We stayed at the resort for 12 days and had a pleasant experience. I visited Mauritius for the first time and came with certain expectations – some of which where not meet, some which where and some that where pleasantly far exceeded. I was travelling with my wife and 10-month-old son and what impressed us most was the lovely, warm and friendly attitude of almost everyone we meet at the Resort. Maybe it was the loving attention everyone (including the other guests) showed our son – but we certainly left with a warm loving feeling in our hearts and a wish to comeback soon.
The rooms where of a decent size and we also had a bit of a sea view. We where based on the first floor which meant that the tops of the palm trees directly obscured our view of the horizon. We got to see the view from the second floor that was better and brighter – but a baby pram is no fun to lug up 2 flights of stairs. The ground floor rooms went directly into the garden but where darker due to the palm trees. This shade could be a welcome relief in hot summer days but we where there in their winter.
During this time of the year we had 24 degrees almost daily and 2 days of overcast weather and 1 of non-stop rain. As it was a Sunday there was not much to do outside of the resort so we just stayed there and played board games. The last 2 days where incredible as there was full moon and no wind and the sea turned into a glass lake – what an incredible view. I fear that mid summer without any wind it would be far too hot – but that probably applies to the entire island anyway. On most days there was a continuous wind that made a beach stay slightly uncomfortable. The pool was pleasant, but you had to be up really early to book a fancy sun lounger - but there where plenty of "banana loungers" available. They promised that they had ordered more of the fancy loungers – but I suspect that that will never happen – so you need to be up at 7 am to place your towel on a lounger to book it for use later that day.
Nightly entertainment was varied and entertaining - but certainly not 5 star. The entertainment team tries hard to please and often succeeds in getting you to overlook the average shows. The daily activities should keep most people occupied – but don’t forget it is advertised as a Club resort – not really a party resort – so don’t expect a non-stop party either. It is probably more suited to a family holiday with kids than a romantic stay as a couple.
The buffet style eating seems to be standard for this type of resort and the food was varied and different every night - although after 10 days it all had the same type of mass produced taste and we started looking forward to home cooked meals. The service staff where usually very helpful and friendly.
The location is far enough from the main population to give you a resort feel, but not close enough to walk so you need to catch the taxi at RU 400,00 (return) to get into Grand Bai. I was told there is a bus - but we never bothered to check. The Internet service offered there is incredibly slow and very expensive – RU 450 for 30 minutes. (If you go to the Internet Café close to the Super U in Grand Bai – you will get DSL connection on modern computers at RU 25 for the first 15 minutes and RU1,50 per minute thereafter.) Therefore the Taxi Fare costs you less than using the Internet in the hotel.
Overall it was a very pleasant stay and I would recommend this establishment – however do not forget that it is a 3 star resort – not a 5 star – you will therefore not get the luxuries you might want –BUT at the price you are paying it is well worth it !!
I hope this helped – have a great holiday !!!
If you have found this review useful and eventually stay at the resort – please let me know if you agree with my comments AND please do a review yourself. I would have loved to see more reviews on where I was going. – Actually just do as many reviews on as many different resorts as you can and if everyone else does it we should all have a good idea of where we can or should go. I did scan the forums and that gave me some idea – but this type of review would have helped me even more.
I would like to suggest to the webmaster a tick box facility with as many different points as possible as writing such a review takes time and results in non-uniform formats which might make it harder for a potential traveller to judge.
- Marina Hotel Grand Baie
