Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

I travelled to Alphonse Island in the Seychelles: Where beauty awaits around every corner

Alphonse Island is considered to be one of the most pristine, untouched Edens of the world.

A couple visiting Alphonse Island.
Alphonse Island is a romantic destination. Image: Blue Safari Seychelles.

Picture this.

It’s a glorious Saturday morning. You are out on the waves of the Indian Ocean, watching the sun glimmer effortlessly on the water.

Out of the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of a humpback whale as it dips in and out of the water.

Just when you think you have seen “the greatest source of visual beauty” as Sir David Attenborough would say, a fish starts to tug on your line.

Shanay holding a 1.2 metre Wahoo fish. Image: Storrington Collective.

Curious as to what it might be, it is a race to jump in the hot seat to attempt to reel in a whopping 1.2 metre Wahoo fish – best known to sports fisherman, as its speed and high-quality flesh make it a prized and valued game fish.

I am aware this doesn’t quite sound like your average Saturday here in Scotland, but you will be fascinated to learn that this is an everyday occurrence on the beautiful island of Alphonse, located in the Seychelles.

I caught a Wahoo fish

This isn’t the only thing to wow you on the island. Beauty awaits you around every corner, sometimes in the most surprising of places.

Alphonse Island is considered to be one of the most pristine, untouched Edens of the world.

Alphonse Island is just a short distance from Mahe.
Alphonse Island is just a short distance from Mahe. Image: Blue Safari Seychelles.

The Alphonse Group of Atolls also includes St Francois and Bijouter, both are just a hop, skip and a short boat ride away.

And I can confirm that a romantic vision of utopia is what is promised at any given moment on Alphonse.

Stepping off the plane, we took a short ride to our resort, where we were greeted by a team of friendly staff members – all of whom took the time to get to know their guests on a first name basis.

The food was out of this world. Image: Blue Safari Seychelles.

A juicy coconut – freshly picked, I might add – was handed to me and it was like nothing I had ever tasted.

Walking through the narrow paths that are backed by gently swaying palm trees and an array of tropical flowers, all I could think was “this looks too good to be true”.

‘Looks too good to be true’

A sea of vibrant colours, exotic shapes and lush foliage gives you a constant reminder that the spots of the world you see on Instagram are in fact real.

Although parts of the island may seem like a figure of your imagination, the escape you get from reality shouldn’t be confused for anything other than perfect.

The beach bungalow.
There are 22 beach bungalows. Image: Blue Safari Seychelles Date; Unknown

It wasn’t long until we were shown to our rooms, or should I say, private bungalows.

The island is home to 22 beach bungalows, five one bedroom beach villas and two exclusive beach retreats. All of which are filled with modern amenities, beneficial to your trip.

With views overlooking the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, the bungalow was the perfect epitome of a peaceful beach getaway.

The interior felt relaxing.
Inside the beach bungalow. Image: Blue Safari Seychelles

The use of breezy linens, light wood tones and a muted colour palette translated feelings of relaxation, making the room feel like a home away from home.

Conservation remains at the forefront of Alphonse

Enjoying my morning coffee on the verandah, listening to the charming sounds of coastal birds including herons and white-tailed tropic birds is something I reminisce about daily.

Conservation remains at the forefront of Alphonse Island. It was refreshing to see a team of professionals dedicated to protecting the unique fauna and flora of the atoll through rehabilitation and monitoring programmes.

There are 51 Giant Tortoises on the island.
There are 51 giant tortoises on the island. Image: Blue Safari Seychelles.

You escape the ordinary and immerse yourself into the tranquility of the island almost instantly.

Whether that’s taking a stroll along the beach as the sun rises or riding off into the sunset.

There are 51 giant tortoises living freely on the island

Cycling through the island was a breeze – the only obstacles to watch out for were giant tortoises.

As there are currently 51 Aldabran giant tortoises living freely on the island, you might make a new friend or two.

There’s little to no escape from the sun since the island is situated only seven degrees south of the equator, so it was music to my ears to find out that a lot of the activities were water-based.

There are lots of activities on the island. Image: Blue Safari Seychelles.

For someone who had never gone snorkelling before, I didn’t quite know what to expect.

An element of fear did cross my mind, but the team eased me into the experience and before I knew it, life felt better under the sea.

‘Life felt better under the sea’

From the unbleached, pristine coral reefs, to the array of unique and curious marine species, discovering a world unseen made me feel as if I was in a Disney film.

Snorkelling in the Indian Ocean. Image: Blue Safari Seychelles.

Setting out on boats to head to our Flats Lunch destination (in the middle of the Indian Ocean) was an experience like no other.

Tables and chairs with sun parasols had been dotted along the sand flat, with nothing but a white beach and a crystal clear ocean surrounding you.

Dine with your toes in the sand

As Def Leppard played in the background, we dined with our toes in the sand until the tide came in.

Every bite had me forcing room for more, even though I was nearing a food coma.

Flats Lunch experience. Image: Blue Safari Seychelles.

As the skies turned to candy floss on our last night, a tear shed from my eye as I caught a glimpse of a couple dancing together on the beach while the sun set.

This perfectly summed up my trip as equal parts beautiful and romantic.

Fact file 

For 2024, Blue Safari Seychelles (www.bluesafari.com) is offering a Beach Bungalow at a starting price of £6,550 / 7 night package per person sharing.

With a Beach Villa being offered at a starting price of £9,400 / 7 night package per person sharing.

Seychelles Tourist board, who sponsored some of Shanay’s flights and organised a breakfast and Takamaka Rum Factory tour, can be found online at Tourism Seychelles (www.seychelles.com) or contacted by email (UKSTO@seychelles.com.)

Conversation