The Breadfruit146;s Promise

A word to honeymooners: If you haven8217;t yet decided where to go, go to Denis. It8217;s the place8212;romantic and isolated, but one that doesn8217;t scrimp on luxury.

Seychelles may be a honeymoon destination, but its people don8217;t believe in honeymoons. More than 70 per cent of the 80,000-strong population gives marriage a thumbs-down and opts to live in. Ninety per cent are Roman Catholic, the others Anglican and all of them swear by the love-and-let-live theory. Why? Seychelles law provides for the woman regardless of whether she is married or living in; so they ask: Why go through legal hassles? Over a tequila sunrise, I ponder that.

The shadows grow longer. A small motorboat chugs in. The PoA? Head to a bigger vessel and cruise around Denis. The sunset, they tell me, is spectacular. Cloud cover envelopes the sky; no sunset, but the champagne and canapes are spectacular enough.

Dinner time. For those who fancy major fish pickings, you8217;ve come to the right place: There8217;s shark, barracuda, jackfish, red snapper, cordonnier, grouper, squid, mussel and octopus. All perked up with a Creole twist.

At Moyenne, well-known as 8220;the island bought by a Brit journalist for pound;10,000 years ago8217;8217;, I walk past the long table.

The white tablecloth just about covers the spindly legs, which seem to be groaning under the weight of the many curries and vegetables. The shark, spiced with saffron, looks interesting. Coupled with the jackfish curry, rice and chilled red wine, it8217;s one helluva lunch. And I have to admit: Shark8217;s a taste that can grow on you.

Taken around the island, we stop by to say hello to giant tortoises and someone asks about gris gris, the islands8217; version of voodoo, but the islanders don8217;t open up.

Brendon Grimshaw, the owner of Moyenne, speaks of other things: Pirates and treasure, the tsunami and how lucky the island nation was two people died, he tells us, fish and forest and how eating the breadfruit ensures that you return to Seychelles. Grimshaw, who8217;s converted the island into a flora-and-fauna haven, wants to be on Moyenne forever and even shows us the grave he8217;s marked out for himself.

The locals point out a nearby island. Another resort? The picturesque setting turns out to be a jail where criminals serve out their sentence. No dingy lock-up, no handcuffs. Prisoners are free to roam on the beautiful and secluded island.

Another day. We8217;re in Victoria, Mahe, one of the smallest capitals in the world. So small that the town8212;the others are all villages8212;has just one set of traffic lights. It8217;s always been paradise, though.

Spotted by the French and then taken over by

the British, Seychelles gained independence in 1976. Today, it has a multi-party political system with a president as the head of state.

In Mahe, a local lets me in on an interesting nugget: There8217;s one man for every three women here. Interestingly, the archipelago is also home to the coco-de-mer palm. The strange bi-lobed nuts, with the suggestive 8216;male and female shapes8217;, are said to have aphrodisiacal properties. And the female fruit is everywhere, on tees, key chains and ashtrays.

Souvenirs picked up, we amble back to the hotel. There8217;s more fish and squid and the local beer, Eku you can try the local brew, baka, if you8217;re feeling adventurous. Then I8217;m back on the beach.

An hour of perfect peace later, I make my way back to the hotel. The staff have promised to get me some breadfruit.