My parents honeymooned in Mauritius in the 1980s, when the emerald-green island in the Indian Ocean was the hot destination: international sun-seekers and the Tatler jet set came in their droves to unwind at the new luxury hotels, basking in the heat 20 degrees south of the equator. Society was smitten. By the 1990s, the north-coast village of Grand Baie was considered the St Tropez of Mauritius, attracting an appropriately starry crowd that included a young Prince William (on an ‘educational’ gap year) as well as Princess Stephanie of Monaco.
Over time, Grand Baie began to feel a little faded and careworn, some of the lustre lost. But then in 2021, LUX* Grand Baie – the latest of four LUX* outposts on the island – opened on the site of the demolished Merville Beach resort. Injecting champagne-popping glitz into this stretch of shore, it’s not just another luxury hotel: it is a design-centric millennial temple, from the trendy lobby with its soaring ceilings and hipster coffee shop that morphs into a cocktail bar after hours, to the breakfast kombucha bar and the Insta-perfect swing suspended over the buzzy rooftop pool. It comes as no surprise that LUX* Grand Baie is attracting a younger, cooler breed of sun-worshipper.
This latest megawatt luxury opening semaphores the message: Mauritius is back. So much so that, 30 years after my parents’ honeymoon, when it came to deciding where to spend ours, my new husband and I followed their lead. Not that the island is just for love-struck couples: it’s also for thrill-seekers, families and anyone in need of relaxation; it’s a tropical African oasis brimming with natural splendour. A vast coral reef wraps itself around the island (so there’s excellent snorkelling) and sprawling talcum-white beaches give way to vivid cerulean water. It’s all conveniently edged by an off-the-scale spread of luxurious hotels – picture muslin-swathed pool beds, white-cube villas – to rival those of the Maldives.
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Then there’s the sea life. Few things are more exhilarating than the sight of a silky grey fin cutting through the water. Dolphins are in no short supply in Mauritius and in the mornings hundreds appear in Tamarin Bay, on the west coast of the island, where they come to feed, doing triple somersault twists and bellyflops. We pulled into the bay by speedboat as I spotted a pod. At speed, I whipped on a snorkel and flippers and slipped into the warm transparent water. Suddenly I was surrounded – they flanked me on either side while at least another 50 swam below me, playfully dancing along the sandy bed. There is no more dopamine-inducing way to spend a morning here.
The high energy continues at Shangri-La Le Touessrok, on the east coast. The pace by day is slower, with young families paddling in the beachside pool and honeymooners basking on the hotel’s six beaches, where butlers – summoned at the press of a button – bring Shangri-La Coladas and iced water.
As the sun melts away, the Sega Bar is the place to be, particularly when Tina Turner’s Simply the Best and Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive start pulsating through the resort. Diners wolf down lamb vindaloo (from the Safran restaurant) or crab and mushroom gyoza (at Kushi) before dashing to the thatched bar by the pool, where everyone is on their feet, clutching cocktails, belting out the words to classic hits. The atmosphere is electric.
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A stone’s throw away at the Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita, laid-back luxury is the order of the day. The towering Montagne Bambous provides a scenic backdrop to this village of plunge-pool-fronted bungalows interspersed with lush ancient forest and connected by winding palm-lined pathways. From the chocolate and banana breakfast crêpes (which are wafer thin and best enjoyed beachside) to the spectrum of indulgent treatments at the mangrove-shrouded over-water spa, this Four Seasons is an island crown jewel (the ‘Let it go’ eight-handed massage is particularly decadent).
Equally dreamy is One&Only Le Saint Géran, on a sun-baked peninsula; there’s nowhere better located on the island. While other sexy destinations flit in and out of vogue, this idyll stands tall as the grande dame of Mauritian retreats.
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The spectacular lobby of this rarefied retreat sets the tone for your stay immediately: a well-stocked cocktail bar gives way to a vast multi-tiered water feature overlooked by waterside restaurants, delivering sweeping views of the sparkling turquoise lagoon. With bicycles stationed outside every villa, you can spend your days pedalling though the lush maze of tropicana from sunlounger to overwater spa and on to one of the seven restaurants: try Bambou’s shish tawook (chicken kebabs) and Lebanese platter for a flavour-packed light lunch; for dinner, the freshly caught fish at the overwater Italian restaurant, Acquapazza, is not to be missed. Golfers come from far and wide to tee off at the hotel’s championship Ernie Els-designed course, magnificent against the scenic backdrop of Montagne Bambous.
As Dame Joan Collins said to Tatler: ‘Old school is the best school, darling.’ She’s not wrong: opened in 1975 as the first luxury hotel on the island, One&Only Le Saint Géran is an icon, its grand architecture at one with the stylish cream and taupe interiors, chic white marble and teak details. Service is hyper-bespoke: be it a specific sheet thread count, a different make of mattress to your partner’s, or even a reconfiguration of your villa’s furniture – no request is too much trouble. As testament to the hotel’s unparalleled service, one European guest has stayed 115 times. With its peninsula location, guests can recline looking at the lagoon or the ocean. Want to finesse your waterskiing? The millpond-still lagoon is the place, with an army of watersports experts on hand to coach you.
Every inch of this very special hotel radiates life-affirming, fun-loving energy. The breakfast deli comes complete with nitro-infused kombucha, pineapple sourdough and a machine that churns peanuts to butter at the press of a button. As the plates are cleared, the music is kicked up a notch. By lunchtime, the beachside pool is abuzz with trendy twentysomethings ordering rounds of watermelon Garibaldis (a refreshing blend of Campari and watermelon juice) from the pool bar. On the beach, as lively games of volleyball get underway, onlookers tuck in to delicious bianco pizzas with lashings of cheese, pear and walnuts. At sunset, the rooftop infinity pool overlooking the ocean is as swish as a music-video set; the sun fades, Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise is ramped up and the pool is lit blue, the palm trees pink. Influencers pose on oversized swings and cool couples swirl glasses of rosé over a dozen oysters. After dinner, night owls dance until late at Club Ai KISU, the high-vibe nightclub.
This historic hotel will delight pleasure-seekers of every stripe. Families get stuck into the watersports or visit the 150-year-old resident giant tortoises. Couples take refuge on the hotel’s idyllic private island – Ilot Mangénie, a 10-minute boat ride away – for an afternoon of secluded sunbathing, truffle pizzas and icy rosé. If you’re adventurous, you’ll enjoy a trip to the Grand River South East Waterfall, a leisurely private speedboat ride from the hotel. With luck, you might see dolphins during the voyage. On a clear day, there are usually a few daring holidaymakers who join the locals climbing up the cliff and jumping off the waterfall into the water. Before the sun sets, foodies head to Kushi, the hotel’s Japanese restaurant. Take a seat at the bar to watch the chefs blowtorching miso salmon nigiri as you take in the views of endless Indian Ocean.
NEED TO KNOW: Elegant Resorts can arrange a 12-night stay in Mauritius, with three nights in each of the four properties mentioned here – Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita, One&Only Le Saint Géran, Shangri-La Le Touessrok and LUX* Grand Baie – from £3,895, including flights, private car transfers and UK lounge passes; Elegant Resorts can arrange a 12-night stay in Mauritius, with three nights in each of the four properties mentioned here – Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita, One&Only Le Saint Géran, Shangri-La Le Touessrok and LUX* Grand Baie – from £3,895, including flights, private car transfers and UK lounge passes; elegantresorts.co.uk
This feature first appeared in the February 2023 issue of Tatler
