Seychelles, and especially La Digue, should be for everybody on the bucket list. We were lucky enough to go there, in May 2025, for our honeymoon. Now I am trying to express everything we lived so intensively in words. It is not easy, but then I will split the story in two, because there are two many things to tell in one go. The first chapter, absolutely, should be dedicated to La Digue, the core motive of our dream vacation. Possessing some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, this tiny 10 km2 offered the perfect escape from the tumult of the big & chaotic urban life. We wanted something memorable, and so this was exactly what we sought. And a big role in fulfilling this was played by our accommodation, the four star resort, Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie.
Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie, perfect experience from the beginning in La Digue
It is not any hidden or direct advertisement, it is just pure and voluntary joy to share our complete 10 nights experience at the most popular facility on the island. The price is not important, and I won’t talk about that. It is not cheap, of course, but when you speak about Seychelles, you can find much more expensive hotels or resorts, so then the choice was perfect. From the very beginning, at our arrival, we where picked up from the ferry terminal, and driven with a buggy to the facility. The resort is not far, 500 meters, but our villa was uphill, and with three trolleys, it wasn’t any easy task to get there. The first positive thing. But before entering our wonderful villa, we were awaited in the lobby with a mango cold juice, which perfectly fitted our thirst after the long journey from Bucharest – Doha – Mahe – La Digue.
The surprises from the magnificent villa we stayed in
Things are looking good! The staff shows us the big facility, with a huge terrace, that opens on top of a dense forest, and with a generous view to the Indian Ocean and to… Praslin island. The bathroom is outside the room, with a shower and a bathtub, so you can wash while listening to the birds, seeing the green geckos on the walls, and the big fruit bats flying around. On the table, there is a small “Moet” and a platter of fresh local fruit. Of course we ate all, and put the drink in the fridge, to celebrate later. Normally, when you reach such a place, you want to stay as much as possible inside the premises, which we did. Especially that there was an amazing, pretty big, infinity swimming pool with an 11 hours access. But we are not the type to stay only in a resort, so this is why we don’t usually do this type of tourism.
Don’t book a bike online for La Digue – you can find plenty when you arrive
Now it is different. It is our honeymoon and want to mark this properly. However, so do we want to “meet” Anse Source d’Argent, which is said to be the most photographed beach in the world, and once we get to see it, we better understand why. Not very far from our accommodation, but if we count the 2.5 kilometers, this is a significant distance for this small island. However, we like to walk, and explore. But doing this symbolic trip, made us solidify our opinion that, indeed, hiring a bike is the best decision for the island. In fact, that is, by far, the most popular means of transportation in the place. You can imagine why… So we did booked a 8-day bike, but for the next day. Don’t do like us! Take a bike / day from a facility near your accommodation. For 150 rupee (9.30 euro) you’ll be much more efficient. We thought that hiring one in advance from Aria’s Rentals will work better, but it backfired, so then just DON’T take any bike from them. I’ll get a bit into detail later on.
150 rupee to easily access Anse Source d’Argent from L’Union Estate
Back to Anse Source d’Argent. The thing here, to access this facile, you need to pay an entry fee to L’Union Estate Farm, of 150 rupee (9.30 euro). If you know to take the most of it, you will go like us, at 16:30, get access for the remaining of the day, and then have full access the next day also. With the option to exit and enter as many times you want (because you get a bracelet) from early in the morning to 19:00 (when it is already dark anyway). We did this, and it is 100% worth it. Who says that 300 rupee for two persons is a lot of money, I am sorry, but has nothing to do in Seychelles, because the archipelago it is not cheap in general. The famous beach is only the top of the visit, because for that fee you can see a generous “collection” of giant tortoises, lots of coconut trees (be careful for coco nuts not to hit you in the head, because they fall from far up!!!), and a very old granitic rock – the type of rocks that make Seychelles in general, and La Digue in particular, very famous.
L’Union Estate is hosting tens of giant tortoises!
The tortoises are inside a rock fence. You can get close to them, but cannot enter in the same surface. For me, that is not a problem, of course. We can admire them, take pictures, and even gently pet them (not on the shelf, but on their paws and necks), check some little ones, and then head to the rocky beach. We set our “camp” directly at the foot of a small beach bar, and for 100 rupee we get a fresh juice on the spot. I prefer the star fruit, without sugar, to the amazement of the day barman. We are entering the water. It is hard to describe how warm, clear and low it was. A perfect combination to allow us to explore the true charm of the place, by “swimming” far from the shore, because the real beauty of Anse Source d’Argent lays in the way in which it is seen from the sea, not from the beach itself. But, to me, resting on the most photographed beach in the world is, itself, more important than to see it. You can always see it in the pictures!
