Gladstone v Disraeli. Ali v Frazier. Taylor Swift v pretty much anyone. Great feuds, sure, but they don’t involve whole countries. No, for a proper, international-incident-level rivalry — but one that stops reassuringly short of actual armed combat — you need to look to the Indian Ocean, where Mauritius and the Seychelles have been slugging it out for sunshine supremacy since the 1970s.
On the (gently rippling, infinity-pool) surface, the two island nations look pretty similar: both sell a seductive dream of serene resorts, soft sandy beaches and warm tropical waters. Unlike the Maldives, they also offer a hinterland beyond the beach, as each is equipped with steaming jungle and a teeming town or two. But look deeper — perhaps literally, as both destinations have some pretty serious sub-aquatic adventures on hand too — and differences appear.
So which one serves up silky creole curries and which one binges on bat? Which one has direct UK flights and which one might mean a stop in Ethiopia? Which one is better? We argue the toss.
Main photo: a statue at a Hindu temple in Bon Accueil, Mauritius (Alamy); hawksbill turtle hatchlings on Cousine Island in the Seychelles (GettyImages)
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Show more Show lessBeaches
Winner Seychelles
You know those screensaver images with the giant granite boulders perfectly bookending the talcum-powder sand, and lilting palm trees behind? All shot in the Seychelles. Even better, every single one of these beaches is public; and, uniquely, the law says there must be a footpath to them — which means you can stay at a cheap mom-and-pop guesthouse and still traipse through the six-star resort to their “exclusive” strip of coast. Particular beauties include Petite Anse, Anse Soleil, Anse a la Mouche and Port Launay, all on the main island of Mahé, Anse Lazio on Praslin Island, and Anse Source d’Argent on little La Digue.
The beaches of Mauritius, too, are technically public — though good luck getting past the doorman because many of the loveliest are laid out (un)welcomingly in front of the best hotels. In place of the Seychelles’ house-sized boulders, quite a few Mauritian beaches are framed by stretches of coral; that can make for interesting rock-pooling, but certainly isn’t soft on the feet. The island’s jungly, mountainous interior gives great backdrop, though — and nowhere more so than on the Le Morne peninsula, a white-sand wonder in the country’s breezy southwest corner.
Hotels
Winner Seychelles
From posh to peanuts, the Seychelles has it all. Wills and Kate honeymooned at North Island, where a “room” (actually a sprawling wooden mini-mansion in its own acre or two of beach-fringed jungle) won’t leave you much change from £10,000 a night; but at Bord Mer, for instance, just three minutes’ walk from boisterous, locals’ choice Beau Vallon beach, you can get a double for less than £100. Other great high-end choices are the country’s two Four Seasons resorts (one on the mainland, one marooned happily on tiny Desroches Island); brilliant cheapies include Anse Soleil Beachcomber and Lazare Picault (both pare things back to the essentials with simple rooms beside amazing beaches).
Hotels in Mauritius are by and large bigger than their Seychellois sisters. That can mean there’s more to do: the two “grandes dames” resorts, One&Only Le Saint Géran and Shangri-La Le Touessrok, provide all sorts of water sports and entertainment, and the latter even has its own private offshore island. But it also means that if you want real peace and quiet you have to go very upmarket (the decorous Royal Palm Beachcomber costs about £700 a night, though it does have the country’s best beach attached). Cheaper choices that are buzzy rather than bustling include La Pirogue and Salt of Palmar.
Beyond the resort
Winner It’s a draw — it just depends what you like
Step off a Seychelles beach in one direction and you’ve got arguably the best snorkelling and diving in the world: in just a ten-minute snorkel off the sand you’ve got a good chance of seeing uncannily graceful rays, turtles and enough improbably coloured sea creatures to fill a thousand corporate fishtanks. Head landwards, meanwhile, for hikes studded with waterfalls (including some you can swim in), giant tortoises and technicolour fruit and veg stalls in the towns. With 115 islands to explore (though realistically holidaymakers rarely make it beyond the big two or three), you’ll not get bored — and, come evening, you’re never far from an everybody-welcome, locals-and-tourists barbecue party on the beach.
In Mauritius, meanwhile, sugar cane carpets half of the cultivated land on the island (it’s a salutary reminder of the country’s colonial past but looks lovely from your hire-car window), while the rest of the land seems to be nature reserves and national parks, densely forested and waterfall-spattered. Kitesurf on the west coast, spot dolphins around Tamarin, enjoy the melting-pot markets of Port Louis, Grand Baie and Flacq — or head out in the early evening to hear sega, the slightly reggae-ish local dance music.
Food and drink
Winner Seychelles
We had you at “bat”, right? Not just a tourist gimmick — the sonar-toting little critters crop up on plenty of menus in the Seychelles, from locals-only lunch joints to luxe hotels. Usually served in a curry, it tastes rather like rabbit, though the furry skin might put off more delicate eaters. Beyond bat, you’ll find zingingly fresh seafood at every turn, which is no surprise: drive half a mile here and you’ll pass fishermen selling their fresh catch at the roadside. The country’s French heritage doesn’t hurt, either: it’s almost impossible to eat badly in the Seychelles.
Culinarily, Mauritius is a classic creole mix, with influences you can taste from India, Africa, China and Europe. The best way to experience it is street food-style: gateaux piments, merveilles and samosas all come spiced with chillies, cardamom and cloves, and are typically eaten on the hoof (leave the white shirt at home). More open to global tourism than the Seychelles, there’s a slightly higher preponderance here of burger and pizza places — but you can always sharpen the appetite with rum; there are now numerous local artisan distillers.
The practicals
Winner Mauritius
The Seychelles is no longer served by direct flights from the UK, which means changing planes in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi — or, if you want to save, Addis Ababa with Ethiopian Airlines. However, with the right connections you can fly from London in less than 13 hours, which is only 90 minutes longer than a direct flight to Mauritius. Weather-wise, it’s always warm, but you can get rain pretty much any month (especially in December and January).
Both British Airways and Air Mauritius fly direct from London to the Mauritian capital, Port Louis (or you can go more cheaply, via Nairobi, with Kenya Airways). As with the Seychelles, air temperatures remain high all year — as, just as importantly, do sea temperatures — but there’s a slight risk of tropical storms from December until March, when the island is also at its hottest. Avoid November to April if you can (“cyclone season” can bring lots of short, sharp rainstorms if nothing else), and consider a stay in the breezier south or eastern coast.
But above all, don’t worry: whichever Indian Ocean idyll you opt for, you’re going to have a blast.
