L'Hirondelle Self Catering

Each unit is a proper apartment, clean and practical, with a good kitchen, a comfortable bed and a private veranda facing the garden, well suited to couples and families who want their own space. There is good air conditioning, some rooms have a sea view, and prices are modest for the setting, run with real attention to detail. Even though it is self-catering, a lovely breakfast is prepared and served in your room, which guests single out as a treat.

The location is hard to beat. The beach is just across the road, ten metres from the door, and restaurants, bars, supermarkets and food trucks are a five-minute walk away, so a hire car is optional. It is the mix of that position, the space of a real apartment and the friendly owners that fills the reviews.

Côte d'Or, or Anse Volbert, is the liveliest beach on Praslin, a long, sheltered bay of pale sand with calm, clear water that is safe for swimming, and the launch point for many of the island's boat trips. Shops, dive centres and restaurants line the bay, and Anse Lazio and the Vallée de Mai are both a short drive away. Praslin is reached by a quick flight or the fast ferry from Mahé. For a spacious, well-run self-catering base steps from one of Praslin's best beaches, L'Hirondelle is one we are glad to recommend.

Côte d'Or, also called Anse Volbert, is the main beach on the north coast of Praslin, a long, gently curving bay of pale sand with calm, clear water that is safe and easy for swimming. It is the island's busiest and most sociable stretch, with a friendly line of shops, supermarkets, food trucks, bars and restaurants set just behind the sand, and a small island offshore for an easy snorkel. Many of Praslin's boat trips, to Curieuse, Saint Pierre and La Digue, set off from here, and the island bus runs along the bay. Anse Lazio is a short drive north, and the Vallée de Mai palm forest is inland. Praslin is reached by a quick flight or the fast ferry from Mahé, and a hire car or the bus makes getting around easy.