However, the islands have the reputation of being an expensive destination, and if you take a look at the prices of hotels, resorts, restaurants, and any other tourist services, you might conclude that, yes, it’s not a destination for every budget.
Today, I’m here to debunk that myth and show how you can organize a vacation in Seychelles for just 130 euros per day per person, with absolutely everything included.
Accommodation in Seychelles
Far from resorts and hotels, Seychelles is the land of charming guesthouses, located in the heart of the jungle or just five minutes from the beach, where the locals take great care to make you feel at home and lack nothing. The bonus is interacting with these people, who are by far some of the most hospitable and kind-hearted we've ever met.
In Mahe, we chose to stay at Ocean Vista, where Charlette, the host, greeted us warmly and showed us the beautiful apartment with a view of the ocean, making sure we lacked nothing. She even had a snack ready in the fridge, thinking we might be too tired to go out to eat after a long trip with the kids.
The next morning, her gardener (she had a fairytale-like garden!) brought us fresh bananas from the trees in the yard. What more could you want? The cost for 3 nights was 280 euros + a 50-euro deposit for potential damages, which we got back when we left, for a two-bedroom apartment with a bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room with a washing machine.
In La Digue, we were a bit hesitant because the only option available within our budget didn't have great reviews regarding cleanliness. However, we were pleasantly surprised, as some changes had clearly been made, and we were lucky to benefit from them.
We stayed at Villa Authentique, just a 5-minute walk from the ferry, in a quiet and green area, where we enjoyed a quadruple room with breakfast included, for 420 euros for 3 nights. We really liked the hosts, a local woman running the business with one of her sons, and she liked us too, telling us that the children's laughter was her greatest joy.
Not only did they help us with bike rentals, but we also found the bikes cleaned of sand each morning before heading to the beach. The breakfast was delicious, with fresh fruit, coffee, tea, natural juices, exotic fruit jam, and eggs prepared to each person’s liking.
In Praslin, we chose to stay at Maison, where we booked a two-bedroom cottage with two bathrooms and a living room with a kitchen, for 380 euros for 3 nights. The kind host personally picked us up from the ferry as Google Maps kept leading us astray, and we enjoyed peace, cleanliness, and coolness, relatively close to the points of interest.
So, the total cost of accommodation: 1080 euros.
Transportation in Seychelles
Both on Mahe and Praslin, you need a car to get around. The exception is La Digue, where you only need bicycles, which are available for rent everywhere. For both the car and bicycles, we relied on our hosts.
We rented cars for 40 euros per day, and bicycles for 10 euros per day per person (so a total of 40 euros, since we were two adults and two older children — the little one was carried in a seat on mommy’s bike). On top of this, we spent 50 euros on fuel for the entire stay (fuel is a bit cheaper than at home).
Additionally, to travel between the islands, you need a ferry and/or a plane. Obviously, flying is more expensive, but even the ferry isn’t exactly cheap. For the trips between Mahe – La Digue, La Digue – Praslin, and Praslin – Mahe, we spent around 500 euros.
On the last day, we arrived in Mahe in the morning, with a flight home in the evening at 9 PM, so we rented a car again, this time a bit more expensive since it was only for a few hours – 70 euros.
Total transport cost: 1000 euros.
Activities, fees, food, souvenirs in Seychelles
The Seychelles islands are full of famous takeaway spots, small local shops, or island residents’ eateries, where you can order the daily special or have something freshly prepared, depending on what ingredients they have available.
The food was not just good, but amazing — absolutely delicious, catering to all tastes and cravings, with options ranging from noodles, rice, vegetables, fish, seafood, pasta, fish and chips, burgers, pizza, curry, you name it, plus drinks.
As for fees, we paid quite a bit at the Vallée de Mai, but it didn’t break the bank — 120 euros for entry, 20 euros for access through Union Estate Farm to reach Anse Source d’Argent, and 12 euros for two days of parking at Anse Lazio.
Internet SIM cards were also 100 euros, one bought at the airport and the other paid with the online visas and picked up at the airport upon arrival.
In addition, for souvenirs, drinks, coconuts on the beach, small groceries for breakfast, and a hospital visit (that’s what happens when you travel with kids :))) ), we spent around 500 euros.
So, we ended up with a final total cost of 6200 euros, 10 days with absolutely everything included, which works out to about 620 euros/day. I’d say that’s not bad at all :).
Tips & Tricks
We've gathered a few things that would have been good to know beforehand:
- You can pay in euros, but be mindful of the exchange rate when receiving change in rupees. We only did this at the airport upon arrival; otherwise, we preferred withdrawing cash from MCB ATMs or exchanging money at JPL exchange offices.
- All our hosts encouraged us to contact them directly next time, without going through Booking, so they could offer us a better price under the same conditions.
- Ferry tickets are much cheaper when purchased at the counter rather than online, contrary to what you might expect.
- Also, the ferry ride between Mahe and Praslin is no easy feat. Regardless of how calm the ocean is or how many sea sickness pills we took, we still experienced seasickness. This was one of the reasons we opted out of any sea excursions with the kids, as it seemed exhausting, and we needed rest after both trips.
- The cars rented through our hosts didn’t have full insurance, nor did they provide a suitable car seat for Noel (likely because his height and weight aren’t typical for a 2-year-old, so we were given a booster seat instead of a proper car seat).
- The hospital costs and conditions far exceeded expectations. We paid 20 euros for a consultation, treatment, and medication to continue at home; I’ve never left the hospital with medication, so it's a very safe destination, even for small children.
- Visits to the tea factory and the Takamaka rum distillery are free of charge, and the product prices are much better than in supermarkets, so you can easily do your shopping on-site.
- At both Anse Lazio in Praslin and Anse Source d'Argent, the entrance/parking fees are valid for the entire day, so you can return in the afternoon without paying again.
- We ate well at Juliana’s Villas Cafe, Rita’s Takeaway, Any’s Snacks and Take-away in Mahe, at Julie’s Take-away and K2 Takeaway & Café in La Digue, and at Taste & Chill Take Away, Pizza Plus Takeaway, and Cool-Licks Cafe and Takeaway in Praslin.
- Although Anse Georgette in Praslin is mentioned among the most beautiful beaches in Seychelles, the long access road through the Constance Lemuria resort was a huge disappointment, and in our opinion, not worth the effort.
- Speaking of Praslin, the island is at the bottom of our list of favorites, simply because the access roads to all the beaches of interest were quite difficult and long. If we had to choose again, we would spend more time in La Digue and on the east coast of Mahe, which I found perfect for kids.
I plan to dedicate a separate article to each island and hope to cover everything about our vacation with the kids in what might be the most exotic place we've visited so far.
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