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| Sunny days in the Seychelles |
| July 22 2006 at 04:12PM |
Get IOL on your mobile at m.iol.co.za |
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By Jeremy Jowell
Only 16 of the Seychelles' islands offer hotel accommodation and it is an expensive destination with many of the resorts being luxurious and of five-star quality. "Seychelles does attract the upper-class traveller and it is often perceived as an elitist holiday destination," says Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, chairman of Seychelles Tourism Board. "But the reality is that half of our hotel rooms are not five-star resorts. There are many cheaper hotels and guest houses that offer affordable accommodation." When Seychelles Tourism started marketing the country 30 years ago, it purposefully set high standards and limited the numbers of tourists. "We realised we only had the natural beauty to entice visitors, so we pitched it high and wanted to see what impact those numbers would have on the environment," explains Loustau-Lalanne. "But now as tourism develops we're relaxing our policies and want to reposition Seychelles as affordable also for families who want to make it their holiday destination. To achieve this, we are helping the owners of small hotels, guest houses and self-catering establishments to market their properties." I fly in with Air Seychelles to Mahé, the largest island and also the administrative and cultural centre. Mahé is dramatic and provides visitors with a wide range of leisure activities. The highest point of the island is the 930-metre Morne Seychellois that offers good hiking and there are 75 powder sand beaches for idyllic swimming in crystal clear waters. An interesting excursion in the capital Victoria is a visit to the Selwyn-Clarke Market. It's a busy Monday morning and I wander around the stalls looking at the masses of vegetables for sale, as well as herbs and spices like black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, coriander and vanilla essence. In the fish section, the daily catch of red snapper, job fish and jackfish is laid out on concrete counters and kept cool by a big bearded man who sprinkles water on his wares. After the market, I'm taken on a tour of Jardin du Roi, a botanical garden and spice farm. My guide, Sultane Denis, points out the many species of plants and trees, including avocado, nutmeg, coco-de-mer, grape fruit, guava, golden apple, cotton trees and several species of orchids. Spices grown here are vanilla, cloves, saffron and black pepper. As we walk through a grove of black nutmeg, giant fruit bats fly high above us. A Seychelles bulbul squawks at us from the top of a jamalak tree. Lunch at the garden restaurant is a delicious meal consisting of several Creole dishes - lentils, star fruit, papaya, grapefruit and mango slices, banana cooked in coconut milk, steamed rice, vegetables and grilled silver snapper. My next stop is the famous Banyan Tree Hotel and Spa, ideally located on Mahé's south-western shore overlooking the crescent beach of Intendance Bay. We drive through the lush grounds to the reception where I'm warmly welcomed and ushered to the terrace for a cool face towel and refreshing glass of iced tea. Banyan Tree resorts are known for their subtle blend of romance and Asian sensuality. Their philosophy is based on providing a place of rejuvenation for the body, mind and soul. Banyan Tree Seychelles has 47 luxurious villas, all with private pool, sundeck, dining area and ocean views. The hotel is popular with honeymooners and has a wedding pavilion for marriages. There are two dining establishments, Au Jardin d'Épices that serves traditional Creole recipes, and the signature Banyan Tree restaurant, Saffron, that offers Thai cuisine. Guests can also dine at their villas. Banyan Tree hotels support the environment. Guests are asked to contribute $2 a night to the resort's Green Imperative Fund and the group matches all donations. The funds are used to protect the natural surroundings and uplift nearby communities. I relax for a while in my Zen-like villa, decorated in green, olive and light brown colours. Red hibiscus petals cover the white sheets. A nice touch in the en-suite bathroom is a shower and sunken bath with sliding glass doors that open to the outdoors. For a romantic and relaxing experience, the villa bathroom can be turned into a candle-lit sanctuary and couples can order a variety of baths, including a honey milk and rose beauty soak, therapeutic moor mud bath or an intimate scented oil bath that comes with a bottle of wine or champagne. Unfortunately I'm here alone, so I won't be taking a romantic bath for two. But my body still needs to relax after my busy Seychelles schedule, so I'm pleased to note that next up is a 90-minute massage. Famous for their holistic approach, Banyan Tree Spas offer a wide range of massage therapies and body treatments drawing on Asian traditions. All the handpicked therapists come from Thailand and Indonesia after having undergone training at Banyan Tree Spa Academies. A Thai woman called Kingkan welcomes me at the entrance to the spa. "Sawadeekap," she smiles serenely, clasping her hands together in the typical Thai greeting. "Sit down and relax and I will bring you a glass of iced tea to drink." Kingkan suggests I have the Balinese massage, an intense deep tissue treatment that stimulates blood circulation, improves energy flow and relieves tension. I'm led along a pathway through the green tranquil gardens to one of the open air massage rooms. A Banyan Tree treatment is world's away from your standard massage back home. First I'm given a green tea foot bath followed by a light foot massage. Then there is a choice of incense sticks to burn - lavender, amber, sandalwood, jampala rose or bergamot. An hour of bliss follows as I relax and let my Thai masseuse work her tranquil magic. Halfway through the full body massage, a light rain starts to fall and the patter of raindrops blend into the sounds of nature - the whispering rush of the ocean, a gentle breeze in the palm trees and a chorus of tweeting birds. All too soon it's over. The oils are washed from my body with a damp warm towel and I'm handed a white robe. A pot of lemon grass tea is waiting on the table, along with carrot sticks and sliced orange segments. After enjoying the healthy refreshments, I dress slowly and walk out of the spa. The rain has stopped and the sky is turning purple just before sunset. I'm so calm and relaxed it feels like I'm walking on air. Just 15 minutes by air or an hour by boat from Mahé is Praslin, the second largest and most visited island in the Seychelles. Tourists are attracted by its beautiful beaches and it serves as a perfect base for trips to neighbouring islands. My time on Praslin is spent visiting the sandy shores of Anse Georgette and Anse Lazio, and touring other highlights like Vallée de Mai, where I see the Coco-de-Mer, the world's largest seed that grows on palm trees and can weigh up to 20kg. I go on a day trip to three nearby islands - Cousin, Curieuse and St Pierre. Cousin was bought by Birdlife International in 1968 with the specific aim of saving the endangered Seychelles warbler from extinction. It was declared a special reserve in 1975 and is managed by Nature Seychelles who allow the public access from Tuesdays to Fridays. I join a group and we're guided around the island that is home to 300 000 birds, including the rare magpie robin, fairy terns, lesser noddies, the white-tailed tropic bird and wedge-tailed shearwaters. There are no predators on these islands and the birds feel no threat, so it's easy to walk up close to where they make their nests. Next stop is a fish barbecue for lunch on Curieuse Island, another protected reserve with a large population of giant tortoises, brought over from Aldabra in the 1980s. Curieuse was once a leper colony, and the colonial home of Scottish doctor William MacGregor is now a national monument and contains a display of the island's history. Our boat then heads across to St Pierre Island, a small rocky outcrop that has featured in many adverts and posters. It's already late afternoon and soft rays of sunlight strike the granite boulders as we kit up with snorkelling equipment and drop into the warm turquoise water. The visibility is not great after the monsoon winds, but in the short snorkel I still manage to see a multitude of colourful fish. I'm also lucky enough to sight a hawksbill turtle swimming slowly in the depths. Taking a big breath, I dive down to inspect the gentle creature and get close enough to stroke its slimy shell. Exhilarated by the close encounter, I surface smiling. Another perfect day in paradise comes to an end. If you go: Recommended hotels, the Banyan Tree Seychelles, www.banyantree.com and the Lemuria Resort.
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