"Seychelles by Catamaran" a Seychelles Travel Page by cricketdog

My husband and I spent time in the Seychelles in February and got to see many of the islands by boat. By chance, I came across a company that offers "by the cabin" charters aboard an 82-foot catamaran. Trips are offered for 3 nights, 7 nights and 10 nights. We took the 10 night trip with hotel stays on both ends of the cruise.

I am so thankful we got to see the islands the way we did. The cruises are captained by locals and the chefs on the boats are also locals. We got the benefit of the "inside scoop" for each of the islands as well as the chance to sample a lot of the local cuisine.

Some of our tours were led by the captain while others were by "professionals" at the reserves, etc. We stopped at about 14 of the islands, some for day-long and overnights stays, others for a couple of hours for snorkeling, exploring, etc.

These cruises are not for everyone; however. There is no electricity in the individual cabins so if you or your significant other are "high maintenance", you may not be happy. It's pretty no-frills sailing but a fantastic way to see a number of the islands. Dinner and lunch dress consists of bathing suits and t-shirts.

More information is posted on the Dream Yacht Charters website --
http://www.dreamyachtcharter.com/uk/seychelles/croisiere_a_la_cabine.asp?page=croisiere_a_la_cabine.asp

We booked through a travel agency in Australia and saved some money off the published rates.

I would highly recommend the experience. My husband fished everyday (brought his own fishing pole) and caught enough fish on several days to feed the 13 passengers and 4 crew members for that day. We also got to know the crew and captain well. On our last night of the cruise (docked in Victoria Harbor), the crew took us out on the town where we went to a local nightclub and had a blast. We also ate dinner at the captain's house one night on Mahe.

My husband and I both feel like we've are friends-for-life with the crew of the boat and getting to know the locals on such a level really heightened our experience. We didn't feel like "tourists" by the end of the trip.

I would suggest staying at least one night in a hotel at the beginning and end of the cruise. It was nice to take a "real" shower and blow-dry my hair before we flew home.