Welcome to our ultimate romantic Seychelles honeymoon itinerary. Congratulations on the big day! We hope everything’s gone to plan. Now it’s time to cure those wedding-planning stresses, and we’ve got just the thing: A trip to one of the world’s great paradise destinations.
Speckling the heart of the bath-warm Indian Ocean with its reef-ringed isles and jungle-topped mountains, the Seychelles is unquestionably one of the most famous honeymoon choices of all. It’s hard to argue with the rep. Days in these parts are about basking on cotton sand and swimming in fish-filled lagoons, not to mention being pampered in some of the finest hotel resorts this side of Monte Carlo.
Our ultimate romantic Seychelles honeymoon itinerary focuses on the main islands that most people visit. They are known as the Granitic Seychelles for their rocky coastlines. Thankfully, the best of them are within easy reach of each other, so can be checked off in one, single, loved-up trip…
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How long do I need for my honeymoon in the Seychelles?
That’s really up to you. To be honest, the longer the better – one glimpse of the sugar-soft sands and the coco-de-mer trees bristling in the trade winds and, like most, you’ll probably want to stick around forever. That said, most honeymooners plan a week-long (six days, seven nights) stay, while others go for two full weeks (13 days, 14 nights). That fits nicely with the Saturday-to-Saturday packages that many of the bigger hotels and all-inclusive resorts offer, not to mention many of the arrival and departure flights.
That’s not a hard and fast rule, though. You don’t have match your dates to fit exact periods. It’s possible to get flights in and out of the Seychelles International Airport most days of the week, so that’s not an issue, and most hotels can be flexible to boot. That’s the reason that we’ve not attached any specific length of time to our chosen stops on this ultimate romantic Seychelles honeymoon itinerary – feel free to plan however long or as little as you like in each place.
Stop one: Ile au Cerf
Recommend stay: 2-3 nights
Recommend hotel: Bubble Lodge Ile aux Cerfs Island ($$$) – A unique little hotel with glass-domed suites just meters from a white-sanded beach. We think this is just about the perfect place to unwind and recuperate after a long flight in.
After skidding into the tarmac at the Seychelles International Airport in Victoria, it should take no more than an hour to make the whole transfer across to the Ile au Cerf. It’s just a speck on the map, fragmented off the coast of Mahé, the main island in the country. Most hotels offer a private water taxi to get there but there are also public boat links. They take no more than 10 minutes from dock to dock.
You’ll be escaping to a sleepy place that’s little over a mile across at its widest point. The aim? To relax and rejuvenate after the redeye. It’s just about perfect for that, thanks to its uber-slow pace of life and real desert-island feel. Frankly, there’s not all that much to do. But that’s kinda’ the point.
At low tide you can walk the whole circumference of the Ile au Cerf to case all the beaches (doable in a single day). If you do fancy a little adventure, check out the jungle paths that cross the coconut groves inland or venture to the black-coral reefs, where a designated “snorkel trail” is marked by ropes and bouys.
Stop two: La Digue
Recommend stay: 4-5 nights
Recommend hotel: Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie Resort and Spa ($$$) – There’s a gorgeous infinity pool with sea views, an onsite jewelry boutique, and suites with indoor-outdoor bathrooms at this top-class hotel.
The small island of La Digue is so darn beautiful that we wouldn’t hesitate to say that you could spend the WHOLE of your honeymoon here if you wanted. Trusty Lonely Planet sums it up as, simply, “a marvel”. What’s more, it’s fodder for travel brochures and postcards the whole world over, offering some of the most gorgeous bays in the country, which is really saying something!
Again, the reason to come here is mainly to chill. And, again, the whole island of La Digue is walkable from end to end. We’ll get to the inland in a moment, but first, the headline acts…They string along the south and west coasts in a symphony of eye-watering coves. Many of the best are only accessible by foot or by boat, so there’s a true away-from-it-all feel. Do not miss:
- Anse Marron – There’s a reason that this idyl of a beach on the south coast of La Digue is one of the poster boys for the whole of the Seychelles. Clusters of granite boulders spill from the coco-de-mer forests to a beach of pure white sand. It’s perfect.
