I went to the Seychelles in 2000.
It really was spectacular, You start on one island thinking it's the most beautiful place you've ever seen and then go to a smaller island and think "God that last place was a dump compared to this".
I think the big difference between the two is that the Maldives is generally quite low lying where as there are some quite mountainous parts of the Seychelles with tropical rainforest spilling down into the Indian ocean.
If you I'd try to go to Praslin island, Mahe the main island is nice but Praslin's nicer.
La Digue will make you think you died and went to heaven
but it is tiny and there's very limited accomodation.
This is Anse source Argent on La digue
http://www.sogonow.com/static/FCKeditor/UserFi les/Image/La%20Digue%201996.jpg
I've been to this beach and this is really what it looks like, my daughter was 5 and nearly chained herself to a palm tree, she didn't want to leave so much.
I've not been to the Maldives but although it looks nice it doesn't look like the sort of place you could fall in love with on the other hand my wife's still threatening to do a Reggie Perrin and end up back there.