Welcome to my latest Seychelles travel itinerary, showcasing another unforgettable journey to this tropical paradise. This marks my fourth visit over the years, each time exploring different islands and resorts. On this trip, we begin at Carana Beach Hotel, a sister property of Denis Private Island, owned by the Masons family. Following our stay, we embark on a breathtaking helicopter ride to Félicité Island to experience the luxurious Six Senses Zil Pasyon. This will be our sixth Six Senses resort, and their Seychelles property has long been on my travel radar. Join us as we discover the best of Mahé and Félicité, uncovering hidden gems and indulging in unparalleled luxury.

Six Senses (now owned by the IHG chain - International Hotel Group) has been a luxury concept which resonated with me from our first ever, albeit accidental visit, many years ago to one of their (two) hotels in Thailand, Yao Noi. We were meant to be staying elsewhere on the island of Phuket, but with that resort not opening on time, we had to find somewhere else to visit for the first four nights of the trip. The (new) hotel gave us a list of recommendations and we picked Yao Noi. In fact, I loved Six Senses so much that I actually wish we'd given the original resort a miss and spent our whole time at Yao Noi, as it was such a wonderful experience. 

The hotels featuring in the post are:

• Carana Beach Hotel, Mahé

• Six Senses Zil Pasyon

Read on to find my full detailed travel itinerary for this trip, with helpful info on:

• How we travelled to the Seychelles from the UK.

• My top hotel recommendations for the Seychelles

• How we travelled around between Seychelles islands.

• Things to do when in the Seychelles.

Flying to the Seychelles (SEZ) with Qatar Airways

I booked Qatar, always an airline of choice through British Airways, so the booking attracted BA flight numbers, but both flights were fully operated by Qatar. First flight to Doha, then onwards to the Seychelles and what is always such a nice surprise on booking, the onward flight was fitted out with Q Suites.

Finalising this travel itinerary now in the air en-route to Hamad International, Doha, I can explain a little about the first flight. We had expected Edinburgh Airport to be busy with this really being the first day of (Scottish) school holidays, but what we hadn’t counted on was chaos through the baggage belts for checking in luggage not working. Although there was a priority queue for Business Class, this had built up to quite a length and there was a tremendous wait until the baggage belts started working again. No fault of Qatar, but it was anything but the usual premium experience. It also meant that there was very little time in the lounge (we were directed to the British Airways lounge, so quite far away from departure gate 19),

Best places to stay in The Seychelles

On previous trips, I have stayed at a number of properties, many with reviews on my website already. These have included: 

• Denis Private Island

• Constance Ephelia, Mahé

• Constance Lemuria, Praslin

• Le Domaine de la Réserve, Praslin

• Raffles Seychelles, Praslin

The first I ever visited, such a long time ago, was when a pre-planned trip to Egypt had to be cancelled due to safety concerns. We therefore had to pick another destination with British Airways, and I opted for the Seychelles. I’ve been back to Egypt since, and loved it, but that first (inadvertent) trip to the Seychelles also started off a love with these magnificent islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Why Book with Classic Travel and The Private Traveller

By booking through my affiliation with Classic Travel, I was able to secure a number of additional VIP benefits with their Virtuoso Rate. These included (for Six Senses Zil Pasyon):

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability

• Complimentary Buffet or a la carte Breakfast for two daily for duration of stay

• $100 USD equivalent Resort credit to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full)

• Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability

• Complimentary Wi-FI

Fast Facts for Carana Beach Hotel, Mahé

Address - PO Box 404, Victoria – Mahé, Seychelles
Website - https://caranabeach.com/
Group website - https://masonstravel.com/
TripAdvisor ranking - #7 of 45 hotels on Mahé Island
Contact - info@caranabeach.com
Instagram - @carana.beach.hotel @masonstravel
Nearest airport - Seychelles (or Aéroport de la Pointe Larue in French) International Airport (SEZ) - 17.5 km or 11 miles (about a 30 min drive, traffic dependent)
Opened - 2016
Number of rooms / suites - 40 in total (28 Ocean View Chalets & 12 Ocean View Pool Chalets)
Number of floors - 1
Bars - 1 (Carana Beach Bar)
Restaurants - 1 (Lorizon)
Wellbeing - Various spa treatments, in your chalet, or your pool deck, or in the spa suite.Outdoor swimming pool.
Visiting - July 2024

