I Love Seychelles

Beach at Beau Vallon

Beau Vallon: Most popular Mahé beach

Beau Vallon is the name of the best known, most popular and largest beach of Mahé island. It’s located in the north west coast of Mahé, 3km from Victoria, in a huge bay: Baie Beau Vallon. Across the bay you can see Silhouette island and North Island.  The beach stretches for miles from the Hilton Northolme hotel in the north to the Meridien Fisherman’s Cove resort in the south.

The water is deep enough for swimming, although you have to be careful not to swim in the areas where the fishermen land in their small boats. In the northern part of the beach there are some excellent places for snorkeling, especially around the big granite rocks. Be careful of the Sea Urchins during low tide though even when wearing foot protection.

The beach side is overbuilt for Seychellois standards. There are 3 big resorts and several smaller hotels, including Clef des Iles, a self-catering accommodation where we stayed. I’d like to stress that with ‘overbuilt’  I’m in no way comparing it to any mass tourism destinations. If you do want to compare it to other non-Seychelles tropical destinations, it’s still very, very low-key, relaxed and quiet.

During the afternoon you’ll find local fishermen selling their fresh fish and farmers selling their tropical fruit in the shade of the big Takamaka trees.

If you’re worried about seaweed, we didn’t see any during our stay in September. But this might be different when the winds change. I found the beach to be clean. Funny are the little white crabs that run around and digg themselves into the sand when they see danger (=you) coming.

We really liked the Beau Vallon area for its beauty, and because it’s not completely desserted. It’s an excellent place to start your Seychelles holiday. In the village (which is named after the beach) you’ll find plenty of good restaurants like La Perle Noire and the Boathouse, which serves Creole buffet. There’s also an ATM, various convenience stores and a police station, all located around the junction with the road to Bel Ombre, which is the next village.

Very romantic were the walks over the beach during night. The waves crashing on the beach. For some reason this seems to make more noise during the night than it does during daytime. Some parts of the beach can be very dark though, so be prepared for that.

Beau Vallon beach, Mahé island, Seychelles