UP Close … with Maxime Marie of Baie Ste Anne-Pioneer of guesthouseson Praslin |01 March 2011
He was only a teenager when he realised that Seychelles was his land and he could reach for the top. As the international airport was being built, Maxime realised there was potential in cleaning, polishing and selling the coco de mer nuts that grow only on Praslin. He also bought and cleaned hawksbill turtle shell for resale to the visitors he hoped would come once the airport was open in 1972. Maxime was not to be disappointed on this one.
At that time, catching hawksbill turtles and turning their shells into various artefacts was still legal.
Until then, he had been eking out a living by catching and salting fish. He was also employed by the Public Works Department, where he worked from 7am to 3pm repairing and resurfacing the roads. He also tapped several coconut trees for toddy to sell and earn a little extra income.
Maxime, whose father the late Gabriel Marie was in the fishing business and mum Suzie Marie ran a shop on Praslin, appears to have been injected with the enterprising spirit.
Before the airport opened the islands to tourism, cocos de mer were still cheap, selling for as little as R30 apiece. Then the price rose to R100. By 1978 the price was up to R400, with the introduction of the tag, which is still compulsory for exports.
And as the unique nuts gained in value, it became a lucrative business for the artisans who dealt in them.
He worked hard and saved. He told Nation that very often be brought a couple of cocos de mer to work, to clean off the kernels in his lunch-break and whenever he had some free time.
“Time wasted is money wasted” appears always to have been a maxim of Maxime Marie. Even today he speaks to Nation while cleaning a packet of fish.
Maxime realised that with tourism and related activities, there would soon be a demand for accommodation on Praslin. With his savings he built his Seaview guesthouse. It was a rustic establishment – but with comfortable beds, a kitchen and, above all, a long verandah looking out over Baie Ste Anne.
It was not long before the first clients showed up, wanting somewhere to stay during a weekend on Praslin.
Maxime recalls that he was one of only three people at Baie Ste Anne who owned guesthouses. The others were the Fish Trap just across the road from him, owned by Kersley St Ange. The other, the Orange Tree up the hill, was owned by the late boat skipper Ravil Lesperance.
Both have since been pulled down, and dozens of larger hotels, guesthouses and self-catering chalets have mushroomed all over Praslin.
But Seaview, with its increased capacity, is still there and Maxime Marie is still very much in business. The long hair is turning grey, but the debonair look and charm are still there, often hiding the character of the man with good business acumen.
Many residents of Mahe look forward to weekends on Praslin with accommodation at the Seaview.
The father of three sons, including geologist Tim Marie, Maxime is never short of a story to tell, especially those involving the feminine gender.
He often travels for “pleasure” to Madagascar, Mauritius and Thailand. But he insists that the best place to stay is his beautiful Seychelles, especially Praslin, home of the legendary coco de mer.
J.L.