Buisson

The setting is half the magic. The guesthouse is wrapped in banana and palm trees, flowers and birdsong, with outdoor seating to sit out in the green, and more than one guest admits to simply falling in love with the garden. It is peaceful without being remote, at the end of a lane rather than on a busy strip, so you get the hush of nature while remaining a short, easy walk from the jetty, the shops and the restaurants of La Passe.

The hosts are what lift it from lovely to unforgettable. Doris and Charles, along with Susanne, are described again and again as the warmest of hosts, greeting guests with genuine hospitality and real smiles and full of helpful tips for filling their days on the island. Breakfast is a highlight, with Doris's homemade jam singled out as something you simply have to try, and in a much-repeated kindness she arranges bike rental for guests at about half the price charged elsewhere.

The rooms match the welcome. Guests call them impeccably clean and spotless, with obvious care taken over the presentation, the small touches that show someone loves running the place. Everything is within comfortable biking and walking distance, so no taxi is ever needed.

La Passe is the small, car-free capital of La Digue, a village of bicycles, ox-carts and lush garden guesthouses gathered around the jetty where the ferries from Praslin arrive. Life here moves at a gentle pace, with bakeries, little markets, cafes and bike-hire stands all within a short walk, and the whole island reachable on two wheels. The celebrated Anse Source d'Argent, with its pink-granite boulders, lies a short ride south through the old L'Union Estate, while the wilder beaches of Grand Anse and the east are a green, up-and-over pedal away. It is one of the most relaxed and walkable bases in the whole of the Seychelles, and the Praslin ferry crossing takes about fifteen minutes.