8 Resons to Make The Seychelles Your Next Family Holiday
15 July 2019
Jet off to The Seychelles this summer, we’ve put together 8 reasons why this beautiful tropical island is the perfect family destination.
1. The journey to the seychelles is not that bad
It’s only 10 and a half hours away from the UK and it’s a direct flight, that’s comparable to the Caribbean and you also don’t have to deal with a 5+ hour time difference.
2. The time zones are ‘the right way round’
Travelling with kids is a challenge at the best of times – trying to keep your kids happy so they aren’t irritating all your fellow passengers on a long-haul flight is tough. Now imagine they also wake up full of energy and ready for action at 2am on your first night. Because the Seychelles is 3-4 hours ahead of the UK, your kids actually sleep in. Imagine blissful mornings with your little bundles of joy slumbering until 9am. When you head to the Indian ocean….This. Actually. Happens.
3. It’s surprisingly affordable
Let’s not beat around the bush – long haul holidays are not cheap, especially to luxury destinations like the Seychelles, and this conventional wisdom might stop you from even considering spreading your wings; but STOP! Getting away during the school summer holidays to Europe will almost always be a wallet crusher. All the while, the Seychelles is actually in its ‘low’ season….if you can class minimal rainfall and 30c as ‘low’. Therefore, you can get some incredible deals to some of the world’s best hotels. It’s never going to be a budget destination, but the cost may surprise you.
4. The Seychelles is heart-achingly beautiful
Most countries, or holiday destinations have a ‘beauty spot’ – you know, the beach on Kefalonia with the ship wreck on it, the turquoise waters of Jolly Harbour, the Eiffel tower, the beach from the movie ‘The Beach’, etc. Inevitably, these spots can be a bit of a let-down, because beauty spots attract people, and suddenly they start to crumble under the weight of tourists visiting. I joke not, in The Seychelles virtually every corner you turn results in a jaw dropping Kodak moment. These islands are one of the few locations I have visited where you suffer from a genuine case of beauty fatigue. From the platinum sands and the turquoise waters through to the lushest of rainforests…is it paradise? It’s pretty close.
5. They Seychelles have some serious sustainable credentials
Travel is a delicate business when it comes to the environment, and many places on earth can sometimes get the balance wrong. Through limiting the number of flights coming into the country, the Seychelles limits its visitor numbers. Mass tourism is absolutely not on the agenda here. Rich experiences and low impact tourism are the watchwords here. Add to that, that as a country, the Seychelles has given over 40% of its land mass to conservation projects highlights just how much the country values it’s natural resources.
6. The Seychellois are lovely
The locals possess a wonderful, warm ability to welcome visitors. The Seychelles is a true melting pot – with European, African, Indian, Arabian and Asian influences – permeates all aspects of the culture from food, religion, dress and language. The result of this is a country which has no real dominant community, so everyone tends to get along just fine.
7. The Beaches…..oh my…..
I consider myself a bit of a beach junkie. Which country has the best sand? What has the best backdrop? The best beach bars? The best snorkelling? The bluest waters? No one place on earth ticks every box – some things are mutually exclusive – but when it comes to paradise basics such as sand, water and setting, The Seychelles has some of the best beaches on the planet. Powder sand, impossibly blue waters, the lushest of rainforests sweeping almost down to the water’s edge. You need to make sure you pick the right beach at the right time of year to avoid some choppy waters but Scott Dunn can help you with that!
8. The hotels are sympathetic to the destination
It always feels like a shame when a high-rise resort pokes it’s head above the trees and blights a landscape. There are some larger resorts, yes, but they nestle into the hills, the nooks, the crannies – they were built to celebrate their environment, not dominate. The philosophy of operating these hotels carries through, too. A commitment to reducing waste, single use plastics and a range of initiatives across the board – from the ‘wise oceans’ at Four Seasons, to the Turtle sanctuary at The Banyan Tree, the water bottling plant at Raffles and a desire to source produce locally wherever possible.
This entry was posted in Indian Ocean, and tagged Beach Holiday, Family Holiday, Seychelles, Summer Holiday.