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Please note our writer visited Mauritius prior to the coronavirus pandemic
With a high concentration of four and five star hotels, the tropical Indian Ocean island of Mauritius is known for affordable luxury, and it has offered all-inclusive stays for around 15 years. Almost all Mauritius hotels offer complimentary watersports, including unlimited water skiing, paddle boarding and daily glass bottom boat and snorkelling trips, as well as complimentary green fees for golfers. There’s a high concentration of four and five-star hotels, ranging from boutique adults-only properties to large family-friendly resorts, whose premium all-inclusive options involve excellent restaurants and quality drinks, plus complimentary experiences like spa treatments. Here is our pick of the best all-inclusive Mauritius hotels and resorts.
Shandrani Beachcomber Resort & Spa, Grand Port
This large family-friendly resort, on a private peninsula in the Blue Bay Marine Park, is billed as the island’s first five-star all-inclusive. Paths meander from the main thatch-roofed area to low-rise Mediterranean-style villa complexes along a mile and a half of shore. The resort is great for active and multigenerational families, with 50 interconnecting rooms and complimentary activities including unlimited water skiing and sailing, glass-bottomed boat and snorkelling trips, mountain bikes, and a nine-hole pitch and putt golf course on the lagoon. Four restaurants under thatch, three à la carte, are spread across the resort allowing for different moods.
Read the full review: Shandrani Beachcomber Resort & Spa
• The best hotels in Mauritius
Paradise Cove Boutique Hotel, Cap Malheureux
For maximum romance, the premium all-inclusive package at this adults-only boutique hotel is the ticket. It includes quality drinks, in-room continental breakfast and room service, dining around in three restaurants, a lunch or gourmet picnic and rum tasting, along with a pampering massage and steam baths. Other free activities include water skiing, stargazing and yoga. The 75 rooms and suites, decorated in dreamy white, have plantation-style furniture, muslin-draped four-poster beds scattered with petals, and balconies. Staff at this five-star hotel, many here since the opening in 1992, are efficient and caring – nothing is too much trouble. The cliff-top infinity pool overlooking the northern islands is a dream.
Read the full review: Paradise Cove Boutique Hotel
• The most romantic hotels in the Indian Ocean
LUX* Belle Mare, Belle Mare
There’s an element of theatre and fun at this hotel – set on the breezier east coast’s Belle Mare Plage – with a 1933 Rolls Royce marking the Duchess of York’s (Queen Mother) visit, a tree of wishes and a tea house with a lavish 88 varieties for tastings. A popular undersea walk lies just offshore and the spa’s ‘Wellbeing Safari’ takes guests on a nature walk, with yoga, meditation and laughter therapy, in Domaine de L’Etoile. PhotoFanatics workshops (chargeable) help to capture that perfect shot. With four restaurants offering authentic fine dining, including Indian, Chinese, international classics and ‘veggie heaven’ dishes on every menu, there’s plenty of choice. And the 174 contemporary suites with sea-facing balconies, are well received.
Read the full review: LUX* Belle Mare
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Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Wellness Resort, Bel Ombre
This quaint and intimate “French village” blends its white-painted plantation-style architecture with soothing contemporary lines and nature-inspired colours. A 24-hour butler service now comes with every room and the 18-hole championship golf course offers unlimited green fees. The sensual chakra-balancing spa has good value ‘wellness bliss’ packages and the all-inclusive Gourmet Bliss package offers a choice of 12 restaurants, including authentic Mauritian cuisine fine dining (and a menu devised by a French Michelin-starred chef) at Heritage Le Château de Bel Ombre, and pan-Asian fare at Gin’ja, which offers a teppanyaki experience. Guests also have use of facilities at sister property Heritage Awali next door.
Read the full review: Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Wellness Resort
Credit:
Studio J/Jean-Bernard ADOUE
• The best Indian Ocean hotels
LUX* Grand Gaube, Grand Gaube
This romantic retreat, on a secluded peninsula beside Grand Gaube village in the far north of the island, has a good mix of everything Mauritius offers, from a pretty swimming beach, gourmet dining and a pampering spa to activities galore, including rides in its very own seaplane. A design by British designer Kelly Hoppen has created an eclectic, retro-chic style look, with thatched roofs, soothing whites, splashes of colour and cool lighting. Guests may see turtles swimming over the coral on seaplane trips over the north coast, or take a private island hopping trip by wooden pirogue (traditional fishing boat) with a BBQ on Ile aux Benitiers. A studio for photo fanatics offers free workshops (chargeable) and there’s a plush cinema for rainy days.
