Seychelles – Flights and Hire Car Information
FLIGHTS
AIRLINE
Emirates/Air Seychelles
COST
£1,416 for main flights, £180 for island hopping flights
Outbound
We flew out of Gatwick and got to the Seychelles via Dubai. We choose an afternoon flight as we felt it would give us the morning and get us there fairly early the next day rather than having to book an extra night accommodation. We took off at 1430 and arrived in Mahé airport in the Seychelles at 0645 the following day (equivalent of 0345 UK time). We had a 1 ½ hour stop-over in Dubai which meant our travel time was:
- Gatwick -> Dubai 7hr 5min
- Stopover in Dubai 1hr 30min
- Dubai -> Mahé (Seychelles International) 4hr 40min
- Total travel time 13hr 15 min
We then took a 20 minute flight onto Praslin airport on a tiny little plane! These run at about 20 minute intervals and are bookable at airseychelles.com
Return
On the way back we got the earliest transfer out of Praslin airport over to Mahé island which is the 0625. This gets in at 0640 and makes it very tight for the first flight of the day, but the airport must know this is happening as all seemed to go just fine.
We took off from Mahé at 0815 and landed in Dubai at 1245. We then had another 1hr 30min stopover (rush to the next plane!) before taking off from Dubai at 1415 and landing at Heathrow at 1840. Note that we landed at Heathrow rather than Gatwick which is where we left from. This was my mistake as I had just put in return flights to London rather than Gatwick, however it turned out better both from a cost and a time perspective. The bus from Heathrow to Gatwick was only £25 extra vs about £200 for the flight, and the Gatwick flight took off and landed later so we would have got home roughly the same time anyway.
- Mahé (Seychelles International -> Dubai 4hr 30min
- Stopover in Dubai 1hr 30min
- Dubai -> Heathrow 7hr 25min
- Total travel time 13hr 25min
CAR HIRE
COMPANY
COST
€40 per day
We looked up and booked via their internet site. Bliss Car Hire were very good value for money compared to the competition.
This is a small company run by Sylvie and Stephen. We contacted them a few times in advance to make sure all was ok with the booking and they were always prompt in replying to e mails.
They did not have a stand at Praslin airport, so I asked one of the other ladies who picked up the phone to Sylvie and asked (it’s a small island!). It was our fault as we were about half an hour earlier than we said we would be but nothing was too much trouble and the car was with us within 15 minutes.
The car was a little automatic Kia Picanto easily big enough for the two of us and with enough power to get up the serious hills that cover Praslin’s interior. On the handover we got the normal warnings about not losing the keys and scratches but -most importantly – we were warned not to park under coconut trees for risk of damage. We knew we’d arrived in paradise then!
Once again we were awkward customers on the way back realising we needed to be at the airport a little earlier than we had initially stated. Again it wasn’t a problem, Sylvie and Stephen were there to meet us bright and early before our 0620 flight.
I would highly recommend this company and would rather put money into a lovely little firm like this than with one of the bigger retail companies.
AUTHOR – BEN REEVE
Reeves Roam, is a first-hand travel blog. The Reeves have lived in the UK, South Africa and Australia and have travelled extensively in Europe and Southeast Asia.
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Thanks – Ben, Becca and Gracie