When you think of Seychelles, you think of paradise—endless beaches with fine sand, turquoise waters, palm trees and coconut trees popping up from nowhere, nature at its finest.
However, the islands have a reputation for being an expensive destination. If you take a quick look at the prices of hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other tourist services, you might conclude that, yes, it’s not a place for everyone’s wallet.
Today, I’m here to bust that myth and show you how you can organize a vacation in Seychelles for just 130 euros per day per person, all-inclusive.
Accommodation
Far from resorts and hotels, Seychelles is the land of charming guesthouses, nestled in the heart of the jungle or just 5 minutes from the beach, where the locals make sure you feel at home and lack nothing. A bonus is the interaction with these people, who are some of the most hospitable and kindest we’ve ever met.
In Mahe, we stayed at Ocean Vista, where Charlette, the host, greeted us warmly and showed us a stunning apartment with an ocean view, making sure we didn’t lack anything. She even prepared a snack in the fridge, knowing we were coming with kids after a long journey and might be too tired to go out for dinner. The next morning, her gardener (she had a garden straight out of a fairytale!) brought us fresh bananas from the backyard trees.
What more could you want? The cost for three nights was 280 euros + a 50-euro deposit for potential damages, which we got back upon departure, for a two-bedroom apartment with a bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room with a washing machine.
In La Digue, we were a bit hesitant since the only available budget option didn’t have great reviews regarding cleanliness. But we were pleasantly surprised—it was clear some changes had 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 spot where we enjoyed a quadruple room with breakfast included for 420 euros for three nights.
We really liked the hosts—a local woman who ran the business with one of her sons—and they liked us, telling us that the children’s laughter was her greatest joy. They not only helped us rent bikes but cleaned them of sand every morning before we headed to the beach. And breakfast was delicious, with fresh fruit, coffee, tea, natural juices, exotic fruit jams, and eggs cooked to everyone’s preferences.
In Praslin, we chose Maison de Vacanze, where we stayed in a two-bedroom cottage with two bathrooms and a living room with a kitchen for 380 euros for three nights. The friendly host personally picked us up from the ferry as Google Maps kept leading us astray. We enjoyed peace, cleanliness, and coolness, relatively close to the points of interest.
So, the total accommodation cost was 1,080 euros.
Transportation
In Mahe and Praslin, you need a car to get around. The exception is La Digue, where you only need bikes, which you can rent everywhere. For both the car and bikes, we relied on our hosts.
We rented cars for 40 euros a day and bikes for 10 euros a day per person (so 40 euros total, as we were two adults and two older kids—our youngest rode in a bike seat with me). To these costs, we added gas, which totaled 50 euros for all days (gas is slightly cheaper than back home).
Additionally, to travel between the islands, you need a ferry and/or a plane. Obviously, the plane is more expensive, but the ferry isn’t exactly cheap either. For the trips from Mahe to La Digue, La Digue to Praslin, and Praslin to Mahe, we spent about 500 euros.
On the last day, we arrived in Mahe in the morning, with a flight home at 9 PM, so we rented a car again, a bit more expensive this time since we only needed it for a few hours—70 euros.
Total transportation cost: 1,000 euros.
Activities, Fees, Food, Souvenirs
The Seychelles islands are full of famous takeaways, small stalls, or locals’ small eateries where you can get the meal of the day or have something prepared on the spot, depending on what ingredients are available.
We didn’t just eat well—we ate excellently! Absolutely delicious food for all tastes and cravings, from noodles, rice, vegetables, fish, seafood, pasta, fish and chips, burgers, pizza, curry—you name it—plus drinks. The prices for five people ranged between 80 and 150 RON.
In terms of fees, we paid quite a bit at Vallée de Mai, but it didn’t break the bank—120 euros for entry, 100 RON for access through Union Estate Farm to reach Anse Source d’Argent, and 60 RON for parking for two days at Anse Lazio.
Internet cards also cost us 100 euros—one bought at the airport, the other paid along with the online visas and picked up at the airport upon arrival.
For souvenirs, drinks, coconuts on the beach, small breakfast groceries, and a visit to the hospital (that’s what happens when you travel with kids, haha!), we spent about 500 euros.
So, the total final cost for five people, 10 days with absolutely everything included, was 6,200 euros, which comes out to about 130 euros per day per person. I’d say that’s not bad at all!
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few things we wish we had known beforehand:
- You can pay in euros, but be mindful of the exchange rate when you receive change in rupees; we only did this at the airport upon arrival, otherwise, we preferred to withdraw money from MCB ATMs or exchange at JPL exchange offices.
- All our hosts encouraged us to contact them directly next time, without going through Booking.com, so they can offer us a better price under the same conditions.
- Ferry tickets are much cheaper if bought at the counter rather than online, contrary to expectations.
- The ferry ride between Mahe and Praslin is no walk in the park, regardless of how calm the ocean is and how many seasickness pills you take—it still left us feeling queasy. This was one of the reasons we didn’t opt for any boat trips with the kids; it seemed tiring, and we needed rest after both journeys.
- The cars rented through the hosts didn’t have full insurance and didn’t have a suitable car seat for Noel (maybe because his height and weight are not typical for a two-year-old, so we were given a booster seat instead of a proper car seat).
- The costs and conditions at the hospital far exceeded our expectations—we paid 20 euros for the consultation, treatment, AND medication to continue treatment at home, 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 prices for products are much better than in supermarkets, so you can easily shop 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 Café, Rita’s Takeaway, Any’s Snacks and Takeaway in Mahe, Julie’s Takeaway and K2 Takeaway & Café in La Digue, and Taste & Chill Takeaway, Pizza Plus Takeaway, and Cool-Licks Café and Takeaway in Praslin.
- Although Anse Georgette in Praslin is mentioned among the most beautiful beaches in Seychelles, the long access route through the Constance Lemuria resort was a big disappointment, and from our point of view, it’s not worth the effort.
- And speaking of Praslin, the island ranks last on our list of favorites, simply because the access roads to all the beaches of interest were quite challenging and long; if we had to choose again, we’d spend more time in La Digue and on the east coast of Mahe, which I found perfect for children.
I’ll dedicate separate articles to each island, and I hope to cover everything I have to say about our vacation with the kids in, perhaps, the most exotic place we’ve seen so far.
