july 3rd 2007
this hotel is one of the best for all inclusive i have ever stayed in i couldnt begin to tell you how much my wife and i enjoyed our stay the staff the food the hotel absolutely SUPERB.

Booked this holiday at the last minute and should have been going to Coin de Mire Hotel but was told it was full and this was an upgrade. We were welcomed with a cold drink and a wet flannel to freshen up whilst the porter took our luggage to the room....a really good start to our all inclusive dream holiday. The room looked really basic and we felt a bit disappointed at first especially when we'd booked a'superior room' at the original place. Anyway the bed was massive and so comfortable. The room was clean and spacious and when we opened our patio doors we looked straight onto the beach! We had a well stocked mini bar which was replenished every day, a TV and tea/coffee making facilities. The weather was windy, at the backend of a cyclone and heading towards the winter. We had rain first thing every morning but it was very welcome and kept everything fresh. The rest of the day was fine but sometimes cloudy.The staff were always very friendly and happy. There was always plenty of food available. Breakfasts were great. Evening meals were based on a different theme each night but if you arrived late in the evening the food wasn't too hot and some things were no longer available. There was always lots of fish to choose from and often quite oily but we adapted in order to try out different food. As usual with all inclusive deals the food is often recycled the next day and the puddings are all different types of angel delight , although the banana crumble was delicious. We had some tummy problems though and we believe it was when we drank the hot drinks or had ice in cold drinks because they used the tap water which was supposed to be drinkable. We only used bottled water for hot drinks in our room. The water sports are included except for the sunset cruise which was 300RS per person because you get a little snack and as much local (hotel made) rum as you can drink. The scuba diving is based at the hotel but not connected financially so you have to pay their normal advertised rates. We used all the water sports facilities and the staff will give brief sailing or wind surfing lessons without charge.
The scuba diving was fantastic and really made our holiday. The instructors were diligent in sticking to dive plans and didn't take any risks. We were extremely impressed and they put their British counterparts to shame. They made sure that the coral reefs and gardens were protected as we descended on them. They knew the dive sites well and showed us all the spectacular creatures we would have missed without their local knowledge. We felt very safe and had a wonderful time.
The entertainment was a bit like the Yellow coats style of Butlins but it seemed to please most guests. The entertainers were usually the same people in different outfits but they did introduce us to Sega, Indian and African music and dancing which was a new experience. The beaches are small but adequate and there was no seaweed. Its important to wear shoes in the water as there are lots of small rocks and they're very sharp. The sand is coarse with crushed shells and coral but very beautiful.
There is a spa in the hotel which you have to pay extra for. We booked a block of 10 massages which worked out a bit cheaper. We found the treatments very different to massage in the UK because they are based on many different methods. We found them to be extremely relaxing. They use loads of oil. When we wanted to go in to Grand Baie or Port Louis we found that there were problems choosing a taxi. The hotel taxis hada monopoly and would charge 500Rs for a return trip to Grand Baie whereas other firms would charge only 100RS and the bus at the bottom of the drive on the main road was only 10RS. We got involved in some arguments over this and one driver who said he'd been booked for us was going to charge 2500RS for a trip we had agreed 1500RS. He took us to all the places where his friends were selling items and it was the worst experience of the trip. Whatever you do DON'T go to Port Louis Market. We got chased around the market because we had shown interest in a T shirt. The traders badger you if you even give eye contact. Even the nice shops are the same. We were advised to offer half of whatever they asked. You can have suits and clothes made within 24 hrs but the quality of the sewing isn't always brilliant so don't feel you have to pay if the finished article isn't up to scratch as they will sell it 'off the peg' anyway. We were treated well and had a good holiday but we wouldn't stay at the resort again because it was out in the middle of nowhere and very exposed to the weather/wind. We would visit the dive centre. if we went again we wouldn't let local taxi drivers provide itinery for a trip. We compared our holiday cost with other guests and we paid almost a £1000 more between us then our French friends so it may be worth booking through a French travel agency or even fly from Paris. We used Letsgo2.com and weren't particularly impressed when they didn't have us on their list and didn't meet us at the hotel. Apparantly part of Connections and the Thos Cook group.

Guests:
- 95% French (owned by Nouvelles Frontieres)
IT/communication:
- no UMTS/BlackBerry signals on this part of the island
- no WLAN/internet on rooms
- 1 public internet-PC for all guests
Food:
- OK
Rooms:
- nice
Location:
- in the middle of nowhere

We really struggled to find anything out about this hotel before we went so thats why Im doing this review. We booked through Mercury Direct last year and were a little worried when we found out that the hotel was closed until October 2006 for refurbishment. We arrived in November and prayed that the work would be finished in time. It was, and what a surprise we got when we were shown to our rooms. We were in the newly built bungalow rooms and they were worthy of 5stars. Fantastic fantastic fantastic. This theme carried on throughout the whole hotel right down to the food. We have never had such good quality food in an all inclusive hotel anywhere else, and we have stayed in a few. The choice of food was also excellent, but one evening was chinese, and a member of our party isnt fond of this so they offered to cook whatever he wanted. He ordered steak and chips and that is what he got. This was the only time we ever saw chips in 2 weeks which made a very nice change as thats all you seem to get these days. The entertainment was in French as this hotel has been taken over by a French chain,but it was acceptable. The kids club looked after the children very well. We had a 3 and 7 year old with us. We took part in all the water sports like water ski-ing, sailing, glass bottom boat, pedalo's, kayaks, and used the gym and tennis court,games room and I even had a suit made to measure by a visiting tailor. We visited one of the sister hotels (veranda beach hotel) for lunch and used their water sports whilst there. No shortage of sun loungers at pool or on the beaches. Although the beaches are very small they serve their purpose and its much more pleasant on the beach as there is a lovely sea breeze to cool things down.The only downside is the seaweed that comes ashore. They had men working non stop to clear it but it was a never ending task. The lagoon is lovely to look at with different shades of turquoise and blue water. For a real treat take a trip to Ile Cerf and this is like paradise. Not expensive either , we paid about £8.50 for the trip and that included all transport and speed boats to the island as well as lunch on the beach with drinks(unlimited) included in the price. In fact nothing was expensive contrary to what we thought before we went. The best exchange rate was for sterling not dollars (we took both). The staff were very good and tendered to your every whim, with no fuss and promptly. We had guest relations check on us every couple of days, to see if everything was ok or if there was anything they could do, and the head waiter checked on us regularly to see that everything was being taken care of. The staff new us by our names (even staff I didnt think I had seen before seemed to know us). Nothing was too much trouble they were all very proud of there hotel, and rightly so. I cant complement the hotel enough, so far as to say that it is way above its catagory. If it wasnt for the small beaches and the seaweed this hotel would be worthy of 5 stars and easily surpasses the 3star plus rating it has. A wonderful hotel worthy of at least 4 stars away from the hustle and bustle of town but not difficult or expensive to get to if needed. I dont think you could find better value for money in Mauritius.