White sand, warm water and a break from everyday life. That is the picture most people have when they start thinking about an island holiday, but Mauritius, Zanzibar, the Seychelles and the Maldives are very different places once you get there. Here is how I tell them apart when clients ask me to help them choose.
Mauritius is the all rounder. It has beaches, good food, hiking, culture and a wide range of resorts at different prices, which makes it a good fit for families, couples and groups with different tastes. It is also a comfortable first island holiday.
Zanzibar adds character to the beach. Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is full of old alleys, markets and history, and a spice tour shows you why the island is known as the Spice Island. The beaches are lovely too, though on the east coast the tide goes out a long way, so the north, around Nungwi and Kendwa, is better for swimming at most times of day. Zanzibar can also offer good value compared with some of the other islands.
The Seychelles is about nature and drama. Granite boulders, green hills and beaches such as Anse Source d'Argent on La Digue make it a favourite with couples and with people who like to walk and island hop between Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. It tends to be more expensive than Mauritius or Zanzibar.
Then there are the Maldives, the classic escape. Most resorts have an island to themselves, and you stay in absolute paradise, sometimes even that overwater villa, snorkel on a house reef and arrive by seaplane or boat. It is a holiday you spend mostly at the resort, so the resort you choose matters a great deal.
If I had to sum it up in a sentence each, I would send a honeymoon or special occasion to the Maldives or Mauritius, a family to Mauritius, someone who loves culture and character to Zanzibar, a walker to the Seychelles and a snorkeler to the Maldives. And if you want a bit of everything, Mauritius is hard to beat.
Still deciding? Send me a message through the contact page with your travel dates, who is going and a rough budget, and I will help you narrow it down.
