Seychelles

The Seychelles trade on a single image — pale sand, glass water, and great smooth granite boulders piled at the tide line — and the islands deliver it relentlessly. You island-hop between Mahé, Praslin, and tiny La Digue by ferry, swap the car for a bicycle, and structure the day around which beach to walk to next. It is built for honeymoons and slow weeks, and it knows it.

Three islands cover it. Mahé has the airport, the capital, and the longest beaches; Praslin has the Vallée de Mai palm forest where the famous coco de mer grows; and La Digue, reached by ferry and crossed by bike, has Anse Source d’Argent, the boulder-framed beach on every postcard. Days are simple: snorkel a reef, cycle to the next cove, eat grilled fish and Creole curry, repeat. The granite formations genuinely look unlike anywhere else, and the water rarely disappoints.

The honest part: this is one of the most expensive places you can fly to, and the price buys you scenery and not much else to do. Beyond the beaches and a couple of nature reserves, the list of activities runs short fast, and a full week can start to blur. Inter-island ferries cost real money and seas can be choppy, the southeast monsoon (May to September) brings seaweed and wind to some beaches, and dining out is eye-watering. If you need variety and pace, the cost is hard to justify. If you want to do almost nothing somewhere remarkable, this is it.