The Seychelles from the UK: flights, timing and where to stay
Seychelles is a rare thing from the UK: a genuinely exotic Indian Ocean destination with a non-stop, an overnight flight and no meaningful jet lag. That makes a ten-night, two-island trip realistic rather than ambitious.
Editor's Top Pick
North Island, a Luxury Collection Resort
Our first call for a UK traveller.
The hotel's official site
The stays we’d book
Editor’s shortlist
Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island
Desroches Island, Amirantes, Seychelles
Best for: Private island with variety
Rates and availability are shown on the booking partner’s site, or the property’s own where we have no partner.
Getting there from the UK
- Routing
- British Airways operates Heathrow to Mahé non-stop, around 10h30. Qatar via Doha and Emirates via Dubai connect from regional airports in 14-16 hours. Praslin is a 15-minute domestic flight or a 60-minute ferry; the outer islands add a light aircraft.
- When to go
- April-May and October-November are the calm shoulders. December to March is humid with afternoon showers; May to September is drier but windy, with seaweed on exposed south-east beaches.
- What to budget
- Expect GBP 700-GBP 1,400 a night on Mahé or Praslin, GBP 1,700-GBP 2,400 for Zil Pasyon, and GBP 3,000-plus for North Island. Domestic flights are GBP 60-GBP 120 per leg. All-in for two for ten nights: GBP 12,000-GBP 24,000.
When to go, against the UK calendar
| Window | What to expect |
|---|---|
| February half-term | Warm and humid with afternoon rain. Doable, but not the island at its best. |
| Easter | April is one of the two best months here and Easter often catches it — book a year out. |
| May half-term | Calm water at the tail of the good window, before the south-east trades build. |
| Summer holidays | Windy. Better for Beau Vallon and the north-west than for the south-east coast. |
| October half-term | The second calm window and the quietest good-weather week of the year. |
The stays we’d book
North Island, a Luxury Collection Resort
Best for: Ultra-private honeymoon
11 hand-built villas across a whole private island — the benchmark for absolute privacy in the Indian Ocean, and the honeymoon many other resorts are quietly measured against.
Why this works from the UK
- A significant anniversary or honeymoon with no ceiling.
- Absolute privacy matters more than choice.
Eleven villas and one dining room — wonderful for five nights, testing for ten.
Six Senses Zil Pasyon, Félicité
Best for: Design + wellness
30 granite-boulder villas across a private Inner Islands paradise — the strongest wellness programme in Seychelles and Six Senses' signature architecture.
Why this works from the UK
- The granite-and-jungle Seychelles is what you came for.
- You want wellness that is structured, not decorative.
A helicopter or boat transfer on top of the flight.
Four Seasons Resort Seychelles, Mahé
Best for: First Seychelles trip
Cliffside villas above Petite Anse — the most polished big-brand base on Mahé, with a serious spa, strong family credentials and easy access to the rest of the island.
Why this works from the UK
- First trip, and you want to see the country rather than one beach.
- You want a base you can hire a car from.
Steep terrain; buggy-dependent for most of the resort.
Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island
Best for: Private island with variety
The only resort on 14km of Amirantes coral island — cycling everywhere, one of the region's best PADI centres, and Four Seasons service without the North Island price tag.
Why this works from the UK
- You want a private island without North Island pricing.
- Cycling and diving over sunloungers.
The Amirantes flight only runs on certain days — it constrains your dates.
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FAQs
Is there a direct flight to Seychelles from the UK?
Yes — British Airways flies Heathrow to Mahé non-stop in about 10h30, overnight in both directions.
When is the best time to visit Seychelles from the UK?
April-May and October-November. Easter and October half-term both fall inside the two calm windows, which is unusually convenient.
How much does Seychelles cost from the UK?
GBP 12,000-GBP 24,000 all-in for two for ten nights across two islands, including flights.
Seychelles or Maldives from the UK?
Both are non-stop from London. Seychelles for landscape and island-hopping; Maldives for overwater villas and reef.