Carana Beach Hotel

best in combination with private island lodge

Carana Beach Hotel is located on Mahe Island in the Seychelles.

Set on the northern tip of the island, above Victoria and Beau Vallon, this little place is a very pleasant and relatively well-priced option around a lovely little beach.

The lodge is centred on lounges on an upper level, passing down to a main building at beach level, with bar, lounge and dining areas leading out to a swimming pool.

There is also an extensive spa.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Carana Beach Hotel is in 40 modern chalets, all with air-conditioning and satellite television …

Ocean View Chalets : x26 : 45 sqm : These rooms are relatively small, especially compared with the lavish suites on offer in the top end resorts, but they are very well presented and well equipped. Suitable for two adults and one child aged 0-17.

Ocean View Pool Chalets : x14 : 60 sqm : These rooms are exactly the same, except that they each have a decent sized plunge pool.

Activities

Carana Beach Hotel offers the following activities, not all of which are necessarily included in the room rate …

• Diving : not included
• Snorkelling
• Kayaking
• Paddle-boarding
• Spa and gym
• Tours of Mahe Island

Although we can and do combine the Seychelles with safaris on mainland Africa, this tends to happen relatively rarely. The main airport on Mahé is 2200 km from Nairobi and 3800 km from Johannesburg. For most people, the tropical beaches of East Africa end up being an easier and cheaper option.

But for some, the powerful allure of these beautiful islands is too much to resist and they are happy to stay overnight in Nairobi or Johannesburg, before flying out to the Seychelles.

These islands are far more commonly visited as a separate trip. There are direct flights to the islands from Europe and the Persian Gulf.

Most visits to the Seychelles run to 7-14 nights, usually split between two or three lodges. The usual stay duration at this particular lodge is 3-7 nights.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit the Seychelles is generally considered to be during the May-Oct dry season.

It is worth pointing out that the Seychelles experiences prodigious rainfall, far more than most other islands in the Indian Ocean.

Getting there

The Seychelles really are tiny specks of land, set out in the vastness of the Indian Ocean.

From Mahe International Airport, the lodge is accessed by means of a road transfer of around 60 minutes or a helicopter transfer of around 10 minutes.

only occasionally combined with safari on mainland Africa