Bedier Villa

The villa is spacious and old-fashioned in the best sense, big enough for a group of four or more, with comfortable beds, air conditioning in the bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, good wifi and complimentary water. Guests describe it as very clean, quiet and comfortable, easy for self-catering with a few days of cooking and the odd meal out, and one review even rates it cleaner and comfier than a larger hotel nearby. The location is a real strength, a minute's walk to restaurants, supermarkets, an ATM and a food truck.

The hosting adds to it. The owner, Lina, is described as supportive, kind and understanding, and one group writes gratefully of a full refund given without fuss when a flight was cancelled and their dream trip fell through, a real act of good faith. Others name the staff as friendly and ready to help. It is that honest, caring hosting, in a big clean house right by everything, that has guests planning to return.

Côte d'Or, also called Anse Volbert, is the long, curving bay on the north-east coast of Praslin, one of the island's best-loved beaches, a wide arc of soft sand with calm, shallow, turquoise water that is safe for swimming and gentle for children. Along the bay are shops, supermarkets, dive centres, car rental and a good choice of restaurants, and from the beach you can take a boat to the tiny islet of St Pierre or on to Curieuse and La Digue. The Vallée de Mai palm forest is a short drive inland. For a big, spotless self-catering villa a minute from everything at Côte d'Or, Bedier Villa is one we are glad to recommend.

Côte d'Or, also called Anse Volbert, is the long, curving bay on the north-east coast of Praslin, one of the island's most popular and best-loved beaches. It is a wide arc of soft sand backed by takamaka trees, with calm, shallow, turquoise water that is safe for swimming and snorkelling and gentle for children. This is the busiest stretch of Praslin in the best sense, with shops, supermarkets, an ATM, car rental, dive centres and a good spread of restaurants within an easy walk, plus the local bus along the main road. From the beach, boats run to the tiny islet of St Pierre and on to Curieuse and La Digue. Inland lies the Vallée de Mai, the UNESCO palm forest of the coco de mer. Praslin is the second-largest island, reached from Mahé by a short flight or the fast ferry.