Seychelles: not just for lazy lovers

The beaches are the main attraction, but this island paradise offers plenty for culture and food fundis too, writes Yasantha Naidoo

Baby powder soft swooshes of sand nudged gently by azure water stretching from amber-kissed skylines on one side panning to lush mountain scenery on the other. And hardly a soul around.

That's the Seychelles sales pitch promise tempting holiday makers to the 115 island archipelago in the Indian Ocean where the tropical climate makes it a honeymoon destination so attractive that even George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin succumbed.

The brochures and pictures don't lie.

It really is a slice of Eden where the exotic beauty of the beaches is so powerful that, like a computer bug, it reformats your brain and you can literally feel the stress flowing out your body with each ebb of the wave.

There's no doubt that the award-winning beaches are its main attraction - the thought of sipping a mocktail (it's illegal to consume alcohol in public), while eagerly paging through Paula Hawkins' Into the Water (no pun intended) under the shade of a palm tree is idyllic.

But the cultural heritage and ecological richness make it a destination that is not only for lazy lovers.

In Mahe, the largest island with the world's smallest capital, visitors can sample a taste of the market life where fishermen sell their daily catch - it's very similar to the Durban Fish market - as well as fresh fruit, vegetables and spices.

Or across the road, you can light an incense stick and offer a prayer to Ganesha, the remover of obstacles at the Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinayagar temple, the only Hindu temple in the Seychelles. A steep drive up the mountains takes you to the Mission Lodge - the island's most famous vantage point which offers the most stunning backdrop for those picture-perfect selfies.

A 15-minute Air Seychelles flight in a 16-seater, over a glorious view of granite outcrops or lush vegetation in the middle of the ocean, gets you to Praslin, where the tempo of life beats island-style slow.

Praslin is home to the Seychelles World Heritage Site, Vallee de Mai, home to the infamous Coco de Mer palms. The fruit, renowned for its resemblance to the female and male genitalia - maybe that's why its so popular as a lovers' paradise - are jewels of the island and unfortunately much like our rhino horns, threatened by poaching.

A trek through the lush vegetation will have environmentalists on a high.

Another 15-minute ride - this time on a bobbing ferry - gets you to laid-back La Digue island. Rows of bicycles and bushes of blooming flowers that line the jetty - beyond crates of groceries due for delivery to the luxurious resorts - give that back-to-nature vibe; you will hardly see a car on the roads, which adds enormously to its charm.

Of course the gastronomic delights are equally tempting. Something that Sherin Francis, CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, plans to promote in the months to come.

The island's abundance of fish and seafood, fruit and vegetables, as well as exotic spices, offer a myriad of flavours that are mind-blowingly memorable. These include octopus curry and a coconut delice.

One such delicacy is the breadfruit, an exotic, prickly looking pod which has been billed as a superfood. Legend has it that once you taste it, you will be returning to the island.

Thank goodness Air Seychelles is now flying twice weekly out of Durban. I hear the island calling my name.

HOW TO MAKE OCTOPUS CURRY

Ingredients:

1kg octopus

3 Tbsp oil

4 garlic cloves, finely grated

1 small piece of ginger, finely grated

3 Tbsp saffron

1 tsp masala (add more for spicier dish)

5 whole cinnamon leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 litre coconut milk

2 large eggplants, cut into small cubes

Method:

1) Cut octopus into pieces (not too big) and boil until tender.

2) In a pan, heat the oil. Add the garlic, ginger, saffron, masala, cinnamon leaves, salt and pepper. Add pieces of octopus, briefly allow to fry.

3) Slowly pour in coconut milk (this must cover all the ingredients in the pan). Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, taking care to turn from time to time in the saucepan so the octopus doesn't stick.

4) Add eggplant. Turn gently with a wooden spoon. Allow to simmer for five minutes; the coconut milk should have reduced to a little less than half.

5) Serve with rice.

• Recipe courtesy of Eden Bleu Hotel, Mahe.

• Yasantha Naidoo was a guest of Air Seychelles and Seychelles Tourism Board.

• This article was originally published in The Times.