Abu Dhabi does the same job as Dubai for 20–30% less, and the Seychelles is the Indian Ocean island group you can actually move around. Three islands linked by ferry, not one resort you're stuck on.
Two decisions that make this cheaper and better than the obvious version.
Abu Dhabi has the Grand Mosque, the Louvre and Yas Island, and its hotels cost noticeably less than Dubai's for the same standard — Etihad routes through it anyway. Then in the Seychelles, rather than sitting on Mahé for a week, you take the ferry: Mahé for the mountains and the capital, Praslin for the palm forest and Anse Lazio, La Digue for the bicycle island and the most photographed beach on earth. It costs very little more and it doubles what you see.
Eleven nights, with the inter-island ferries booked as part of the package — they sell out in peak months.
1Calmer than Dubai, cheaper, and with the single best building in the Gulf.
Where you stay: Corniche for a seafront walk and a public beach, Saadiyat for the best natural sand in the UAE.
Getting there: 7 hours direct from the UK.
2The main island, and unlike the Maldives it's a real place — a capital, a bus network, mountains and seventy beaches.
Where you stay: Beau Vallon for convenience, or a southern headland hotel for drama.
Getting there: 4h 30m Abu Dhabi to Mahé.
3The two islands people fly halfway round the world for, and they're an hour apart.
Where you stay: Côte d'Or on Praslin, then a guesthouse or small hotel on La Digue. Splitting these two is worth the packing.
Getting there: 1 hour by fast ferry from Mahé, then 15 minutes Praslin to La Digue.
Everything below is quoted up front. Nothing appears after you've paid a deposit.
Guide prices per person, two sharing, outside school holidays. The hotel standard is the biggest single variable.
| Standard | What that means | Guide price pp |
|---|---|---|
| 4-star | Good Abu Dhabi hotel, comfortable island hotels and a La Digue guesthouse | £2,449 |
| 4-star plus | Saadiyat beachfront, strong four-star resorts on Praslin | £3,099 |
| 5-star | Landmark Abu Dhabi hotel, luxury resorts throughout | £4,399 |
The Seychelles is expensive because almost everything is imported. Mixing a guesthouse on La Digue with a smarter resort on Praslin is the trick most agents don't suggest, and it cuts the total meaningfully without costing you anything you'd notice.
It sits four degrees off the equator, so it's 28–30°C every month. What changes is the wind.
April, May, October and November are the changeover months between monsoons — calmest seas, clearest water, best diving. July and August are windy, which suits sailing but not flat-water snorkelling, and some east-facing beaches collect seaweed. Abu Dhabi is comfortable November to April and 40°C-plus from May to September, so October and November suit both halves best.
We'll build the island route, book the ferries with the holiday, and write the payment plan out in full.
Because they're genuinely different and an hour apart. It's the Seychelles' main advantage over the Maldives and most people don't use it.
Yes, and we do it with the holiday. They sell out in July, August and over Christmas, and sorting it at the quay on the day is not what you paid for.
Typically 20–30% less on the hotel for the same standard, with the same weather and the same airlines. That gap is the whole argument.
Some east-facing beaches collect sargassum in July and August. It's seasonal and natural. Ask us and we'll steer you to beaches that avoid it.
Similar shapes, and the ones people most often weigh up alongside it.
Same approach, different shape. All reshapeable around your dates.
