Mauritius - Paradise on your doorstep…..
We stayed at the 5 Star Shandrani Resort and Spa, which is located 10 minutes away from the airport, and it is a perfect hotel for a conference. It is has 327 rooms, 5 restaurants, 2 swimming pools, 2 bars, 3 beaches and a wellness centre. Their all-inclusive package includes all meals and most drinks, from the time of arrival until departure. This is really worth it, as drinks in Mauritius are expensive! The food at Shandrani was plentiful, and they had a great variety!
Thompsons Holidays hosted me for an afternoon, to visit some of their properties. First stop was a 3 Star gem, which I knew little about. Situated on the south east coast of Mauritius, near the airport is the Astroea Beach Hotel. It is a small, beautifully decorated boutique style hotel which overlooks a stretch of powdery white sandy beach and a glistening turquoise lagoon! It only has 16 rooms, all different sizes, as well as 5 bungalows which can accommodate families. It has a restaurant and bar, and they offer massages, as well as non-motorised water sports like canoes, pedal boats and snorkelling. A bonus is that you can use all the facilities of their sister hotel, Le Preskil, which is just 2 kilometres away.
Le Preskil is a 4 Star hotel, and is 15 minutes from the airport. It has 156 rooms, 4 restaurants and a bar which offers exotic cocktails! They have a wellness centre, conference facilities, the usual water-sports, and a fabulous catamaran which I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon on. Le Preskil Hotel is situated on its own island, and the waters around the island are crystal clear, so perfect for snorkelling! At Le Preskil they offer an array of intimate and romantic dinners, whether on the beach (feet in the sand), at a gazebo, on the deck above the water or on the terrace.
I then stayed on in Mauritius, at La Pirogue Hotel. This is a 4 Star hotel, near Flic en Flac on the west coast. I found the rooms to be quite small, but adequate. The gardens are beautiful, and the beach must be one of the best on the island. It goes on for miles, and there is a reef, so it is ideal for snorkelling and water-sports. It has a lovely big pool, with a slide into it. There are 2 restaurants, and a bar.
Right next door is Sugar Beach Hotel, which is more upmarket. The two hotels share a wellness centre, and you can have your meals at either hotel, so you have the benefit of eating at the Sugar Beach restaurants as well.