#1. La-digue
Remember that tropical paradise that appears in countless adverts and glossy travel brochures? Here it's the real thing, with jade-green waters, bewitching bays studded with heart-palpitatingly gorgeous beaches, and green hills cloaked with tangled jungle and tall trees.
As if that weren't enough, La Digue is ideally situated as a springboard to surrounding islands, including Félicité, Grande Soeur and the fairy-tale Île Cocos.
Despite its lush beauty, La Digue has managed to escape the somewhat rampant tourist development that affects Mahé and Praslin. Sure, it's certainly not undiscovered, but La Digue has a more laid-back feel than the other main islands, with only a few surfaced roads and virtually no motorised cars (bar a few taxis). It is definitely more of a back-to-nature place than a jet-set-tourist haven, making it possible to find that deserted anse (bay) where you really feel like you've been stranded in paradise.