The Seychelles

Holidays to the Seychelles

Scattered in the western part of the Indian Ocean, a thousand miles from anywhere, lie the 115 granitic and coral islands that make up the Seychelles. Located 4degrees south of the equator, north east of Madagascar and off the east coast of Africa, Seychelles isolation makes it truly "unique".

Fantastic land and seascapes and endemic flora and fauna compliment a mixed racial background making the culture, cuisine and people a real pleasure.

The government is keen to promote sustainable tourism and is uncompromising when it comes to protection of its environment. Fifty percent of the total landmass has been committed as National Parks, Nature Reserves or protected areas - two of which have been declared UNESCO world heritage sites, namely Aldabra Islands (the largest Atoll in the world!) with its 150,000 tortoises and Vallee de Mai on Praslin with the Coco-de-Mer, the worlds largest seed. Ornithologists might be lucky to catch site of endemic birds such as the magpie robin, Seychelles scoop owl, black parrot or paradise flycatcher.

Island hopping is easy and thoroughly recommended. You can travel by air using Air Seychelles' scheduled domestic flights, by ferries or helicopters and for those with good sea-legs wanting a more adventurous, relaxed way of experiencing the islands then either join a cruise, or charter a bareboat or crewed yacht. Each island has something wonderously different to offer.

Tourism is still developing in the Seychelles and although there are now some excellent resort hotels, one cannot always expect the international standards of more established destinations. In many ways this has been an attraction of the Seychelles to those travellers seeking a relatively unspoilt paradise where natural beauty is more important than tourist luxuries.

The location and preservations of its environment means that much has to be imported and often in small quantities, hence to some, the Seychelles may seem expensive.

Hotel Classification

To assist you in making the right choice Elite Vacations has 'graded' the hotels and resorts. Shown below is Elite Vacations grading with corresponding 'star' rating. It must be stressed however, that the classification shown is not an official rating.

Standard - 3 stars
Standard Plus - 3.5 stars
Superior - 4 stars
Superior Plus - 4.5 stars
Deluxe - 5 stars
Deluxe Plus - 5 stars Deluxe