Only a short distance from Mahés west coast near Port Glaud lays the jewel Therese Island with one of the most beautiful tropical beaches we have ever seen. The tiny uninhabited island is about 1,6 km long and 160 m high with an abundance of coconut palm trees and lush tropical vegetation. Getting there isn´t really easy and so we ourselves have only been there once yet. But staying all alone on a tropical island is an experience to be had. Shady trees are available.
The touristic hot spot on Mahé. Many different hotels, self-catering apartments and other facilities at various prices are threaded along the road and the green hills behind this wide sandy beach. You can find restaurants, shops, along with providers for water-sport activities, boat trips, excursions and even a casino.
The continuous stretch of Beau Vallon is an about 1,5 km long sandy beach, if you take the whole bay interrupted with some granite rocks it is more than 2 km.
The fine sandy beach slopes gently down to the sea. The main part is free of corals and therefore perfect for swimming. You can find lots of shadow under the trees starting at noon.
For us, Beau Vallon is not the typical Seychelles beach. It has a slight European touch, but if you are looking for a long sandy beach with all comforts close by, or if you are travelling with small children, this might be your place. If you are looking for peace an tranquillity choose one of the many other Seychelles beaches on Mahé.
The beach near Glacis on Mahé is a rather small one and hardly used by tourists. There are a few fishermen with their fishing huts using the beach and there is plenty of shadow around. The northern end of the beach has an interesting yellow colour and is quite attractive with many different sized granite boulders in the water. This area is also pretty nice to go swimming. Unfortunately, there are a few walls that protect some properties from erosion that are a little distracting.
This part of Anse Nord D´Est in the northern part of Mahé will soon be home to a new hotel. The beach can be wild at times and then it can be hard to get into the water. If it is calm, it is perfect for swimming. There is also some shade available. Parking is difficult, so this beach isn´t particularly easy to get to.
As the name Anse Nord D´est tells you, this is the rather rough coastline of Mahé in the northeast, probably not a beach to linger around the whole day, but tastes are different and the beaches along this coast at least are not crowded. The northernmost part of Anse Nord D´Est is an actually pretty nice sandy beach, but unfortunately, investors have left a big building shell that is visible all over the place and spoils the otherwise nice beach. Shadow is rare to not available at all. The road is always close by but there isn´t much traffic on that road.
Anse Aux Pins is the beach right after the Seychelles International Airport on Mahé, heading south. It is pretty long and rather narrow. You´ll regularly find a few fishing boats and quite some seaweed. The waters are usually rather shallow and not perfect for swimming. While there is some shade from trees, on some parts of the beach, it is pretty hard to find in other parts. Expect to be alone on this beach because hardly anybody ever finds his way here, despite the road being close by.
Anse Royale on Mahe is a beautiful long stretched but narrow beach with lots of different looks. Right at the northern tip, there is a small parking ground. This part is the shadiest one. Going into the water is possible on large parts of the beach. Along the central part of the beach, you will find a lot of picturesque fishing boats anchoring on the shore. The further you go south, the less attractive the beach gets. But at the end of the bay, there is a beautiful photo-spot where you can shoot the church from a wall towards the north.
Anse Baleine is a beautiful tiny hidden beach between Anse Royal and Anse Forbans, with coconut palm trees spending shadow (be careful not to sit right underneath) and granite boulders spread around the beach and in the water. Don´t be disappointed if there is hardly any beach at all. These images were shot at low tide. And depending on the season there is more or less beach which is very natural. Anse Baleine is situated along the south coast road, 300-400m before you reach the surfer's beach restaurant. If you want to visit that little beach you might have to walk a bit along the road, because there is only space for one car to park in the corner of the road and we are not even sure if this place is meant for parking ;-). 
Anse Parnel on Mahé is the home of the Surfers Beach Restaurant and Self Catering Chalets on the South Coast Road. Therefore Parking is rather easy and you may take a snack during your stay. The beach is really nice, offering some shade especially from noon to afternoon. The water can be really shallow though, so swimming is not perfect.
It is not surprising that the Double Tree by Hilton (former Allamanda Hotel) and the Anse Forbans Chalets have chosen Anse Forbans for their facilities. This wonderful beach is great for a walk along the southeast of Mahé because it is nearly 1,5km log and hardly populated. Depending on the tide, Anse Forbans (which merges into Anse Marie-Luise in the south) is a rather narrow pure sandy beach that only gets interrupted by typical granite rocks once. These rocks are easy to climb and give you a great view over Anse Forbans and the Double Tree Hotel. Swimming, however, isn´t easy here because the waters are quite shallow, but bathing is quite nice - of course depending on the season again.
Anse Marie-Louise continues from Anse Forbans towards the south. It is either accessible via Anse Forbans, or via a dirt road that heads towards the south right after the property of Anse Forbans Chalets. It is the last easily accessible beach on this side of the island and definitely worth a visit. The waters are usually shallow and the beach rather narrow. Shadow is available under bushes and trees. Not too much, but considering that only very few people find the way here, the place usually is reserved for you ;).
In the very remote south of Mahé almost at the end of the road, even after Anse Intendance, you find the wild and beautiful Anse Bazarca. It is not a beach for swimming and at the time when we´ve visited it there have always been huge waves and no police was present like on many other Mahé beaches, but it´s worth to walk or sit on the beach and enjoy this outstanding natural view for a while, or lay on the beach in the waves. Anse Bazarca is one of the little secrets of Mahé that you should not miss.
