HOW MUCH? IT CAN BE CHEAPER THAN CENTER PARCS!

IF YOU have a celebration-sized budget, you won’t struggle to splash the cash in the Seychelles.

But if you can resist the five-star resorts, you’ll find the Indian Ocean archipelago can be better value than you might have expected. Research by the Seychelles Tourism Board found that a holiday in the island paradise costs less than a UK staycation in Center Parcs. A week in a four-bed Exclusive lodge in Center Parcs Elveden Forest in Suffolk costs up to £7,198, while the average price for a family of four spending seven nights in the Seychelles, including flights and hotel, is £5,900.

Karen Confait, marketing director at Tourism Seychelles, says: ‘Across the 115 islands, there are many small hotels and guest houses for a price that will leave you enough to enjoy diving, sailing, hiking, cycling and island-hopping. And keep costs down by using buses, visiting markets and street food stalls to eat – and using all the beaches that are free, which is most of them.’