Key Details
Bel Ombre, Mahé, Seychelles
The Indian Ocean
Fringed with palms and encircled with sand, the entrancing Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius, Seychelles and the Maldives manage the perfect balancing act. Remote enough to provide an idyllic escape yet within easy reach of many parts of the world, they showcase delightful local influences gathered from India, Africa, China and Europe. Add in the finest five-star services served up against a backdrop of truly luxuriant scenery and it is little wonder that this where A-list celebrities from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to George and Amal Clooney chose to holiday.
It wasn’t always easy to snap up a piece of these Indian Ocean beauties but new legislation from all three governments means that foreigners can now buy homes. Each nation has its own particular appeal from the Robinson Crusoe-isolation of the ultra private Maldives to the lush mountainous interior of Mauritius and the intoxicating coral and volcanic islands of Seychelles.
The homes on offer and the rules on ownership also differ between each nation but their position in the warm, turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean mean they all share a wonderfully exotic and tropical exclusivity.
Seychelles
Imagine a perfect tropical beach and chances are that the Seychelles has it. Fine white sand, the bluest seas and gently bending palm trees backed by steep green hillsides make the beauty of this Indian Ocean idyll truly heart stopping.
The Seychelles has 116 islands spread over 788 square miles of the Indian Ocean, four degrees south of the equator and 950 miles north of Mauritius. Only 30 are inhabited, some are coral islands, some volcanic and many designated as natural reserves, a heady mix of raw beauty and exclusivity. The Seychelles is a delightful combination of African, European and Asian roots with an intriguing history. The country gained independence from Great Britain in 1976 and remains part of the Commonwealth. English and French are both official languages with Creole widely spoken. The joy of the Seychelles is the variety within the archipelago.
Highlights include the island of Praslin fifteen minutes away by plane where the rare coco de mer palm grows in the World Heritage Vallée de Mai and the car-free island of La Digue, home to giant tortoises, colonial-style homes and deserted beaches. Felicite is a tiny granite island covering a little over one square mile. It is a near neighbour to La Digue and famed for its mystical, oversized granite boulders. Dense vegetation including mango trees, coconut palms and banana plantations cover much of Felicite where development has been carefully restricted to preserve the outstanding private island privacy.
Mahé
The island of Mahé is the largest and easily the most developed of all islands. It has the international airport and the world’s smallest capital, Victoria, complete with a replica of London’s Big Ben. The island is 17 miles long by 8 miles at its widest with 70 beaches Mahé is where the majority of the 90,000 population live, mostly in Victoria or on the east coast. From the high peaks of Morne Seychellois in the northeast to the blissfully natural west coast beaches, Mahé provides activities from snorkelling, diving and jungle walks.
The quiet and wilder west coast is only thirty minutes from the airport with dense forests of coconuts and particularly beautiful beaches including Petite Anse and Grande Anse.
Fly to: Mahé Island
Flying time from the UK: 10 hours
Time difference: GMT +4 hours Weather:
The islands of the Seychelles enjoy a year-round warm tropical climate, generally governed by two opposing trade winds. The south-easterly trades blow from May to September bringing drier and windier conditions ideal for sailing. From October to March the gentler north-west trades provide calmer seas but a higher chance of refreshing showers. Scuba divers will find April, May, October and November have the warmest seas and visibility is often 30 metres plus.
Non-residents must get permission "sanction" from the Seychellois government before they can buy freehold property, generally a routine process though it can take several months. Recent law changes have meant that only resort properties are eligible for sanction.
Seychelles has no property or capital gains tax.
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