Mauritius

I only have one word to describe Mauritius and that is WOW!!! We flew out on Air Mauritus directly from Heathrow and after a 40 minute transfer we arrived at the Luxe Le Morne hotel - or as we nicknamed it paradise! If you are after the party scene then this hotel is not for you, however if you are after a relaxing break with stunning views of the Indian Ocean and the dramatic backdrop of Le Morne this is perfect! Everything is set to make you enjoy your stay from the second you arrive - no queuing to check in - you take a seat looking out at the Indian Ocean enjoying your lemongrass cordial whilst someone fills out all the forms for you. The rooms are all low-rise and we had a huge room with a patio area and a massive bathroom and a private outside shower. There is entertainment at night by way of low-key singers in the bar and an open air cinema - complete with popcorn! We took a couple of trips from the hotel including one on a private speed boat to swim with the dolphins - which is definitely worth doing. We also set out on a guided climb of the Le Morne Mountain - the guide here was very knowledgeable and fun. Be warned though this does involve ropes, but the sense of achievement and the amazing views when you reach the top make it all worthwhile. Trust me I am not really an outdoorsy sporty type but I would recommend this trip - when else are you going to climb a mountain? One good thing about this hotel is that it is set in the south-west, which is where most of the attractions are so you do not have long transfers. We did our trips after breakfast and back for lunch - the food was pretty good at this hotel! We stayed 5 nights at this hotel and spent time on the beach, by the pool, snorkeling and using the watersports at the hotel. We then took a 2 hour transfer to the North of the Island to the Zilwa Attitude hotel - this has more of a trendy vibe to it and has a lot more going on in the evenings with theme nights ranging from pop bands to local dancers. The rooms here are all kept in the urban feel and are made of concrete - they have thought of everything here and even leave you with your very own pair of flip flops! There are 4 restaurants here including a buffet, Indian, Chinese and a grill - all are very good. The beach here is more covey rather than long stretches of sands and there is a private island owned by the hotel which you can swim to. We took the hotel catamaran trip - which was brilliant. We went snorkeling in the sea and saw numerous types of tropical fish, swam in a mangrove, visited other beaches and had a BBQ on board - this was a good way to get to know other guests too. We also had a BBQ on the private island and swam back (the sea is not too deep here so it is good for children too). We spent an afternoon visiting Gran Baie - this is the place to go if you want to do a bit of shopping for local handicrafts - at the Grand Bazar be sure to barter and get a bargain. Again this hotel had watersports - it was here that I discovered I am not as good as I thought I would be a paddle-boarding! I also had a Mauritian massage - it was amazing. I would recommend Mauritius to everyone - I can honestly say this is the most relaxing holiday I have ever been on!