Read the full review: LUX* Grand Gaube
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Constance Belle Mare Plage, Belle Mare
Daring French style meets the tropics at this contemporary five-star family resort. Thatched-roofed low-rise buildings are spread over 37 acres of tropical gardens between the lagoon and two exclusive 18-hole European Championship golf courses that offer free green fees to guests. Other facilities include a spa, four pools (one heated), a plethora of complimentary water sports including water skiing, glass-bottomed boat tours and snorkelling trips, and a PADI dive centre. The generously sized 278 rooms, suites, and villas with terrace or balcony, have modern furniture and Apple Mac minis, and there are seven distinctly different restaurants, six bars, and an annual culinary festival in March.
Read the full review: Constance Belle Mare Plage
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Constance Prince Maurice, Poste de Flacq
On a sheltered, natural leafy spit on the northeast coast, Constance Prince Maurice juts out into the mangroves with a view of far away mountains, and a few secluded white-sand beaches lie on the calm bay. Guest comfort is a priority, and with almost two staff per guest, pampering is guaranteed. There are 89 suites and villas under thatch spread across a generous 60 hectares of tropical greenery. The infinity pool is one of the loveliest on the island, with cabanas big enough for two. The property offers a premium all-inclusive stay with dining in all restaurants and Champagne on tap, but if you’re looking to splurge, the Princely Villa is one of the island’s most private, with its own beach, two pools, three terraces and round-the-clock butler.
Read the full review: Constance Prince Maurice
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Preskil Island Resort, Mahébourg
Preskil means ‘nearly an island’ in Creole, and this four-star superior resort sits on its own peaceful islet in the southeast, with a white sandy fringe and a view of Ile Aux Aigrettes and Lion Mountain across the water. The hotel offers some of the least expensive all-inclusive rates on the island, although only the two buffet restaurants are included. Three dining concepts include the marketplace-style Rendez-Vous, with live cooking stations from Mongolian to Italian; Mosaic for Mediterranean family-style sharing plates; and romantic 1810 which serves fresh seafood under thatch on the beach (not included in packages). All rooms have a sea view with a terrace or balcony and are spread out across the beachfront.
Read the full review: Preskil Island Resort
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Veranda Paul et Virginie, Grand Gaube
This airy adults-only hotel, named after the island legend of Paul et Virginie (Mauritius’s answer to Romeo and Juliet) feels timeless and elegant yet warm and homely. Romance is its aim: the air is scented with frangipani, and double sunbeds and bean bags are scattered around the grounds. The Seven Colours spa offers morning yoga, a couples’ massage class and a massage on a floating platform in the bay. Guests can enjoy cooking lessons at a village home, tandem bike tours of markets and temples, and picking oysters with a local fisherman (June to September). The 81 sea-facing rooms surround a small swimming pool, and romantic touches include all-day breakfast in bed (at no extra charge) and candlelit dining à la carte in the cute Saint Géran restaurant.
Read the full review: Veranda Paul et Virginie
• The most romantic Mauritius hotels
Zilwa Attitude, Calodyne
Zilwa, which has generous facilities, including four great pools with palm islands, open-air cinema, PADI dive centre and its own catamaran, and a spa on nearby Ti Zil island, means ‘islander’ in Creole and offers a taste of island life in its ‘experiences’. Mauritian thatched architecture has been combined with contemporary design to create a cool vibe, and a beautiful view of the sloping Coin de Mire island, viewed across the swimming pool on arrival, gives a wow factor. As a new build, it effortlessly combines couples and families in the same space, and a central hub of restaurants and bars, makes it feel intimate and friendly.
Read the full review: Zilwa Attitude
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Lagoon Attitude, Calodyne
Lagoon Attitude is billed as the island’s first adults-only eco-escape. It sits on a pretty protected lagoon in the northeast, four miles (6 km) away from lively Grand Baie. Guests have free access to paddle boarding, kayaking, floating bikes and a snorkelling trail, with the chance to eyeball Jerome the turtle. The hotel also offers refillable water bottles, complimentary non-polluting mineral sunscreen, and eco-experiences including a snorkelling trail accompanied by in-house marine biologists. The 182 couples’ rooms have a seaside feel, with bamboo bedheads, rattan lampshades and cushions created from recycled pirogue sails. It’s good value, and with a distinctly Mauritian vibe.
Read the full review: Lagoon Attitude
Rates above are guide prices per person per night, please note that all-inclusive packages can differ across hotels. Owing to the current coronavirus pandemic, these rates may change. Please check the hotel’s websites for further information on what’s included.
