Exotic Guesthouse

The apartments back up the setting. Guests describe them as relatively big, very clean and modern, with a huge, comfortable bed, a modern bathroom with a good shower, a fully equipped kitchen and a balcony that looks straight out to the ocean. A practical bonus that reviewers highlight is the WiFi, which they found fast and reliable, so the rooms are genuinely comfortable for a longer or working stay, not just for the view.

The hosting and the location add to the appeal. Reviewers rate the staff among the best they met on their whole trip and describe the owners and team as incredibly nice, with the owner, Pamela, singled out as friendly and helpful. Despite its perch on the hill, the guesthouse is close to the ocean, a bus stop, and the local shops, restaurants and takeaways of Côte d'Or, so daily life is easy once you are settled in.

One honest note is worth planning for, and guests raise it themselves. The final stretch of road up to the guesthouse is very steep and, as more than one reviewer puts it, very poorly maintained, so this is the place to stay if you can handle the climb. A hire car and a little care on that last section help.

Côte d'Or, also known as Anse Volbert, is the main resort beach of Praslin and one of the most welcoming stretches of sand in the Seychelles, a long, gentle curve of pale sand lapped by shallow, calm water that is safe and easy for swimming. Just offshore sits the tiny island of St Pierre, a short boat or kayak hop away and one of the archipelago's loveliest snorkelling spots, its granite boulders ringed by coral and fish. The bay is lined with restaurants, cafes, shops, dive centres and boat operators, and a hillside base above it trades a short walk down to the sand for sweeping views over the whole bay. The celebrated Anse Lazio and the Vallée de Mai palm forest are both a short drive away.