A couple of years ago, still during Covid times but when there was an allowable travel window, we went to the Seychelles (having been cancelled a couple of times before) and first stayed for a week at Raffles Seychelles, on one of the main islands of Praslin. We had to stay in the resort for a number of days, before we were Covid tested again and then we could travel onto other islands. We flew direct (private plane) with Zil Air from the main Praslin airport direct onto the private airstrip of Denis Island, a private island resort owned by the Mason’s family. We had the most fantastic stay at Denis Private Island, as you can read in one of my already posted hotel reviews, and we’re coming back this time to try out their Mahé property, Carana Beach Hotel.

Things to do on Mahé Island, Seychelles

The idea of this break is complete relaxation, and while we will do a few things, a key thing is just to experience both of these hotels which I’ve wanted to visit for some time, relax and enjoy their facilities including the spa.

Here are just some of the things I’m planning for our trip:

A Day Trip to the Capital, Victoria

Having been to the Seychelles a few times before, we’ve never actually done much on the capital island, Mahé, nor ever been to Victoria. Most of our time has been spent in resorts, or taking island trips organized by those island hotels. I’m therefore looking forward to a trip here, and apparently there is a very colourful market most days of the week.

Victoria (Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke) Market

As I understand it, this is closed on a Sunday but open every other day. It’s apparently a bustling, colorful marketplace featuring fresh local produce, spices, handicrafts & souvenirs.

National Botanical Gardens

Wherever we go in the world, with ‘Mrs’ The Private Traveller being such a keen gardener and horticulturist, we often visit botanic gardens and they can be a great day out for a walk, and inspect local plants. The National Botanical Gardens in Victoria looks well worth a visit.

There can be the assumption that the Seychelles are just beautiful beaches, which indeed these magnificent islands have in abundance, but there can be so much more to them in terms of nature walks and hikes, and we plan to do a couple of these when staying on Mahé.

Mission Lodge, Morne Seychellois National Park

 Close to the highest point you can reach on Mahé by road, Mission Lodge has a superb lookout with spectacular views of central Mahé and the west coast, and some low-slung stone ruins slowly returning to the forest (a school was built here by the London Missionary Society in the 19th century to care for slave children who had been dumped on the island after the abolition of slavery). Queen Elizabeth II took tea in the small pavilion in 1972.

Jardin Du Roi Spice Garden

 Hilltop spice plantation with a small furnished house museum, nature trails & Creole restaurant. 

Sens Spa (at Carana Beach)

Wherever I stay, a hotel spa is always a very important part of my trip, not so much for ‘Mrs’ The Private Traveller. There is a spa at Carana Beach (Sens Spa) which I will try out for sure, with treatments being available in the spa or in our chalet or balcony.

Getting around in the Seychelles

When travelling between islands before, we have often used Zil Air. Their base is located only a very short drive from Mahé International Airport, and will always come and meet you from a connecting flight. We’ve done both private plane and helicopter journeys, and when going to a private resort it can be the perfect way to arrive, and sometimes not too much more expensive that arranging domestic flights with Air Seychelles then also car and boat connections too. We’ve arrived by helicopter to both the Constance Seychelles properties (Lemuria on Praslin and Ephelia on Mahé), Raffles Seychelles, and by private plane to Denis Island.

This trip, we will travel both ways to Six Senses Zil Pasyon. The alternative would have been commercial flights from Mahé to Praslin, but then we would have had to pay also for a car transfer to the port, then a boat ride from Praslin to Félicité. The 20 minute helicopter ride direct was much more attractive, and such a scenic way to travel too.

