I know, I know this may disappoint a lot of newlyweds or people who love Seychelles but It did not meet my expectations. Seychelles is no doubt a beautiful country but I found it overrated. Upon arriving in Seychelles, there were stories about cabs overcharging (which is typical globally at airports) but it was astronomical in Seychelles!
Quite a few vendors approached my friend and me and all offered different prices. Some were extremely inflated and we decided to take an offer from another cab driver ($50USD one way) to our Villa (Aqua Boutique hotel, which I would not recommend).
Hospitality
This was nonexistent. 90% of our experience was horrible! The people there were not that friendly and were very rude. I understand we are in a pandemic but it is obvious you guys love ripping your tourists off! I went inside a store (Inside Eden’s Plaza) and was told I could not take pictures or record myself in the store. Fine, I was just trying to show my readers the costs of groceries vs take-out.
Asking for directions, most would just stare at us. The hotel receptionist was nice and always greeted us but they were deceptive. Service at restaurants was practically nonexistent. We supported local vendors just to be told that we were ripped off (we purchased coconuts on Beau Vallon beach, etc). The best hospitality I experienced was from our cab driver, Vod, and the crew at the tour company!
The hotel we stayed at was very beautiful but I do not recommend it. Not even the views can make up for the bad experience I had at this hotel!! We stayed at the Aqua Boutique hotel. Aside from the view, the hotel is in a not-so-good-looking area.
My friend and I wanted to walk around and we found out that it is located in a residential neighborhood. A weirdo started catcalling and tried to follow us. After constantly ignoring his advances, he finally gave up. If you stay here, the hotel is on a STEEP hill. Even I am quite athletic and was exhausted from the steep hill. We walked back to our hotel because we did not feel safe.
Wait until you hear this, my friend and I were charged for bottle water upon check out. The hotel states that they now only offer two bottles of water each day per room. I have traveled around the world and have never heard of such a thing.
It wasn’t the money, it was the fact that they were so rude. Besides, we wanted to be eco-friendly and not let them clean our place every day…So the room was not fully stocked every day and they were aware.
Aqua boutique in Seychelles is a no-go! We booked it because of the seclusion and view. But the Hilton and other hotels we drove past were in better positions on the island and the views were just as stunning.
Covid Test
Yes, you will need a covid test to enter back into the USA. My covid test was USD 90 and I took it inside a facility located at Eden’s plaza. I got my results back ten hours after taking the exam.
Please keep in mind the cost because Seychelles can get a bit costly!
YOU NEED A CAR!!!! If not, be prepared to take cabs EVERYWHERE. I spent 90% of my budget on cabs. The island is very mountainous so I would suggest being prepared to drive up steep hills! I consider myself an experienced driver and would not advise renting a car. The drivers were quite aggressive and some of the roads go narrow out of nowhere. If you are comfortable and familiar with that kind of road then definitely get a car!
The cab we were initially taking was from the hotel we stayed at. Because we were unaware of cab prices, we took the offer. Well, that was a bad decision. Our driver from the hotel drops us off near Beau Vallon Beach and we decide to go out to eat. As we are taking a stroll near the beach, a cab driver approaches my friend and me and asks if we need a ride. Out of curiosity, I asked him how much would he charge to take us back to the hotel and it was less than half of what the driver at the hotel was charging us!!!
We agreed to let him drive us for the rest of the trip and that was THE BEST DECISION I MADE!!!! Our driver was so so nice and honestly saved our trip because it was becoming a nightmare. When he dropped us off at our hotel, they felt some kind of way because they knew they could no longer rip us off.
Thanks to our amazing driver Vod, he connected us to travel guides that gave us such a good deal! Our hotel tried to book our activities and we took the pamphlet and the prices were triple the price!! We could not believe it. Every day, it was something new with this hotel. At this point, we were ok with just staying at the hotel tanning and just going out to get food. I have been all around the world and have not been treated so horribly. I have his Whats App info if you want! He was nice enough to even hold our luggage for the entire day in his car (We had a late flight).
Before coming, I knew most readers mentioned beach hopping so that is what my friend and I did. I planned on only doing a tour one of the days out of the entire trip. That ended up being our best day on the island!
Shout out to the staff at Marina Charter because they were AMAZING!!!! The tour was USD 90 included a boat ride to St. Anne park, snorkeling, BBQ ( the best part), and fish feeding. We cruised the beautiful waters of Seychelles and that was the highlight of my trip. The staff was so friendly and informed me about the history of Seychelles.
We checked out and headed to the airport. The airport does have a few outlets but is taken up quite fast so charge your phone in advance! We took Etihad and the outlets did not work. Please, pack a portable charger!
Security lines were quite fast. Thanks to our driver, Vod, and the staff at Marine Charter for making this trip better!
In conclusion, I say, when life throws lemons at you, make lemonade! I am not trying to discourage ANYONE from visiting Seychelles in the future! This was just OUR experience and I hope it helps you if you are going in the future! Do I regret going? Not! It was a beautiful country and on my bucket list for quite some years. It simply did not live up to the expectations. In life, sometimes you have to make the best out of things!
I managed to get a great deal on my flight. We took Etihad Airlines and 10/10! The flight left on time, we arrived early and the food was the best plane food I have ever had (Sorry, Emirates).
