Luxury
A Heritage the Villas Bel Ombre; % 605 5000; f 605 5300; e info[at]heritagethevillas.mu; heritagethevillas.mu. Luxury 2, 3- & 4-bedroom villas on the Domaine de Bel Ombre, on a hillside overlooking the coast. Villas are luxuriously appointed & have infinity pool. A golf cart is allocated to each villa; guests receive unlimited green fees at the Heritage Golf Club, daily maid service & free Wi-Fi. They are some distance from the beach, being located behind the golf club. Guests have access to the facilities of the 2 Heritage hotels (Heritage Le Telfair & Heritage Awali, plus C Beach Club adjacent to Heritage Le Telfair. For a fee you can have meals & spa treatments in your villa. Villas can either be purchased as art of an IRS scheme, or rented short term. $$$$$
A Shanti Maurice (61 rooms) Rivière des Galets, Chemin Grenier; % 603 7200; f 603 7250; e reservations[at]shantimaurice.com; shantimaurice.com. Far more than a hotel, this is the ultimate health & relaxation retreat – a destination spa. The emphasis is on balancing mind, body & spirit through tailored cuisine, meditation, yoga & spa treatments. The setting is peaceful – no noisy watersports here, although they can be arranged nearby. The suites are large & beautifully decorated, & there are sumptuous villas with private pool. A range of packages is available, including weight management, stress management & detox. Ayurveda, an ancient Indian healing system, is important here. Guests can have a consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor, & there are Ayurvedic treatments & cuisine on offer. If you think it sounds too New Age for you, do not fear: none of the relaxation activities is compulsory – you can simply enjoy the tranquillity, the excellent cuisine & service. $$$$$
Upmarket
A Heritage Awali Golf & Spa Resort (160 rooms) Coastal Rd, Bel Ombre; % 601 1500; f 601 1515; e info[at]heritageawali.mu; heritageawali.mu. The African-inspired design is used to great effect throughout, from the bedrooms to the spa. There are 154 rooms, 5 suites & 1 villa with private pool. One room has disabled facilities & wheelchair access around the resort is generally good. The standard rooms are spacious & well equipped, with a large balcony/terrace. Facilities include 3 restaurants, 2 pools, tennis, gym, watersports, a hairdresser, a kids’ club & a nursery. Being part of the Domaine de Bel Ombre, 11 restaurants are available, including those at Heritage Le Telfair & Château de Bel Ombre. The spa offers all manner of pampering – massage, relaxation areas, pools, steam rooms & a sauna. For golfers, the stunning Heritage Golf Club opposite the hotel will be hard to resist. Excursions to the Frédérica Nature Reserve are also popular with guests. A premium AI package is available, which includes wine & spirits, a massage at the spa, one free green fee per day & an excursion to Frédérica. Guests also have access to C Beach Club, adjacent to Heritage Le Telfair. If you plan to indulge yourself while in Mauritius, the AI package could be a very economical way of doing so. $$$$
A Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Spa Resort (158 rooms) Coastal Rd, Bel Ombre; % 601 5500; f 601 5555; e info[at]heritageletelfair.mu; heritageletelfair.mu. The hotel is part of the Domaine de Bel Ombre (the Bel Ombre Sugar Estate). Everything about this hotel evokes colonial times, giving the impression you are a guest at the vast home of a wealthy, 19th-century sugar baron. The hotel, which is built on either side of the Citronniers River & spread over 15ha, is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. The rooms are housed in 2-storey villas of 6 or 8 rooms, which means the hotel is unlikely to feel crowded. All the rooms are enormous & unusually light & airy; they feature AC, TV, DVD, phone, safe, minibar & balcony/terrace. There are 3 impressive restaurants on site, but diners also have access to all restaurants within Domaine de Bel Ombre (which inc those at Heritage Awali & Château de Bel Ombre), making a total of 11 restaurants Don’t miss the sophisticated Cavendish Bar, complete with pianist, cigar lounge & reading area. The facilities are first class: a large spa, tennis, gym, watersports & kids’ club. Surprisingly, Wi-Fi is not free in the rooms but can be used in the bar free of charge. Rates include green fees for the Heritage Golf Club . Opposite the hotel is the Frédérica Nature Reserve, with hiking, 4x4 & quad biking available. A new addition to the Heritage collection is the neighbouring C Beach Club, a trendy, modern restaurant, bar & pool on the beach. $$$$
A Mövenpick Resort & Spa (181 rooms) Allée des Cocotiers, Bel Ombre; % 623 5000; f 623 5001; e resort.mauritius[at]moevenpick.com; moevenpick-hotels.com. This hotel has an atmosphere of grandeur & is reminiscent of a Moorish palace, thanks to the Arabic & Portuguese theme used in the design. The rooms & suites have AC, TV, phone, minibar, safe & balcony/terrace. The hotel is family friendly – there are family rooms, over 50% of rooms are interconnecting & there is a kids’ club. The spa is impressive & continues the Arabic/Portuguese theme. There are 3 restaurants, several pools, tennis courts, the usual free watersports, minigolf & gym. $$$$
A So Sofitel (92 rooms) Coastal Rd, Bel Ombre; % 605 5800; e h6707[at]sofitel.com; sofitel.com. The 84 suites & 8 villas within an Integrated Resort Scheme, where foreigners can buy luxury villas. A new hotel with a completely modern, urban décor. Rooms look like the London flat of a 20-something banker, rather than evoking Mauritius. One drawback of the rooms is that the only bath in the suites is outside – lovely in good weather but this part of the coast tends to be rather windy. On the plus side, the beds are exceptionally comfortable. There are 2 restaurants, 2 bars, a pool, small spa, gym & kids’ club. The hotel was suffering some teething problems after it opened in 2011 but hopefully is set to improve. While it may have the ‘designer touch’ (the marketing material goes on & on about the architect), the concept doesn’t seem to have taken account of some practical considerations. $$$$
A Tamassa (214 rooms) Coastal Rd, Bel Ombre; % 698 9800; f 698 4222; e reservation[at]luxislandresorts.com; tamassaresort.com. A hotel designed to appeal to a young clientele, with a trendy, modern feel, an emphasis on sport & a party atmosphere. The architecture is not to everyone’s taste, being dominated by fairly charmless red-roofed buildings reminiscent of a Spanish resort village. Rooms face the sea & are equipped with AC, TV, phone, Wi-Fi, minibar, safe & balcony/terrace. There are 2 restaurants, 3 pools, a spa, watersports, a dive centre, tennis, a nightclub, kids’ club & teenagers’ club. $$$$
Shoestring
A Cap Sud (4 rooms) Coastal Rd, Riambel; % 625 5268. Very basic accommodation at the restaurant of the same name (see below). There are 2 simple rooms with en suite, 2 with shared bathroom. It is a fair walk across the road to a rather dangerous beach. Only worth considering if you need to be in the south but are on a very tight budget. $
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