On this week’s travel crush, we dream of going to the beach—plain and simple—and La Digue, Seychelles, has the answers to our prayers.
I never much liked the beach growing up. It could be because I was raised in the South, where the sand tends to be pale, the ocean runs murky and brown, and the shores are lined with strip malls and gift shops and Salty Dog Cafes.
Still, that never deterred my fellow Southerners, and year after year, I stayed home in Atlanta while others eagerly headed to Gulf Shores or Biloxi every chance they got. To me, beach trips signified five hours in the unforgiving sun, towels laid out on rocky, gravelly ground, and jumping twelve feet into the air every time something you couldn’t see brushed past your foot in the water. No, thank you.
It wasn’t until a trip to Miami and Fort Lauderdale with two of my closest friends that I realized how good life by the ocean could be; even now, I can still picture their heads bobbing up and down in the waves and the sound of their laughter, set against a cotton candy evening sky.
The years that followed that trip brought with them a sudden wave of beach-positive adventures: my first transformative summer in Boston; a vacation to Hawaii with my mom; a long, magical afternoon in Wales with friends who were really more like my chosen family.
There’s something about the beach that effortlessly irons out a disheveled soul—the sounds, the smells, the soothing blue of the water, and the occasion of going in and of itself. When I meet people who grew up near the ocean, I always notice their naturally easy-going demeanor—calm, cool, collected—and wish my childhood self could have had a bit of that.
I’m still not one to prefer the beach to other vacations; I generally opt for cold weather excursions, mountain outings, or city breaks. But for once, I want quintessential sun, sand, and surf. And more than six months into a pandemic that never seems to end, La Digue, Seychelles—a tiny island known for beaches with the power to energize, to soothe, and to inspire—is all I can dream of.
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Treat Yo’self
Despite its size, you’re spoilt for choice on the tiny island of La Digue—and furthermore, the choices you have will spoil you. With jungle-facing and oceanfront villas, both Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie and Le Nautique Waterfront Hotel epitomize the upscale island lifestyle we all deserve after all of this ends.
Fruit Salad (Yummy, Yummy)
One of the best things about tropical beaches is enjoying tropical fruits on tropical beaches. I can already picture myself by the water with fresh picks from Simone’s or juice from Fruita Cabana Bar in hand—and, within moments, in belly. For a heartier snack, Mi Mum’s Takeaway is often considered the best to-go joint on the island and dishes out creole meals like veggie curry and fish filets for takeout on the beach.
Later, sunset cocktails by the water are absolutely necessary, and Petite Anse Beach Bar on the island’s southeastern shore looks like the spot.
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Become a Beach Bum
We all know why we’re here—let’s go to the beach. On La Digue, there is no wrong choice: Source d’Argent, Petite and Grande Anse, Anse Severe Schnorcheln, and Pat all come with the type of waving palm trees, white sands, and crystal blue waters that seem like they should only exist in desktop backgrounds and sweet dreams.