Disclosure: Press trip – I was invited by Veranda Resorts to explore Mauritius & their hotels!
Mauritius has long been on my to-visit list. I love me a tropical island, they are world-renowned for their rum, and I had previously been to La Reunion with my father, an island we both completely fell in love with, and pictured Mauritius just like that only with more scuba diving and less crazy sharks.
After a few weeks of all work and little fun, I was grateful when I received an invitation from Veranda Resorts, Mauritius, one of the premier hotel groups on the island to come and explore for a week. With the motto “Deep into Mauritius”, the hotels strive to provide more than a regular resort experience and want to offer you a real glimpse into the local culture.
Since I am not your average resort person this was right up my alley especially when so much about the local culture evolve around watersports and food in Mauritius.
Which of the Veranda Resorts is for you?
During my week in Mauritius I stayed at Veranda Tamarin on the west coast of the island, Veranda Point Aux Biches in the northwest, and spent a few meals at Veranda Paul et Virginie. The latter is named after the infamous couple by writer Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre whose tragic love story takes place in Mauritius when it was still called Isle de France.
There are also the Veranda Palmar Beach and Grand Baie (the latter is apparently great if you are looking to stay at party central!). While the hotels belong to the Heritage group they are all 3-star and 4-star resorts and offer something for each taste and budget. Whether you are traveling as a family or as a solo traveler who likes to avoid the kids’ pool like myself, you want action and watersports, romance and sunset or a mix of it all – there is a hotel for you!
Which one of the Veranda resorts is right for you? Let me walk you through some of the options…
Veranda Tamarin
The website doesn’t do the hotel justice because this little gem while ‘only’ 3-stars is an absolute design heaven. Instagrammers will probably like it too… Shoes are optional at all the Veranda resorts and with good reason because part of the lobby and the entire Crazy Fish Bar have sand instead of a floor.
The hotel has 116 rooms and the prices are so good I recommend you splurge on a Privelege room. These rooms are adults only and most importantly give you access to the exclusive rooftop bar – a kids free zone with stunning views and infinity pool. Come for sunset to make friends with bat(man) here. Have I mentioned how much I love bats?
All rooms come with a small beach kit with cooler box, mats, towels, and straw hat in the Privelege rooms. While bathrooms are small you’ve got everything that you need and the rooms teems with quirky touches: graffiti wallpaper, quirky shower gel, and a real plant with watering can (rookie mistake to put a living thing into my room in the hope of me watering it, but I do like some greenery!).
Tamarin Bay is probably one of the most authentic locations (though this word is becoming really overrated if you ask me). You can explore the little village on foot with a free tour from the hotel, learn more about the history of Mauritius, and stock up on beer from Flying Dodo Brewing Company at the kiosk right around the corner (while you are there buy some chili sauce too!). Alternatively, join a little tour to the market to Quatre Bornes to see where the local Mauritians shop.
Tamarin Bay is just across the road from the hotel and probably best known with surfers. The waves according to what the experts have told me are beginners’ waves and there is a surf school right next to the hotel. Here you can get boards and organize classes or for those who like a more calm option, rent a SUP which you can take to the nearby lagoon.
In addition, Tamarin beach is the perfect location to set off from for a dolphin swim which the hotel can organize for you. I will tell you more details about this once in a lifetime experience in a separate post but let’s just say few things are so worth getting up for at 6 am!
Veranda Tamarin Favorites:
Sand & Surf vibes everywhere, best breakfast croissants, amazing value for money – this is not your average 3-star hotel!
Veranda Pointe Aux Biches
We spend the majority of our nights at Veranda Pointe Aux Biches, the group’s 4-star hotel in the northwest of Mauritius close to Grand Baie. In many ways, it gives you all the standards you may expect from a typical beach resort but again, with some surprising touches. Breakfast with your feet in the ocean anyone?
They have the same concept of Privilege rooms which get access to Sandy Lane a private bar, restaurant, and pool. I preferred that if only because I am not a big fan of animation or hotel karaoke which seemed to be the vibe at the communal bar. But both are well stocked on rum and are right by the beach so, either way, you will be just fine.
The beach deserves special mention here: white sand, a few shallow bays, hammocks, umbrellas, and – please forgive the Germans for their obsession to put their towels down at 6 am – loungers. A special highlight is the Seven Colours spa which uses a unique treatment approach based on the 7 chakras and has the loveliest beach pavillions with views that make you wish you didn’t have to put your face in the donut. Then again if you are anything like me, you will be asleep within 5 minutes so you can just enjoy the views afterward.
What to do if you are not an average resort person aka don’t want karaoke and fighting over sunloungers with Germans (just kidding on the latter, there are really enough to go around for everyone)? Not to worry because that is exactly the gap that Veranda manages to bridge: have an all-inclusive, spoil yourself rotten holiday and still see & learn something about the country.
If you don’t want to leave the hotel for that, book yourself a cooking class or a rum atelier where you learn how to make your own rum (though to be honest, atelier is just a very fancy word for tasting/drinking).
Veranda Pointe Aux Biches Favorites:
Homemade passionfruit rum, all you can eat lobster, and sand brushes for your toes (in fact, I think they should put them by the door in all the rooms!).
Veranda Paul et Virginie
While we didn’t stay at Paul et Virginie we spent quite a bit of time there as many of our activities started from there. The hotel was nice enough to offer us shower rooms after we came back which was much appreciated and gave us a chance to check out various room categories here too.
