Palm Holiday Apartments

The apartments are large, clean and modern with everything you need for an independent stay, and the upper units look out over the rainforest, a lovely, restful outlook that guests single out for the greenery and the birdlife. Little touches add up, a cold drink on arrival to beat the heat, a laundry service, fresh beach towels whenever you ask, a small pool and a big patio, and a secure feel with extra window locks and the gate closed at night. It is well placed for exploring, close to a grocery and restaurants and handy for Anse Lazio and the Vallée de Mai.

The hosting is what lifts the reviews highest. The whole team is described as warm, welcoming and quick to help with anything, and one group writes movingly of the owners letting them cancel a non-refundable booking without penalty when circumstances abroad made travel impossible, a real act of humanity that meant a great deal. Late check-in is handled kindly if you let them know. It is that genuine care that guests remember.

Grand Anse is the long beach on the south-west coast of Praslin, the island's most developed stretch, with the airstrip, the jetty, shops, supermarkets and restaurants all close by, which makes it an easy, well-connected base. The beach is wide and pretty, though the reef sits close in and the water is shallow, so it is lovely for walks and sunsets while the classic swimming beaches like Côte d'Or and the celebrated Anse Lazio are a short drive north. The Vallée de Mai palm forest is a short drive inland. For a modern, well-run self-catering base with a rainforest view at Grand Anse, Palm Holiday Apartments is one we are glad to recommend.

Grand Anse is the long beach on the south-west coast of Praslin, the busiest and most developed part of the island, home to the airstrip, one of the two jetties and a good spread of shops, supermarkets, banks and restaurants. The beach is a wide, pretty sweep of sand, though the reef lies close to shore and seagrass and shallow water make it better for walking and sunsets than for deep swimming, so many head to Côte d'Or or the celebrated Anse Lazio, a short drive north, for the classic swim. Inland, a short drive away, is the Vallée de Mai, the UNESCO palm forest where the coco de mer grows. Praslin is the second-largest island, reached from Mahé by a short flight into the Grand Anse airstrip or the fast ferry.