Meeting the mighty Takamaka Rum
The 3rd and 4th of May were, in the end, split between Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie and L’Union Farm Estate. It had to be! We have enjoyed the water from the Indian Ocean, but we must also enjoy our infinity pool. Oh, and our meals! Because, in the price of the stay, two meals a day, breakfast and dinner were included. That spared us from a lot of headaches. And, wow, the food from this place is not brought from all the cuisines in the world, but it is also cooked exactly how it should be. All of it! The selection is huge, and the quality raises above four starts, need to say. We try, for the first time the famous Takamaka Dark vanilla flavored rum. Indeed, the best rum I ever drank! Being here for two days, I realize we get room service twice a day, and that really ads even more value to our expectations from the facility.
Getting accustomed with Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie
Everything is perfect, but of course we are active, we want to see, explore, and travel as much as possible. And not only on La Digue! This is why, in three days, 5th, 7th and 9th of May, we booked some trips outside, but near the island. I will talk about them separately, in another chapter, just to narrow my writing on the beautiful La Digue and its offerings. Having these three loop holes, it is exactly the reason for which I regret even more taking a bike in advance. We shouldn’t. Used it on 4th of May, but it was not the best. However, the trip to L’Union and back was far easier, and, of course, faster. Skipping the above three days, in which, generally, we enjoyed the fine resort we were staying in the evenings – and more details to come here! – we can go directly to 6th of May. It was decided to go and explore the south-east part of the island, and also try and fix our bikes.
Another side of La Digue with… SeyBrew
The road there crosses almost all the island, and it is around 4.5 kilometers with significant uphill, but also with a beautiful green landscape, as it goes, generally, thru the core of the land, so no beaches on one side or the other. A lot of birds, though, and very beautiful local houses, which bring joy to our eyes and spirit. The purpose of the road is to go to the free is to arrive at the three mighty, Grand Anse, Petit Anse and Anse Cocos. Each has its story, and its wonders, but first it is time for another drink, and we found the perfect fit for it: Loutier Coco. It is a restaurant in fact, with a very friendly staff and very clean environment. For a facility at the edge of the beach, the bathroom and the general settlement was surprisingly clean. They have fresh juices, coffee, and the famous SeyBrew. The food looked also good, but since we didn’t try any, can’t recommend. The time has come to see the beaches.
Discovering Anse Cocos, a hidden wonder of La Digue
Grand Anse is beautiful, but more for pictures, than to lay down, and enjoy the sun. It has less hade, and being deprived of this possibility in Seychelles, means to be exposed to the strong sun, and that might not fit well for your general health. After taking some pictures, we found out there is a “secret” passage thru the woods, which allows us to go to Petit Anse. We did it, quite rocky, but saw the middle beach. There, some tourists told us that in 15 minutes time of similar walk we will arrive at Anse Cocos. We don’t have too much time, but in the end we agree to proceed and to enjoy the place. It would have been a huge mistake not to. Arriving there, we decided to spent 40 minutes on this beach. Only two more people were enjoying the last rays of the sun, as the set was about to come. The place is a real hidden jewel. Not easy to go there, but surely worth it. And I bet you can see perfect sunrises there, but we didn’t have time for that.
Spoilt by Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie
We “packed” our things, removed as much as sand possible from our underwear, and headed back to enjoy our lovely “base camp”, L’Orangeraie. The evenings spent here are absolute dream. Especially because, apart from our established package for which we paid, the level of service was enhanced hugely. Two special dinners, as complimentary honeymoon gifts, one great breakfast, and all the attention in the world from the top management. A huge way to treat guests! Also, in the last evening, Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie arranged a beautiful sunset bar snack, as another beautiful surprise. Our stay here will be forever remembered as a perfect time, and this is more linked to people than what we actually had there. Before returning telling you how beautiful was at the resort, I am jumping to 8th of May, when we booked the Crystal Water Kayak experience, so went once more to L’Union Estate.
