Where to Stay in Seychelles: Mahé, Praslin or La Digue?
Choosing where to stay in Seychelles is really two decisions: which islands belong in your trip, then which area will make each island easier. We spent twelve nights moving between Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, stayed in four self-catering apartments and paid A$2,256.57 for eleven accommodation nights.
My honest answer is to stay on all three islands if you have at least a week. Mahé has the most variety and easiest everyday setup, Praslin gave us our favourite swimming beach and boat day, and La Digue was the island I wished we had booked for longer.
This guide covers the areas I would choose, the exact places we stayed, what each cost us and the one base I would change next time.
Where to Stay in Seychelles: My Quick Answer
Scroll to see the full table →
| Island or area | Best for | How long I would stay | Our honest take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beau Vallon, Mahé | First-time visitors, swimming, sunsets and food | 2 nights at the start, 2 at the end | The easiest all-round base of our trip |
| Near Anse Lazio, Praslin | Beaches, a slower pace and the Curieuse boat day | 2 nights | I would stay closer to Anse Lazio next time |
| Central La Digue | Bikes, granite beaches and island atmosphere | 3 nights if time allows | We stayed 2 nights and wanted one more |
For an eight-day trip, I would split it as two nights on Mahé, two on Praslin, two on La Digue, then two final nights back on Mahé. That keeps the final ferry away from your international flight and gives you another chance to explore Mahé.
If you only have time for one island, choose Mahé. If you have time for two, add Praslin. La Digue is the island I would protect once your trip is long enough to include all three.
The Four Places We Actually Stayed
We chose apartments with kitchens because full-time travel cannot feel like holiday mode every night. Cooking gave us some home normality, and in Seychelles it also made a huge difference to the budget. These are not researched hotel picks. We slept in all four.
D&M Holiday Apartment
Our first three nights, booked through Airbnb. We paid A$483.46 in total, or about A$161 a night. It gave us a kitchen, parking and a practical base near our favourite easy beach.
Chez Rona
Our host was the standout. He had thought of everything and cooked us a complimentary Creole dinner. We paid A$569 for three nights, about A$190 a night, and used a hire car to explore.
MAZU Apartments
Our biggest apartment in Seychelles, with a pool and bikes available for SCR100 a day. We paid A$701.11 for two nights because we booked only two days ahead in peak season.
Peponi SelfCatering Apartments
Our final three nights before flying to Mauritius. We paid A$503 in total, about A$168 a night. It was another useful kitchen-and-car base for beach days and our flight out.
Our prices are what we paid in August 2026, not a promise of the current rate. We booked everything extremely late, so compare your dates properly rather than using our La Digue price as normal.
Where to Stay on Mahé
Mahé is the largest island, where the international airport is, and the island with the widest mix of beaches, hikes, food and everyday shops. I would not treat it as somewhere to land and leave. Some of our favourite days happened here.
Beau Vallon Is the Best All-Round Base
Beau Vallon would be my first recommendation for most first-time visitors. The beach was flat and swimmable every day we went, even in windy August, and it is long enough that people can spread out. You can stay for sunset, walk to dinner and get ice cream without turning every evening into another drive.
That mattered more than I expected. Seychelles has beautiful secluded beaches, but Beau Vallon was where the trip felt easiest. Beach Shak was our best-value sit-down meal on Mahé, Ô Saveurs des Iles became a repeat ice cream stop, and there is even a free outdoor gym beside the beach.
Both D&M and Peponi worked well because we had a car. Mahé was the island where Ellen said a car felt like a need, and I agree. We used K Rent, collected at the airport and found the process easy. If you do not want to drive, stay as close to Beau Vallon beach and its restaurants as your budget allows.
Would I Stay in Victoria?
I would visit Victoria rather than base the whole trip there. It is useful for the market, shops and services, but Seychelles is a beach trip for us. Beau Vallon gives you the practical side without giving up the reason you flew here.
When South Mahé Makes More Sense
Choose the south if your priority is quiet beaches and a resort-style escape, not walking to lots of restaurants. Petite Anse, Anse Intendance, Anse Takamaka and Anse Royale make the south incredibly scenic, but the drives are longer and some exposed beaches were rough in August.
The new drone view above Petite Anse shows why people choose this side for a special stay. We visited through the Four Seasons without staying there, gave our details at the gate and walked down to the public beach. It was stunning, but I would still choose Beau Vallon for a first trip unless the accommodation itself is the holiday.
Where to Stay on Praslin
Praslin is smaller than Mahé but still spread out enough that location matters. Our biggest decision would be whether you want a local self-catering base and a car, or whether you would pay more to wake up beside one of the island's best beaches.
Chez Rona Was Our Most Personal Stay
Chez Rona is in Anse Possession, not beside Anse Lazio. The apartment was beautiful and the host made it unforgettable. He cooked us chicken curry, green papaya and job fish as a complimentary Creole dinner, then showed us how locals mix the curry through the papaya.
I would recommend Chez Rona to anyone who values a thoughtful host and a quieter base. We hired a Suzuki Swift from OLA and paid 145 euros for three full days, so we never felt stuck.
Where I Would Stay on a Beach Holiday
If I came back for a shorter holiday, I would compare places closer to Anse Lazio. That is not because Chez Rona disappointed us. It is because Anse Lazio was our favourite swimming beach in Seychelles, and being able to reach it early or stay late would be such a luxury.
