Return to the Seychelles

Steve Garley reflects on the changes (some for the better, others perhaps he’s not so sure) that have taken place in the Seychelles since he was last there in 1991….

As we started our descent to the Seychelles, the airport looked much the same as it did all those years ago.  The same old Air Seychelles Boeing 767 was  on the tarmac too, but I was arriving on Qatar – open skies here now!    Driving south to Intendence Bay the roads were still in the same state – single carriageway, windy and often with a big drop on the side rather than a kerb, but there was much more traffic.  There seemed to be more houses too, but the style of construction had not changed much either.  The preferred roof material still seems to be corrugated iron.

Our journey appeared to coincide with the school run and the bus shelters were full of groups waiting for the big old buses.  Now, if we’d driven north from the airport, the changes would have been immediately apparent: a dual carriageway called a motorway, reclaimed land with industrial buildings.   My, how Victoria has grown!   I couldn’t find the clock tower and the square that I remembered.  Instead there were hoardings advertising new villas with pools and a swanky new marina.

When I was last on La Digue there were no cars at all – you travelled by ox cart and sturdy single speed bicycle.  Now there are cars (just a few), the mountain bikes all have 18 gears and there’s a new department store called Gregoires.  The idyllic beach of Anse, where they shot some of the old Bounty TV commercials, was all ours 18 years ago. Today we had to share it with 50 other tourists, some with tattoos and union jack hats!   But don’t panic, although it’s probably best to avoid Sundays and days when cruise ships are in town, the beach is still one of the most beautiful in the world!

Two decades ago Mahé, the main island, had a gaggle of hotels that were all 2 to 4 star with pretty average service and uninspired food, despite the wonderful fish around in the Indian Ocean. Now there’s a good a range of 5 star properties that have sprung up on the island. The Banyan Tree (where I stayed), Maia, St Anne Resort Hotel and the newest Four Seasons are examples of how the development of these truly excellent 5 star boutique hotels has coincided with the arrival of major supermarkets in Victoria.  Modern living has arrived in the Seychelles  along with those other globalised traits like huge government debt, the need for help from the IMF and the number of children borne out of wedlock – now as high as 68%.  Seychellois men are outnumbered by women and they’ve never been known as a monogamous lot!

Prices in the Seychelles were always high and that’s still the case.  There has been a devaluation of the local currency, but prices remain steep, with beers around £5 each in the 5 star hotels and wine requiring a mortgage application.  Very few hotels offer all inclusive, but it’s probably best to get half board anyway.  Mahé was nice two decades ago (and still is) but that’s only half the story. The outer islands have a charm of their own where you can be a Robinson Crusoe, but in some luxury. The ability still to find a hideaway hotel on a beautiful beach makes this such an important wedding and honeymoon destination. That remains the same!

A lot of the outer islands like Denis, North Island, St Annes, Fregate and Silhouette have developed with designer hideaway hotels at the top of the 5 star range. With these new hotels comes workers from the Far East and Mauritius because many local entrepreneurs maintain that “The Seychellois are basically lazy and you won’t get them chasing behind a client as a butler!”  Not sure I agree with that entirely! For example, we met James (Bond he claimed), one of a new breed of trained Seychellois who gave the most excellent service.

Bird Island is one of the last outer island experiences that definitely has not changed. OK, the old buildings have all been replaced with new accommodation and bars and dining rooms, but the feel of the place is the same. There’s still no TV, no radio, no Internet, no air conditioning, no sun loungers. You come here to see nature. As Nick the owner puts it. “The birds come to see you, not you to see the birds”.

Maybe so far I’m sounding like the archetypical “grumpy old man”  who thinks that things were never as good as they were in the “old days”.  Something that hasn’t changed (and will never change) about this paradise is its enticing appeal.  The beaches, the colour of the water, the fish under the water and also on your plate, the sound of crashing Indian Ocean waves, the charm and the sheer beauty of the Seychelles haven’t tarnished with age or development and are exactly the same as before!

We do intend to offer packages at all the Seychelles hotels or resorts mentioned in this post.  Links will be added as and when information is loaded on the site, meanwhile if you want specific information on a hotel or resort that does not have a link in place yet,  call Tropical Sky  on 0845 543 2187.

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