Staying on Félicité Island: Six Senses Zil Pasyon

This will be my sixth different Six Senses hotel and resort, others have been:

• Yao Noi, Thailand

• Con Dao, Vietnam

• Qing Cheng Mountain, China

• Laamu, Maldives

• Douro Valley, Portugal

From that very first visit, I’ve been a huge fan of the Six Senses concept, and have really enjoyed all stays. The only one which felt slightly lack-lustre (particularly in the main reception/welcome area) was Con Dao in Vietnam.

Why Book with Classic Travel and The Private Traveller

By booking through my affiliation with Classic Travel, I was able to secure a number of additional VIP benefits with their Virtuoso Rate.

These included:

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability

• Complimentary Buffet or a la carte Breakfast for two daily for duration of stay

• $100 USD equivalent Resort credit to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full)

• Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability

• Complimentary Wi-FI

Fast Facts for Six Senses Zil Pasyon

Address - Félicité Island, Seychelles
Website - https://www.sixsenses.com/en/resorts/zil-pasyon/
Group website - https://www.sixsenses.com/en/
TripAdvisor ranking - #1 of 1 hotels on Félicité Island
Contact - reservations-zilpasyon@sixsenses.com
Instagram - @sixsenseszilpasyon @sixssenses
Nearest airport - Seychelles (or Aéroport de la Pointe Larue in French) International Airport (SEZ) on Mahé. Direct helicopter with Zil Air (20 minutes), or fly to Praslin Island then onwards by boat transfer
Opened - 2016
Number of rooms / suites - 28 one-bedroom pool villas (Hideaway, Panorama for views and Oceanfront for relaxing ocean sounds, Pasyon & Signature pool villas) and 2 two-bedroom pool villas. Also 1 three (Seascape) and 2 four (The Sanctuary or Ocean Sounds) bedroom residences.
Number of floors - 1
Bars - 2 (Lakanbiz & Koko Bar)
Restaurants - 4 (Island Café, Chef’s Kitchen, Wine Vault, & Ocean Kitchen)
Wellbeing - Five double treatment villas (Rock, Cave, Ocean, Nature and Floating), elevated pool with sundeck, yoga, and meditation pavilion, wellness screening, full gymnasium.
Visiting - July 2024

I’ve wanted to stay here for a while, as the island has only the one property on it, the Six Senses. All villas have private pools, they just vary by location and outlook on the island.

Full Travel Itinerary: The Seychelles, Indian Ocean

• Day 1   Fly to Hamad International Doha (DOH) direct from Edinburgh (EDI) with Qatar Airways

  • Early afternoon 6hr 55min flighT

  • Arrival near midnight, with a three hour layover to experience the wonderful Al Mourjan Business Lounge (last trip we were lucky enough to experience the incredible Al Safwa First Lounge (where I did a review)

• Day 2  Doha to Mahé, Seychelles with Qatar AirwayS

  • Very early morning/overnight 4hr 45min flight

  • The only and only leg with their Q Suite

  • Transfer to Carana Beach Hotel for 5 nights

• Days 3-6  Mahé, various activities

  • Overnight Carana Beach Hotel

• Day 7  Drive from Carana Beach to the Zil Air Helicopter terminal

  • 21 minute helicopter ride direct to the island of Félicité, the home of Six Senses Zil Pasyon

  • 5 nights Six Senses Zip Pasyon

• Days 8-11  Senses Zil Pasyon

  • Overnight in one of their Panorama Pool Villas

• Day 12  Return helicopter to Mahé

  • Return to board the overnight Qatar Airways flight to Doha, with onward connection back to Edinburgh

  • Scheduled 4hr 45min flight SEZ-DOH

• Day 13  Return home

  • Onward schedule, after a short 1hr 45min layover, 7hr 30 min flight

Stay up to date with all my travel reviews!

Whenever I take a trip, as well as providing the full travel itinerary (detailed next) I’ll also provide a detailed hotel review for each property, I will be posting on social channels like Instagram and also now creating a YouTube video of any hotel too.

Please check out my links below to view more of my travel reviews, and be sure to leave a comment to let me know what you think about my travel itinerary.