Crystal Water Kayak, an experience you should try
In the search for a transparent kayak adventure we found two companies, but since one was organizing the tours at 2:00 PM and obliging you to wash off the sunscreen were no options, we decided to go for Crystal Water Kayak. For me, the kayak handling was a nightmare, but seeing the fish from the glass bottom, the corals, and especially the might Anse Source d’Argent at its real beauty, were topping the “suffering”. We did stop to enjoy a natural swimming pool, and learned how to open a coconut, in case we get stuck on an island. As well, visited the places where parts of the Robinson Crusoe movie was shoot in 1988. The year of my birth. 🙂 The guys are outstanding, and for 1100 rupee for two, this will be a true authentic La Digue experience with lots of useful information about Anse Source d’Argent. At the end, we remain one last time on the beach. To admire the might boulders, found a small patch of isolated part of it and enjoy it for around one hour. Our infinity pool was awaiting.
Discovering Anse Patata, our favorite beach from La Digue
Why this appetite for spending time there? Because the infinity pool from our resort was offering perhaps the best sunset view on the whole island, and questionable one of the best in Seychelles, perhaps. I mean, what can be better than to see the sun going down, behind Praslin, from an infinity pool with a La Digue cocktail, or a Takamaka rum in front. I tell you, this feeling is unmatched. After 9th of May, we were done with leaving the island for trips, so we decided to make the best out of the last three full days on the island. Then, on 10th of May we absolutely needed to explore the only part of the land we didn’t got time until then to: Anse Severe, Anse Patata, Anse Fourmi and Anse Banana – the north-west part of the island. Oh, and how beautiful this initiative seemed to be! Anse Severe is exactly behind our stay, and we found out, in the last day, on 12th of May, that there a giant tortoise can also be found and pet. You should be aware of this, to have a chance and not miss it, because we were very close of doing that.
Good fresh juice at Karim’s bar, Anse Severe
On the same time, we found a “loose” tortoise near the extreme north-west end of the island (at least by road), between Anse Banana and Anse Fourmi. These animals have owners, because as a Seychellois you can adopt one, if you are closely accounted for its well being, but they are set lose, since especially in those parts, motorized vehicles are so rare, as it simply doesn’t make too much sense to use one. Of course, it is well understood that their appearance itself was a pure joy for us. We fed and pet the animals, but also we did other memorable things: like discovering the beauty and the intimacy of Anse Patata, maybe the best one on the island. Of course, I was telling you about the other famous ones, but this, because of its beauty, small shape, and very close proximity to Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie has an added grain of beauty. We spent time here, and then headed to Karim’s bar, at the north extreme of Anse Severe, where we drank a few fresh juices and enjoy the shed of the luxurious trees. No mater how small is La Digue, and how much time you spend there – I can tell you very few stay 10 days like us, let alone more – it always seem that you can spend there months and it might not be enough.
Armstrong’s Rentals – ideal place to rent a bike in La Digue
Anse Patata was a true inspiration in our last days there, so we decided to visit it for sun bath, and for a photo session on 11th of May as all. In fact, this day had a very special meaning, as we pedaled almost 20 kilometers, on all the island’s roads. To Anse Fourmi, and then to Grand Anse, one more time and back. This time, with a great bicycle hired from Armstong’s rentals directly, cheaper, and much better, after our initial purchase, Aria’s Rentals, not only they offered us shitty bikes, which they needed to change, and they did, but they took it on 11th of May, in the morning, instead of at the end of the day, as the agreement was done: seven days paid + one free. We used those bikes instead, three days, and had a lot of headaches. But now, finding Armstrong’s opposite to Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie, gave us the possibility to hire a bike for only 9.3 EUR / day, and be able to climb uphill with if. So then we could, finally, move fast and safe on the island.
One last “dance” to Grand Anse
This was a true full day, with sight of the giant tortoise which was hiding a bit uphill in the bushes, but we have managed to spot it, feed it, and pet it a bit more. Then, another stop to Anse Patata, the last one. Enjoying this beach was really amazing, and now going to see one last time Grand Anse. Because there is no time to go again to Anse Cocos, or to have a glance at Petit Anse. I prefer to sip a beer and a coffee, while Anca decides to enjoy the water here as well. I am not tempted, because, as said, there are not too many shade sources on the beach, and also the wind was picking up, so then there were annoyingly big waves heading to shore. Regardless, the conclusion of every day was the same: we get to see a sublime sunset from Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie. We did see this again, of course. Then what should be done more in La Digue? Any tips? Oh, but of course!
