Indian Ocean
A safari can easily be combined with a stay on the Indian Ocean Islands of Mauritius, Madagascar, Reunion, Mozambique or the Seychelles - or one can simply elect to bypass the safari and just spend a week or two on the islands! Here you will find perfect tropical beaches, magnificent food and service and hours of unbroken sunshine in unparalleled settings.
Mauritius provides an extraordinary standard of accommodation ranging from traditional, family oriented, hotels to oases of luxury and is perfect for either honeymoons or those wanting a sophisticated "one stop" beach holiday with the facility of unlimited watersports and staff to look after your children.
The Seychelles remain one of the world's least spoiled tropical paradises. There are many things about the Seychelles that inspire awe, even in the most seasoned globetrotter: the magnificent bird life, the Coco de Mer (a double coconut that is the world's largest) and 180,000 giant tortoises on Aldabra Island! These granite and coral islands also happen to have some of the world's finest beaches. The ideal way of seeing the Seychelles is to island hop by ferry or plane.
Praslin is home to the unique Coco de Mer palm, growing in the mysterious Valleé de Mai. Three of the rarest birds in the world are found here: the Seychelles Black Parrot, the Blue Pigeon and the Bulbul. There are a handful of wonderful, small hotels dotted around Praslin, including what has been termed as Seychelles' first six star hotel. Bird Island must rate as Robinson Crusoe's favourite and, for those interested in the simpler things in life, this is our first choice. These days Mahe, the central island of the Seychelles, offers the most extraordinarily luxurious hotels in the form of the Banyan Tree and Northolme whilst sybaritic bliss is also found on Fregate Island and North Island, both for sheer escapism and completely unparalleled luxury. Cousine Island is magnificent: just a handful of villas offer perfect intimacy, whilst Alphonse Island offers much for the fisherman and Desroches for the diver.
Reunion is somewhere very different and very special. Probably the most reasonably priced island in the Indian Ocean, it is still part of France. For those that are interested in volcanoes, this island is a 'must see'. It does not boast the most beautiful of beaches, but for those wanting more of an exploratory and walking holiday, who are complete Francophiles (as one really does need to speak good French here), then this is the perfect island for you. Scenically, it is far more interesting than its other Indian Ocean counterparts and one spends time visiting the three cirques. There is primary forest to explore too. It is super as both a honeymoon island as well as somewhere to take children, and one of the hotels on the main beach has a French 'kids club'.
