We stayed at the hotel for 14 nights at the beginning of December 2021. The hotel only opened the day before our arrival and while I had been apprehensive as to whether it would be ready for guests, once we arrived, it was clear to see the hotel was finished and looked stunning. The attention to detail throughout is amazing with a very high level of fit and finish wrapped up in incredible style.
As one of the first paying guests, we expected plenty of teething problems but to be honest we came across very few. Yes, the drive up to the hotel was still having the finishing touches applied and we had an issue in one of the restaurants one night (I explain this and how they rectified things later on) but that was it.
What really stood out for us was the service, from the concierges Gérôme and Nitesh who were incredibly helpful in planning trips from sea plane rides to swimming with dolphins and really going above and beyond to help us with any queries we had, to Sass (Food & Beverage Manager) who always came over for a chat to see who we were finding the restaurants and was very helpful in organising a special private beach BBQ dinner. We spent plenty of time talking with head sommelier Jean Francois and he picked out some outstanding wines for us, one evening I picked out a particularly expensive wine and upon tasting it Jean Francois said the bottle had gone and found us another bottle. We probably wouldn’t have noticed but certainly appreciated his candour. We must also mention the guys and girls in the gym, they were so friendly and were happy to do personal training sessions and help with stretching etc, we particularly enjoyed the 8am ocean swim they organised.
The only issue we had during our two weeks was the first time we ate at Ai Kisu, the Japanese restaurant which the hotel bills as it’s jewel in the crown. We were on half board and while this includes your evening meals in the other restaurants, Ai Kisu is not included (although there may be a 30% discount). Our expectations were high and while the food was good we found the attention to detail and the service let it down. At the end of our meal, Judah, who runs Ai Kisu came and asked how we had found our meal and we gave him our polite but honest and frank opinions. He genuinely listened to what we said with concern and invited us back, on the house, to see if he could give us a better experience. We booked in the following week and what followed was a truly great meal, no doubt, they pushed the boat out for us but the level of service was right up there with you would expect and upon ordering we were informed that, if it was ok with us, the chef would like to choose a menu for us himself. We were glad he did as what arrived isn’t what we would have ordered but tasted absolutely delicious and because we didn’t know what to expect made the evening more adventurous.
In my opinion Ai Kisu’s strength lies in the hotel’s appointment of Judah. He is a young, talented and ambitious young man who has the pedigree of having worked in world class restaurants and is now applying all that knowledge with his own charisma and charm to Ai Kisu. In life, it’s not the mistakes you make but how you react to them and the way he worked with us was impressive and he turned a poor first impression into a stellar second one!
The rooms in the hotel are fantastic, very large with a modern but warm decor. As another reviewer has mentioned the timing of housekeeping and the minbar check could be adjusted to suit guests better but it was a minor inconvenience. I should also mention the hotel’s boutique, while it was mainly furnished with women’s clothing, my partner bought several outfits and items of jewellery and the prices were surprisingly reasonable.
In summary, as someone who hast visited Mauritius many times and has stayed in the top hotels on the island including Prince Maurice, St Geran and The Royal Palm, I rate this hotel right up there with them. It is different to those hotels and certainly has its own identity but I feel it has found a deserved place alongside them. I look forward to revisiting in the future.
Gavin Traylor
