After we had explored the island of Mahé in the last 6 days, our journey continued to the island of Praslin.
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By ferry from Mahé to Praslin
Between the three most visited islands Mahé, Praslin and La Digue there are two ferry companies that connect the three islands. The Cat Cocos ferry runs 3 times a day between Mahé and Praslin and 1-3 times a day between Mahé and La Digue. There are 3 different booking classes:
» Main deck (50 EUR)
» Upper deck (55 EUR)
» Business class “Lazio Lounge” (70 EUR)
We had decided for the ticket on the upper deck, because here you have a really great view of the island world of the Seychelles. The journey time is about one hour, between Mahé and La Digue about 90 minutes. The second ferry company, Cat Rose, connects Praslin and La Digue daily with 5 to 8 departures. The journey time between the two islands is about 15 minutes.
We had bought our ferry tickets for the journey from Mahé to Praslin via SeyFerry.com. After the purchase process, you will receive the vouchers for the journeys by e-mail, which you then have to exchange for “real” tickets at the ferry terminal. Right next door you can drop off your suitcases, which are then conveniently loaded onto the ferry. Luckily the lake was very calm, so after about an hour’s drive we arrived on Praslin unscathed. After receiving our suitcases, we have already discovered our car rental company Bliss Car Hire with a welcome sign. The handover of the rental car was quick and uncomplicated, so that we already sat in our little Kia Picanto about 25 minutes after the arrival. We have written more about rental cars in the Seychelles here.
The island of Praslin
Praslin is located by ferry about an hour from Mahé and with a total area of 37.58 km2 is the second largest island of the inner Seychelles. The island, which is 12 km long and 5 km wide, has a population of about 9,000.
The vallée de Mai nature reserve, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983, is located in the interior of the island. Here is the endemic palm species Coco de Mer (Seychelles palm), which occurs exclusively in the Seychelles. In addition to numerous, dreamlike beaches, there is another nature reserve on the island: Fond Ferdinand. Near Praslin are other islands such as Curieuse, Silhouette, Cousin, Ile Ronde, La Digue and Ile St. Pierre.
The Acajou Beach Resort
For four nights we stayed at the Acajou Beach Resort on the island of Praslin. The family-run resort was opened in 1996 and is dedicated to sustainability and environmental protection as Praslin’s Green Hotel.
The name of the hotel “Acajou” (Mahogany) is not by chance: mahogany wood was used for the construction of the hotel, which is still visible today in a large part of the residential buildings.
The situation
The resort is located on the long beach of Cote d’Or on the north-east coast of the island. From the ferry port we only took about 8 minutes by car to the resort. Since the island is generally not very large, the paths are generally very short.
The plant
The acajou Beach Resort is surrounded by lush green forests and the bright white Cote d’Or Beach. On the hotel grounds you will find on the one hand Rusical pile buildings with Creole-furnished rooms and on the other hand two buildings with modernly furnished rooms. Due to the staggered construction, most rooms offer a beautiful view of the turquoise sea. In the middle of the grounds there is a tropical garden, where you will find all kinds of flowering plants and oasis of peace. The resort also features a new infinity pool including pool bar & Starfish Restaurant.
In the main house, next to the reception, there is the restaurant “Les Boucaniers” and the “Chapo! Bar & Lounge”. Especially in the evening there is a lot going on, as musicians perform several times a week and there are of course delicious cocktails 😉
The complex of Acajou Beach Resort
Our Deluxe Room
On the premises there are a total of 46 rooms in 4 different categories (14 standard rooms, 16 superior rooms, 14 deluxe rooms and 2 family rooms Superior) as well as 6 self catering apartments. Most of the rooms are in pile buildings and are decorated in Creole style. Since there was a major renovation of the site in 2014, two new buildings have been built close to the sea, which house the modern deluxe rooms.
We stayed in a deluxe room and felt very comfortable. The room has met exactly our taste: beautifully bright, modernly furnished, clean. The best was certainly the balcony, from which you had a great view of the sea. The bathroom of our room also had one or two highlights to offer: it has an indoor and outdoor area. In the bathroom there are also two rain showers, so you can even shower in parallel – we found this totally cool and we haven’t seen any other hotel room in the world. Outside there was another shower, which we tried in the tropical temperatures.
All in all an absolute feel-good room!