From the three hotels that I saw it is probably the fanciest and the most elegant. Beautiful colonial furniture, muted colors, and the most stunning ocean views all around! They have a sunken bar which is probably the best seat in the house come sunset time, a stunning infinity pool, and the St Géran Restaurant where you can sit feet in the sand right by the ocean.
When it came to food, Paul et Virginie was my favorite due to a particularly amazing lunch: a family-style Mauritian-curry feast. Their beef rendang is out of this world!
Additionally, many activities launch from the hotel like Veranda’s very own catamaran which will take you to the surrounding islands and an e-bike tour. The catamaran trip is even included with the booking of a Privilege room. Of course, you can join these activities regardless of which hotel you stay in and just transfer to Paul et Virginie.
Veranda Paul et Virginie Favorites:
Cocktail hour with mini quiche & smoked marlin, infinity pool, and the award for most turquoise water!
What all the Veranda Resorts in Mauritius have in common is a dedication to sustainability and support of local communities. You will not find any plastic bottles in the hotel and the straws are made out of sugarcane. While you do have small bottles of shampoo and such, you also have a big soap dispenser and there are reminders everywhere to turn off lights and airconditioning if you leave the room. The room service may turn them on again when placing your nightly towel animal so the system is not perfect yet but I appreciate every little step a hotel takes to more sustainability.
The Veranda hotels offer all the amenities of an all-inclusive resort but they also encourage you to explore more of the country and to go #deepintomauritius. To make that as easy as possible for you, they can organize transfers and tours directly with local companies. While the hotel runs some of its own tours (like the catamaran trip) they also work closely with small independent enterprises like a local food tour, e-biking company or dinner at a local’s house. Perfect if you want to see something else outside the hotel but don’t want to spend hours searching for the right company on TripAdvisor or worry about the logistics of getting places. Mind you, if you wanted just spent your days with your toes in the sand and a rum punch in your hand, I would not judge you one bit…
Planning a trip to Mauritius
There are various airlines flying to Mauritius both from South Africa, where I was coming from as well as from Europe. I flew with Air Mauritius, the country’s own airline. While my flight from Johannesburg was an absolute delight with a brand new plane, great food, and amazing service, my flight back to Durban was less great – mixed up seats, an hour delay, and a seriously old plane. Mind you, overall they are a reputable airline and I wouldn’t have any issues recommending them.
Immigration in Mauritius was relatively pain-free and as a German or US citizen, you don’t need a visa. There are many other countries which are exempt too and you can check here if your country is one of them.
Mind you, queues at immigration were long especially as they have added an additional health check due to the Coronavirus so have your phone charged (there is free airport wifi) and your most patient mood ready!
When is the best time to travel to Mauritius? Depends on what you want! The summer months are from October to April and I was there in February which is considered shoulder season due to potential cyclones. As always when traveling in the off-season you can get incredibly lucky with the weather – I did – and save on hotels and flights or you can get rained in (though chances for a real cyclone are apparently very slim). When in doubt make sure you have decent travel insurance!
If you want it a bit cooler and have a chance to see whales come after April.
The currency of Mauritius is the Mauritian Rupee (MUR). As with many destinations you can pay with credit card in most hotels and bigger stores and shops. However, it always pays off to have some cash on you especially if you are planning to visit local markets and food stalls. I recommend simply drawing money from a bank ATM – exchanging money seems to be tricky on paydays as there were long lines in front of the exchange offices. If you have to, I recommend you do it immediately at the airport when you arrive.
Getting around in Mauritius
The easiest way to get around in Mauritius is by a rental car. The roads are quite good at least compared to some other islands I have seen and the driving is not too erratic. In Mauritius, you drive on the left side and you should know how a traffic circle works – there are so many! Apparently, Mauritians take things quite seriously when it comes to drinking and driving as well as speeding so don’t drink and drive and obey the speed limits.
I mainly used taxis as I didn’t have the chance to try the local bus system. Whichever Veranda Resort you stay at, they can help you organize a taxi and there are set prices depending on the area you are going. Taxi prices are comparable to Europe and I guess considering you are driving potentially through the whole country not too bad but definitely not cheap either. And there are no UBER or taxi apps.
If you are in Port Louis you can take the Metro Express which covers the area from Port Louis to Quatre Bornes and Albion.
Mauritius offers perfect tropical island weather aka lots of sun and humidity. Leave your hair straightener at home and embrace the frizz curls. Make sure to pack lots of waterproof and reef-friendly sunscreen and good mosquito repellant (the mozzies here are vicious). While all Veranda hotels offered mosquito nets and a mosquito plug as well as repellant lanterns on the table it pays off to wear long-sleeved clothes and long pants in the evening.
Style is definitely casual as you would expect from a tropical island. Even if you don’t embrace the whole barefoot culture of the resorts, leave your heels at home – they don’t work well with sand. If you are doing a tour in Port Louis, go e-biking or are planning to hike Le Morne pack some good trainers.
While you can buy most of your regular beauty products and gadgets in Mauritius, you might pay island prices. And – true story – it seems impossible to find a camera battery charger so make sure to pack all your electronics, cables, and back-ups!
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You have the choice to book directly at the Veranda Resorts website or on the usual booking platforms. However, they are planning special packages that you can book to try out the various Veranda hotels and locations including transfer in between the resorts which will exclusively be available on their website.
2 comments
THIS JUST LOOKS LIKE PARADISE. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL ISLAND AND SUCH THOUGHTFUL HOTELS. NOTHING BEATS BREAKFAST WITH YOUR TOES IN THE SAND!!!
Agreed, though I felt a bit bad for our waiters who seemed to have to work extra hard 😉 Mind you, I loved the offering too – so very special!