Anse Lazio

Anse Lazio is the beach that tops most lists of the best in Seychelles, and unlike some famous names it largely earns it. It is a wide, generous curve of soft white sand on the north west corner of Praslin, closed off at each end by the rounded granite boulders these islands are known for, with water that shades from pale jade to deep blue. The scale is what strikes you first, because after the intimate coves elsewhere this feels like a proper big beach.

The reason it suits more people than Anse Source d'Argent is simple. You can actually swim here. The water deepens at a sensible pace and the bay is open enough for a real swim, with the north end usually the calmest and best for children, while the centre can pick up a little more movement. It is still the open Indian Ocean, so swell does build at times and lifeguard cover is not something to count on, but on a calm day this is among the finest swimming beaches in the country.

It is also one of the few beaches here with proper food on the spot. Two restaurants sit just behind the sand, Bonbon Plume at one end and Le Chevalier at the other, both feet in the sand places known for grilled fish and seafood. They are restaurants rather than daybed clubs, so you come for a long lazy lunch rather than a bed and a bottle, and they make a full day here easy without packing a picnic.

The honest caveats are access and crowds. The beach is free and open, but you reach it by a short steep walk over the hill from the car park, which catches some people out. By the middle of the day tour groups and hotel guests fill the central sand, so the trick is the same as everywhere good in Seychelles. Arrive early, take the north end, and you get the wide calm version before the bus arrivals. For organised daybeds and clubs, see our Seychelles beach clubs directory.