We parked above the beach and walked about 15 minutes down, rather than driving the longer route to paid parking. From the far end of Anse Lazio, a granite-boulder path led us to a much smaller beach that we had completely to ourselves.
Praslin is also the best base for the paid activity I would book again: our Curieuse and St Pierre trip with hotel pickup and Creole lunch. We paid A$111 each, then SCR150 each for the protected-area fee on arrival.
Where to Stay on La Digue
La Digue is the easiest island for choosing an area because almost everything centres around La Passe and Anse Réunion. There are more bikes than cars, and once you have collected a bike, the ferry, takeaways, market and beaches all feel close.
Stay Central and Book Early
MAZU was slightly inland, peaceful and easy to cycle from. The pool was welcome after a hot ride, the apartment had a proper kitchen and hiring bikes directly from the property meant we could start exploring straight away.
The only part I would change is our timing. We booked two days before arriving in August and paid roughly A$351 a night because there were almost no choices left. That is not a normal budget recommendation. Check MAZU for your dates, but compare other central La Digue apartments early too.
Give La Digue Three Nights if You Can
We stayed two nights and Ellen's verdict as we left was simple: three would have been perfect. Anse Source d'Argent deserves both a quieter morning and sunset visit, while the north-coast ride to Anse Severe and Anse Patates works best when it is not squeezed between ferry times.
Do not pay extra just because a property says it is close to one beach. La Digue is compact and the bike is part of the experience. I would prioritise strong reviews, air conditioning, a kitchen and bikes that can be hired from the property.
How Much Did Accommodation Cost Us?
Scroll to see the full table →
| Island | Nights | What we paid | Average per night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahé, first stay | 3 | A$483.46 | A$161 |
| Praslin | 3 | A$569.00 | A$190 |
| La Digue | 2 | A$701.11 | A$351 |
| Mahé, final stay | 3 | A$503.00 | A$168 |
| Total | 11 | A$2,256.57 | A$205 |
Accommodation was the largest cost of our Seychelles trip. The way we kept the rest manageable was choosing kitchens, buying groceries and using local takeaways instead of eating at resorts every night. Our full in-country total was A$3,994.33 for two people, so the beds alone were more than half of what we spent after landing.
My Seychelles Accommodation Booking Rules
- Choose the island before the hotel. A beautiful property on the wrong island does not fix your route.
- Book La Digue first. It had the least choice when we booked late and punished us the most on price.
- Keep the final night on Mahé. I would not put a same-day inter-island ferry before an international flight.
- Prioritise a kitchen for a longer trip. Seychelles groceries were far cheaper than turning every meal into a restaurant booking.
- Hire a car on Mahé and Praslin. We used K Rent and OLA. La Digue needs a bike, not a car.
- Check the beach against the season. In August, north and west facing beaches were generally kinder for swimming than exposed southeast coasts. Read what August in Seychelles was really like before choosing a beachfront stay.
If you want the island order, ferry sequence and every place pinned, our 8 day Seychelles itinerary and private map puts it all into one route.
Want our 8 day Seychelles route?
Open the island split, private map, beaches, stays and the places we would book again.
See the 8 day Seychelles itinerary →Watch Our Seychelles Vlog
The vlog shows the apartments, island transfers and the areas around our bases on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, so you can see how each island actually felt before choosing where to stay.
Watch our full Seychelles vlog on YouTube
Still planning? Here is our honest verdict after staying on all three islands and the Praslin day trip we would book again and how to connect all three islands and our complete accommodation and trip costs and the beaches worth planning each base around and how the season changes each coast and what we actually did across all three islands.
FAQs About Where to Stay in Seychelles
Which island is best to stay on in Seychelles?
Mahé is the best single island for a first visit because it has the airport, the widest accommodation choice and the greatest mix of beaches, food and hikes. If your trip is at least a week, I would stay on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue rather than choosing only one.
Is it better to stay on Mahé or Praslin?
Mahé is better for variety and convenience. Praslin is better for a quieter beach-focused stay and the Curieuse Island day trip. We enjoyed both, but I would not skip Mahé just because it is the arrival island.
What is the best area to stay on Mahé?
Beau Vallon is my best all-round area on Mahé. The beach was reliably swimmable in August, sunsets were beautiful and we could combine the beach with restaurants, ice cream and everyday shops.
Where should I stay on Praslin?
Stay near Anse Lazio if your priority is beach access and you have the budget. Choose a quieter self-catering base such as Chez Rona at Anse Possession if a thoughtful host, a kitchen and better value matter more. Either way, a hire car makes Praslin easier.
How many nights should I stay on La Digue?
I would choose three nights. We stayed two and wished we had one more. Three gives you time for Anse Source d'Argent at two different times, the north-coast bike ride and a slower beach day without rushing around ferries.
Do you need a car in Seychelles?
We found a car essential on Mahé and very useful on Praslin. We hired from K Rent on Mahé and OLA on Praslin. La Digue is different because bikes are the normal way to travel and a car is unnecessary.
Is self-catering accommodation worth it in Seychelles?
Yes, especially on a longer trip. All four of our stays had kitchens, which gave us home normality while travelling full time and reduced the pressure to pay Seychelles restaurant prices every night.
