In 1958, Ian Fleming, of James Bond fame, came to Victoria, Mahe in the Seychelles, a beautiful archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean often referred to as “Africa’s paradise.” He had come reportedly to cure a case of writer’s block. And if so, it worked, as shortly after he wrote the short story The Hildebrand Rarity and his collection of short stories, For Your Eyes Only, both appearing in print in 1960.
On our own visit to Victoria, the capital, on the largest island of the Seychelles, during our 2026 world cruise on Regent’s Seven Seas Mariner, my husband Humberto and I set out to see what may have inspired Fleming.
We took the ship’s included island highlights excursion starting with sights in Victoria. Sadly, we could not see the iconic silver-colored clock tower erected in 1903 as a memorial to Queen Victoria, that Fleming probably saw, as it was under renovation, but we drove along Sans Souci Road –which in French means “without worries” (the Seychelles were established as a French colony in 1756 before falling to the British in 1810). It was apparent that the French influence continues strongly in language and culture as we proceeded along Sans Souci, one of the main streets in this tiny Creole city, one of the smallest capital cities in the world, set between the sea and granite mountains.
We then headed to the historic Mission Lodge, a charitable effort by Anglican missionaries in 1876 to care for the children of freed slaves. There is a monument and a small hut at the site which is set within the beautiful Morne Seychellois National Park with its forested mountains and walking trails offering views of the sea, beaches like Grand Anse, and other islands of the Seychelles archipelago.
“Here, [in Mahe] we keep them as pets,” our guide Steve told us, adding that they are very low maintenance. “You put something green in front of them and they eat it.”
Inside the giant tortoise enclosure, we were able to see a number of these Aldabra giant tortoises – many were just resting together in a row –perhaps just taking a nap in the afternoon heat. Others were out and about and we were able to feed them white cedar branches and pet them. They were gentle and moved slowly but they were very interested in the leafy branches we were offering them. Amazing!
Another place where people can see giant tortoises is at the Marie Antoinette Restaurant on Serret Road in Victoria. This is a historic eatery established in 1972 and housed in a century old colonial mansion. It serves Creole specialties like bat curry and mango salad and as an added bonus has giant tortoises in a pen in its backyard.
Our tour also took us to several lookout points for views of the island, quaint Victoria and beaches including Grand Anse. They were definitely 007-worthy panoramas.
Fleming, incidentally, stayed at the Northolme Hotel, now a Hilton on Mahe. The hotel, which offers day passes, has a villa dedicated to Fleming and its Ocean View Bar has memorabilia of the creator of James Bond and photos including one of him working at his typewriter.
As we said goodbye to the Seychelles, we could appreciate how the beauty of these islands could inspire any author, whether suffering from writer’s block or not, as well as other travelers like us.
Some superlatives of our visit to the Seychelles:
- Most awesome: Close encounter with the giant Aldabra tortoises.
- Most invigorating: Forest walk on a trail in the Morne Seychellois National Park, fanned by cool breezes and to the tune of birdsong and frogs that sounded like birds.
- Most scenic: Views of beaches and Victoria from mountain lookout points.
- Most anticipated: Our forthcoming stop at Nosy Be, Madagascar as Madagascar is a bucket-list destination for us.
- Most entertaining: A concert by piano virtuoso Naki Ataman presented at the Constellation Theater on board the Seven Seas Mariner the evening we sailed out of the Seychelles. Ataman presented his “Around the World” show that we had seen during one of our circumnavigations on board Holland America’s Amsterdam. Both times we have enjoyed this magical musical journey through many of the destinations of our world cruise.
Follow along with Georgina and Humberto:
Preparing for a World Cruise | The Adventure Begins | Amazing Americas | Crossing the Pacific | Hawaiian Islands | French Polynesia | Venturing to New Zealand | Australia | Bali | Vietnam | Singapore
By Cruise Specialists client, Georgina Cruz
Georgina Cruz is a freelance travel writer specializing in cruises. Her work has appeared in national magazines and regional publications as well as on travel websites. She has been on more than 200 voyages including seven circumnavigations, all booked through Cruise Specialists.
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