The mighty La Digue Paradise Flycatcher, or… Veuve!
On Saturday, 10th of May we have realized we miss seeing one essence of the island: the beautiful endemic Paradise Flycatcher bird. A purple long-tailed species, which lives there. We are seeking for solutions, and remember there is a small natural reservation on the island: Veuve (the name of the bird in Creole – the local language, originating from French). The bad part is that on Sundays, that is close, so then we know that we have one more shot: on 12th of May. This is way, in our endless bike journey from Sunday, 11th of May, we try to identify also the reservation. Well, it wasn’t so difficult, after all, given the 10 km2 of the island, as I told you, but just as an idea. While doing that, in our journey to Grand Anse, I am spotting an individual of this male bird, in a tree. Its beauty is amazing, so then we reinforce the idea of going, in our last full day in La Digue is the best idea.
The kit of famous… La Passe FC
Of course, 12th of May being on a Monday, we have some other things to take care of as well. For example to fill our pockets with souvenirs from La Digue. 🙂 Our initial intention is to see first Veuve, and then to buy the gifts. However, when we arrived there, we are informed that the guided tour starts in one hour. So then we recalibrate our schedule and go “downtown” to visit the few small shops we can find. So we do. Among all beautiful things we take to have for a lifetime, one thing stands out by far for me: a complete kit of La Passe FC, the local football team, five times champion of Seychelles! It bothers me a bit that I can find only XL and XXL sides, instead of S, or at least M, as I prefer, but this has to do, especially that the complete green and yellow kit is only around 22 EUR, a bargain, if you ask me. Who imagined I can find this to buy in such a remote place? Now, the shopping being done we quickly head back to Veuve. We are the only tourists in the tour. It is good news.
Veuve reservation, a must see in La Digue
Having the guide for us lone for one hour, it is a good deal for 400 rupee both. We see both the male and female of Paradise Flycatcher, learn a lot of things about them, but also we learn different things about vegetation, other birds and insects, including a spider which creates an attack shield inside a… leaf, by rolling it. The experience is amazing. You should visit Veuve 100%. But what I forgot to tell you, though, is how we started the day: with a perfect Seychellois massage, at our facility, with a 10% discount, and a free spa session, offered for us as honeymooners. The experience here was, as well, amazing. Especially the facility was very close to our villa. The end of our stay here is quickly arriving, and there are mixed feelings. On 13th of May, early in the morning, we have a ferry to Mahe, for our second shorter part of our stay. The hotel representatives look after ourselves once more, and not only they bring us to the ship, but they pack us a takeaway breakfast I was not expecting to have.
La Digue it was so kind with us!
Our luggage is done, and our refillable metal bottles given as a gift souvenir from the beginning by the resort are also arranged and filled. I gave a last glance to them, and also I am going out one last time on our enormous terrace, where seeds and fruits hit the floor every night, from the trees you can see in the picture. Some bats are crossing the sky in front of my eyes, in the glimpse of the morning. I feel fulfilled about everything, grateful and happy I lived that, and I will forever have that in my mind, as soon as will be alive. La Digue is sublime, indeed, but we are 100% sure it can’t be as it is perceived by us if it wouldn’t have Le Domain de L’Orangeraie. The place is magnificent, and we, for sure, plan to return some day there. The experience was full, whole, and perfect. We might have done more than we should, instead of enjoying more the resort, but we don’t regret anything, as La Digue, and its surroundings, were calling to be seen, and we couldn’t resist in not doing so.
Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie, 100% quality
To conclude, every second spent on La Digue was perfect, even if it seemed too short. It cannot be different. And having the opportunity to stay at a wonderful place, such is Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie, made the cycle of wonder ideal. This tiny island is not the same without the resort, or at least so we perceived the reality. If you want a dream honeymoon, then here it is the place. You will regret for sure once leaving that you couldn’t enjoy neither the island, neither the accommodation more, but this is, generally, a big part of life. We would do this 100 times again, if we were to start over. La Digue made us feel wanted, welcomed and part of the island. Apart from Aria’s Rentals, we didn’t have any unpleasant experience in this place. Everything was top, and this is why I specifically wanted to write a whole story about the experience here, without mixing with other things we did in Seychelles. Because, there is more to come! A second and final chapter of our vacation will be archived here soon. 🙂
