Day 1 in Mahé

One of the perks of working for an airline company is we get to choose any country within our network for our annual leave destination.

I remember my first day at work in 2012, my boss asked me, “where is Seychelles?” I had no idea what he was talking about. He then sat me in front of his computer and showed me photos of a tropical paradise.

In 2015, I was off to finally experience this dreamy island I only saw in posters and brochures.

Goodbye, Abu Dhabi…

On our day of travel, my husband and I had a dramatic morning and we almost missed our flight. He is one of those rare species who doesn’t get an adrenalin boost during departure days.

While I run around intensely – checking in online, unplugging devices and doing all sorts of last-minute packing – he takes his own sweet time stretching in bed like a normal lazy day. Oh, such contrasting characters!

I was huffing and puffing as we walked the aisle of shame… all eyes on us, the last-arriving passengers. He, however, was all calm and undaunted.

“We made it,” he said with a smile as we reached the empty back row. I rolled my eyes like I’ve never done before.

Our 4-hour flight gave me time to regroup the army of emotions inside me. What was I doing, ruining the start of a supposedly wonderful trip?

I needed to learn to relax and let God take control. No one wants a grumpy wife in paradise.

“It is not the destination but the journey that matters.”

Touchdown! Majestic green mountains served as backdrop to the humble airport.

The Captain and his friends.

Hello, Emirates.

Lining up in immigration then looking for an ATM…

The currency: Seychellois Rupee

We were a bit surprised to learn that there were no metered taxis at the arrivals queue. We paid a fixed rate from Victoria airport to our hotel in Beau Vallon.

Taxi rate: 600 SCR | 45 USD | 41 EUR | 165 AED | 1,985 PHP

The air smelled so fresh!

We arrived at the Coral Strand Hotel in less than an hour.

Upon checking in, for some reason, we were offered a free upgrade to their upper class hotel.

While my husband sorted out the check-in and transfer, I went to eat. This was my way of letting go.
Octopus salad and fresh coconut juice with clear sea view.

Octopus salad and coconut water: 220 SCR | 16 USD | 15 EUR | 60 AED | 728 PHP

At first, I wasn’t too excited about the transfer because Coral Strand was beach front while the other hotel had a little street separating it from the beach. But I wanted to practice the principle of letting go, so I waited patiently.

A few hours later, I waved goodbye to this homey place…And said hello to this luxurious upgrade…

Welcome to Savoy Resort & Spa!Our room was amazing and sad at the same time. It was so nice, I didn’t want to leave the room.

I’ll show more of the room in another post.When night came, we walked out to look for a place to eat. All the restaurants we passed by were expensive so we ended up back in Coral Strand. The cheapest food available was pizza.

Pizza, pineapple juice and coconut water: 295 SCR | 22 USD | 20 AED | 976 PHP | 81 AED

After dinner, we went straight to bed.

Day 1 was done, just like that.
“When you let go, something magical happens. You give God room to work.”