- Anse Source d’Argent – There’s a dark hue to the granite rocks here and the palms sprout from pockets of sea grapes to enfold a remote and romantic beachfront.
- Anse Pierrot – A huge rock overlooks this hidden stretch of talcum sand and coral reef on the southwest nub of the isle. It’s walking only to get here.
With all those done and dusted, you might just about have the energy to conquer the coast-to-coast trail that weaves through the palm woods. It goes right through the middle of the isle to link to the more secluded coves of Anse Cocos and Pointe Grand Anse (which are wonderful in their own right) out east. Remember the lookout point of Nid d’Aigl in the center for sunset. There’s also a charming Seychelles eatery there, Belle Vue; great for romantic dinners gazing at the Indian Ocean.
Stop three: Praslin
Recommend stay: 3-4 nights
Recommend hotel: Les Lauriers Eco Hotel ($$$) – This eco lodge on the north coast could just be the hotel highlight of the trip. The local design elements are spectacular and the breakfast is something else!
The third stop on our ultimate romantic Seychelles honeymoon itinerary whisks you off to the larger island of Praslin. It’s among the most famous honeymoon destinations on the globe, because it doesn’t have the same buzzy energy of Mahé but offers a wilder, lusher, more untouched landscape instead. You can get direct boats over from La Digue in the morning.
We think staying around the famous resort stretch of Cote d’Or is the best option. It’s a 1.6-mile bay on the north coast that plays host to some of the finest hotels on the island. More than that, it’s a great jump-off point for reaching the outer islands of Praslin, something we think you should totally consider for a day trip (more on that below).
Once you’ve dropped the bags, it’s time to check off the two major draws here. The first is the bay of Anse Lazio on the far northwestern end of the island. Climb the cluster of granite boulders at one end to survey milky-white waters lapping into the shore. You’ll notice how the waves are rougher here than in most places you’ll be visiting. That’s because there’s no fringing of coral reefs at Lazio, letting you feel the raw power of the ocean (although shark attacks are more likely, so you might want to think twice about taking a dip!).
The second big pull of Praslin is the inland nature reserve of the Vallée de Mai. Covering 19.5 hectares of emerald-green rainforest, it’s now a designated UNESCO reserve where you and the other half can wander hand-in-hand between looming coco-de-mer trees in the company of tiger chameleons and skinks.
One day here should definitely be set aside to make a day outing to the nearby Curieuse Marine National Park. Boats leave for that each morning from the Cote d’Or area of Praslin, taking visitors across to a protected island where the main inhabitants are giant tortoises!
Stop four: Mahé
Recommend stay: 4-5 nights
Recommend hotel: Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa ($$$) – Be pampered at the prestigious Hilton that sits close to the celebrated beaches of Beau Vallon.
It will take about an hour to swap the smaller island of Praslin for the main island of Mahé, bringing you full circle to finish off our ultimate romantic Seychelles honeymoon itinerary. But the enjoyments certainly aren’t over yet. Far from it! Let yourself have a couple of days here at least, because the beaches of Beau Vallon are still stunning white-sand affairs but have just a little more energy than the spots you’ve been visiting so far.
First, though, be sure to make a jaunt to the wild Morne Seychelles National Park a priority. The vast reserve covers much of the southwest side of the island and is among the great natural treasures of the country as a whole. We can recommend the path to the summit of Morne Blanc (the highest peak on the island) for the most adventurous couples out there – the reward is a 360-degree panorama of the island and the other granitic isles to the north. Those feeling lazy might prefer the Grand Anse Trail, an interesting coast route that culminates at a secret beach.
If you have the time, we’d also recommend peeling away from the bistro-backed sands of Beau Vallon to explore the south-coast beaches of Mahé. They tend to be very remote, with fishing boats being washed by the salt spray on the shoreline. The best of them include Grand Anse Beach and sparkling Anse Intendance.
Finally, it’s just a short transfer back to the airport from Beau Vallon to dust off that post-wedding trip to paradise.