The Inner Islands are the accessible heart of the Seychelles, three connected islands that together make a long-haul tropical trip workable with children. Mahé, the largest, is the easy base, with the calm shallow water of Beau Vallon, forest trails through Morne Seychellois that reward even short legs with an ocean view, and a small, walkable capital in Victoria whose market and botanical garden fill a morning. The beaches here are the famous kind, soft sand framed by sculpted granite boulders and lagoons shallow enough that a child can wade out a long way, which is the whole reason the Seychelles suits families rather than just honeymooners.

Praslin adds the strangeness that children remember: the Vallée de Mai, a UNESCO palm forest that looks prehistoric and grows the giant coco de mer, plus Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette, regularly rated among the best beaches on earth. La Digue slows everything to a stop, a near car-free island where families get around by bicycle and ox-cart and pedal together to Anse Source d'Argent, whose granite-studded shallows are about as safe and photogenic as a beach gets. Giant tortoises wander freely across all three. The accommodation runs from luxury resorts with kids' clubs and water activities to guesthouses and self-catering villas for more independence, with snorkeling and wildlife boat trips easy to arrange. It is a splurge, but the rare tropical splurge that earns its place with a family in tow.