Mauritius is really a very unspoiled island and I highly recommend it whether for a honeymoon, a young family or in retirement. The hotels are excellent. The service is wonderful, the rooms thoroughly thought through and the food local, fresh and delicious.
4 Seasons, Mauritius
My first resting spot, the glamorous Four Seasons Resort (www.fourseasons.com/mauritius), lies on the east coast at Anahita. Opened in 2008, it is comprised of different grades of villas, and it’s all been thoroughly thought through. It’s classy. It’s all bridges, bicycles and buggies along fresh concrete alleyways. Perfect for kids as well as for perfunctory demands on the staff. It attracts chiefly a British clientele though Dutch, French, Chinese and Koreans make up most of the rest.
The hotel’s own golf course, its original raison d’être, was designed by Ernie Els while the one opposite on the Île aux Cerfs was by Bernhard Langer. The lack of a remarkable beach, given that the water is too shallow to swim with any degree of confidence, is more than compensated for by the hourly option of a boat shuttle to the Île aux Cerfs. Here I stepped off the quay into a secluded cove only minutes away. A truly idyllic paradise. The whole stretch of beach to myself. Bliss!
Lux Le Morne
At my next hotel, Lux Le Morne (www.luxresorts.com/en/hotel-mauritius/luxlemorne), the rooms have a neutral décor. Lots of decking, wood and white with no need mercifully for any embellishment. The foyer is cool and clean. Outside my rooms the gardeners play ‘hook and catch’ with coconuts using an averruncator (a long stick with shears for cutting high branches). Next to them there’s even a “Tree of Wishes” on which guests tag notes containing their personal dreams. And for parents there is the relief of islands in the middle of creatively shaped swimming pools from which to watch over their kids’ safety from all angles. Perfect for a young family.
I then was to experience my next hotel The Residence (www.cenizaro.com/theresidence/mauritius)
Lobby-Reception, Le Residence
The rooms have beautiful white shutters and outside there are gazebos for quiet contemplation. The few lights on the trees at night make the leaves flow like an orchestra as the palm trees flutter. A perfect environment for dining in the choice of two restaurants: The Plantation, the lovely airy outdoor hall of an original planter’s house by the beach, which has a menu befitting a gourmet. And The Verandah, which offers the right variety as a high-class buffet for those who typically stay more than a week.
Veranda overlooking the pool at Le Residence
All felt invigorating and new, though actually The Residence Mauritius has been open now for eighteen years. The main clientele are English, fifty percent of whom are repeat customers, typically staying for two weeks. Chinese tourists are becoming more common, typically staying for only five days and only ever the once. They prefer not to sunbathe or use the hotel’s activities, though I observed several young women with their parasols and couture frocks posing for photographs by their patient and adoring boyfriends. I wish I had had two weeks here.
Hideaways Stargazer
So on to my final place to stay the Hideaways – Stargazer (www.thehideawaysclub.com). Membership of The Hideaways Club Classic Collection portfolio gives one access to properties all over the world. It’s perfect for someone who doesn’t want to be restricted to one location or have the hassle of maintenance. As tennis player Tim Henman says, “With the Hideaways Club I have a wide variety of beautiful properties in stunning locations that I can use year round, plus the potential growth of my investment.”
Butterfly fish
The master bedroom is the only upstairs room (lording it over the other three more mundane bedrooms) and is the only distinguishing feature from the other Mauritian Hideaways property called Hibiscus. From the deep bath of its en suite bathroom, I saw the whole length of the southern coast with the waves crashing in from a distance. Stargazer was built in 2011 as part of Heritage Villas, which gave me free access to the Golf Course, Hotels Awani and Telfair and to the C Beach Club (C for Coast and the “Place to C, the place to B” being the chant)!
All very spoiling on a very unspoiled island!
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Adam Jacot de Boinod worked on the first series of QI the BBC programme and is the author of The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from around the World, published by Penguin Books.
FACTBOX
Adam had support from Priority Pass and Gatwick Express
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