Let me say this, if you have never been to the Seychelles, then you could be excused for thinking the expression 'Seychelles a trip to Paradise' is only a marketing ploy. That is until your aircraft gets close into landing at Mahe. Suddenly if you are sitting by a window you become aware of dramatically intense colors of blue, turquoise, and every color in between, and beyond. It quite makes you catch your breath, and as I can't do now, you simply can't explain the dramatic colors and do them justice.

Then when you fly on the short haul to one of the many islands, in my case my first port of call was Praslin, but just flying at quite a low height the colors were even more intense. It was hard to believe that such beauty was possible.

Having been taken to our hotel on Praslin, the first thing we did, even prior to unpacking was to walk on the beach, just to see if the stories we had been told, about the color of the sand and how it felt were true.

All I can say, is that the sand looked like white talcum powder, and was cool to the touch despite the heat, and our proximity to the equator. This was in dramatic contrast to the rough sand of a European beach which could be so hot as to burn your feet. Also the coral sand was like putty when it was damp, and when we waded into the water, it was like a warm bath.

I have very few other memories of my first trip to Paradise that is the Seychelles, except the beaches, the colors of the sea, and the greens of the landscape. An unhurried pace, which allowed us to totally unwind almost immediately, and the friendliness of the people.

If you haven't been to the Seychelles, you must go, and go now, if you have been, especially to one of the islands, then I hope this reminds you of what it was like, and makes you feel like me, that you can't wait to go back.