The leading lady returns

lived on Mauritius, and collected seashells along its shore.

But, with the last remodelling in 1999, the resort became outdated and its reputation waned. A number of competitor properties had emerged in its wake and so drastic action was needed to reassert Le Saint Géran as Mauritius’ leading lady.

The project has seen every component of the property re-evaluated. Where once the resort had an aesthetic that could be described as “colonial glamour”, its updated interiors by Janine Mijne, the South African designer, now draw inspiration from Mauritius’ elegant plantation houses, ancient sugar cane factories and the island’s thatched roofs to provide a more authentic local feel. The remodelled rooms and suites, now light, feature wood-effect parquet ceramic floor tiles and marble-lined bathrooms with egg-shaped baths.

Changes elsewhere are more dramatic. The little-visited Indian restaurant has been replaced by sexy new pan-Asian restaurant Tapasake, where the menu includes Japanese beef cooked in eucalyptus leaf with pumpkin purée, creative cocktails are on offer and DJs play. It has been devised to attract a new, younger clientele but regulars during my visit were also delighted by the change. Outside, the nine-hole golf course is gone; in its place will be 50 secluded pool villas to be made available for purchase and rental. Scheduled for completion in 2018, they will cost from £1.4 million and are expected to attract the type of ultra-luxe consumers who might previously have shunned Mauritius in favour of the Maldives or the Seychelles.

While those latter nations have better beaches, Mauritius has always trumped other Indian Ocean destinations when it comes to service. I have been fortunate enough to visit many of the 112 hotels on Mauritius on my 20 or so journeys to the island, and the natural friendliness and sincerity of the Mauritian people is extraordinary. In Le Saint Géran, the warmth of the staff was the one thing the hotel didn’t want to change. Many of the returning team have worked there up to 30 years, so repeat guests should be as warmly received as the Andersons.

This has always been a hotel with a bit of buzz, where people dance to the live band at night, so some returnees have expressed disappointment about the disbanding of the Famous 9, the resident band. Others are unsure about the revised La Terrasse restaurant, which has been redesigned in the style of a pergola found in plantation houses and no longer offers a clear view of the sea. But everyone notices that the food has improved. The resort’s new executive chef is Marc de Passorio, from Réunion Island. The only resident Michelin star chef on

The updated Le Saint Géran still has a homely feel