The pool
The new infinity pool was built as part of the 2014 renovation and is relatively close to the beach. From here you have a beautiful view of the sea; with good visibility you can even see nearby islands. The pool has its own bar and restaurant, as well as plenty of sun loungers including parasols. In any case, this is the best place in the whole resort for a cool refreshment in between – either in the pool or at the bar 😉
The beach
Acajou Beach Resort is located right on the Cote d’Or Beach, one of the longest beaches in the Seychelles. The sand is powder sugar white and the sea turquoise blue – a true dream beach. Unfortunately, there is a small catch: Due to the increasing tides, the water in weddings of the tide comes very far to the tree line, so that there is actually not much left of the beach. In addition, the erosion is very strong in these times, so that the water has already removed parts of a small boundary dike to the hotel – sandbags are supposed to remedy this. Unfortunately, we have observed this problem on almost all beaches in the Seychelles. In contrast, the beach at low tide is simply huge, because the water retreats very strongly. You should be a little careful about sand flying here. Therefore, our tip: Lubricate the feet and legs sufficiently with baby oil, then the flies/mosquitoes do not find a good hold.
The restaurant “Les Boucaniers”
During our stay at Acajou Beach Resort we were provided with half board, i.e. breakfast and dinner. Both meals are served buffet style in the restaurant “Les Boucaniers”, which is located in the main house. If you have not booked half board, you can of course also order the dinner a la carte.
The food
The food convinced us all in the way – both in the morning and in the evening. The choice offered here is simply huge: cold plates, fresh salads, tropical fruit, a variety of hot dishes, a live barbecue station and a delicious dessert buffet. A special highlight was the Valentine Dinner on February 14. Everything was lovingly decorated with hearts and in red by the kitchen crew. And the buffet was certainly twice as rich as on “normal” buffet evenings – you couldn’t even decide what to eat first. Just top!
A Romantic Dinner at the “Starfish Restaurant”
On our last evening at the resort we had a wonderful “Romantic Dinner” in the Starfish Restaurant, which you can book individually. The restaurant is located directly by the pool and has a roof terrace where we sat alone and from which we had a great view of the beach and the sea in front of us. Depending on the circumstances, you can also have the dinner directly on the beach. A delicious 3-course menu was waiting for us, which was just as pointed as the view!
Our Video of the Acajou Beach Resort
Finally, we can say that we really felt very comfortable at Acajou Beach Resort! If you are looking for suitable accommodation on the island of Praslin, you will find many offers from self catering apartments to incredibly expensive luxury resorts. The Acajou Beach Resort is awarded “Very good” on Expedia, 4 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor and also the customer rating on SeyVillas is very good, so we can recommend the resort without reservation.
Our travelogues from the Seychelles
White dream beaches, crystal clear water, sun and palm trees: the Seychelles are the epitome of an island paradise. For 2 weeks we explored the main islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue and saw the most beautiful sights: From gorgeous beaches, fascinating nature parks to hidden photo spots, animal islanders and beautiful viewpoints.
» Seychelles: Things to know & Travel Tips (Mahé, Praslin & La Digue)» Seychelles: Travel Planning, Flight & Rental Car
» Mahé: Things to know & places of interest
» Mahé: Tropical Hideaway Apartement & Beau Vallon Beach
» Mahé: Victoria – Things to do & beautiful photo spots
» Mahé: The Rock Pool (Ros Sodyer) at Anse Takamaka
» Mahé: Top 10 most beautiful beaches on the island
» Cerf Island: Snorkeling in Sainte Anne Marine Park
» Praslin: Things to know & places of interest on Praslin
» Praslin: Acajou Beach Resort on the Cote d’Or Beach
» Praslin: Fond Ferdinand – Coco de Mer Nature Reserve on Praslin
» Praslin: Vallée de Mai – UNESCO National Park on Praslin
» Praslin: Top 5 most beautiful beaches on the island of Praslin
» Curieuse Island: A trip to the giant tortoises
» Félicité: The luxury resort Six Senses Zil Pasyon
» La Digue: Things to know & Travel Tips from the island of La Digue
» La Digue: Cat Cocos Ferry & La Diguoise Guesthouse
» La Digue: Crystal Water Kayaks – Transparent kayak tours on La Digue
» La Digue: Anse Marron – Hike around the south coast of La Digue
» La Digue: Top 10 – The most beautiful beaches on La Digue
» La Digue: The resort Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie