the current, putting a damper on your snorkelling plans. The sun also sets rather early. This is nothing new to me, coming from Northern England, however, the lack of street lights was a problem. There were no pavements for walking, no street lights and no public transport. It’s really important you make it back to your accommodation before sunset, unless you know of a reputable taxi company that you trust.

Overcast, changeable weather

You might also read about the hiking trails you can do on Mahe. We found that these trails were mostly unmarked, overgrown and without any signage. This made us reluctant to attempt any without a guide. So once again, another activity that isn’t straightforward to do. Unless you’re okay with wandering through a jungle, alone, in a foreign country. 

Picking the right accommodation in the Seychelles is very important. You may see a lot of beautiful airbnb and home rentals BUT be aware! The grocery stores are tiny and it can be difficult to find food to cook with. This forces you out to a restaurant at night, when it is very dark, and can be unsafe when you are in unfamiliar places. If you do find a store that sells enough groceries to cook with, be prepared to pay exorbitant prices. The high costs in the Seychelles are due to the fact that they import all of their food. And as the archipelago is located 930 miles off the coast of continental Africa, this food has to travel a long way. The expensive, long-life food is somewhat understandable when self catering. However, you should be prepared to be served very questionable food at the 5* “luxury” resorts too. The tomato soup we were served tasted like a can of Campbell’s and the bread was worse than that you eat on an airplane. It was surprising that a hotel of such, supposed, quality, wouldn’t have a better kitchen. But, as all the resorts are like this, there’s no competition and not much reason to improve it. 

Ocean view villas

We were extremely bored during our time in the Seychelles. There simply weren’t enough activities available on the islands and the weather was very changeable, forcing us to spend significant amounts of time in our room. We spent over $5,000 on our accommodation and felt extraordinarily ripped off. The food was not enjoyable and the facilities at the hotel were far more limited than they appeared in the brochure. We had a much better time on our previous holiday to England that cost less than 1/5 of the price of our honeymoon. So the moral of the story is, expensive doesn’t mean better. Much like a wedding, people know honeymooners are willing to spend so be careful you don’t fall into the same trap that we did.

honeymoon suite

This doesn’t mean to say that the Seychelles is a terrible honeymoon destination and it will be a disastrous trip if you go. But this is the information I didn’t read, and wish I had, before our trip. If you find a resort that offers many activities, and you enjoy lounging on the beach, I am sure you’ll have a great time. However, if you want more than a beach, a pool, and bad food for a week or two, the Seychelles will not be for you.