Dodo Island... it’ll take your breath away
THE dodo’s image is everywhere you look in Mauritius, from the moment you arrive at the airport to the cover of restaurant menus. It seems a strange emblem to use to promote the island – it’s their national bird – considering it was the very place they were hunted into extinction in the 17th Century.
The 3ft-tall, flightless birds were killed by dogs, cats, rats, pigs and, of course, humans who ate them, despite the unpleasant taste, until they became extinct in the 1660s while the island was under Dutch rule.
Like the dodo, the island has a complicated history. Replacing the Dutch, the French invaded in 1710 and ruled Mauritius for 100 years. The population speaks French today despite the British colonisation beginning in the early 19th Century (Mauritius became an independent nation in 1968). The majority of the population is of Indian descent, with residents also hailing from Africa, Fiji, China and, of course, Europe.
I was not sure what to expect when I arrived. Mauritius’s proximity to the Maldives had me expecting it to have the same landscape (ie not much except white sandy beaches), but the island is full of rich green hills, woods and farmland.
It reminded me of being in St Lucia, with its lush fields and striking pitons surrounding us. It was only the incredible roads which reassured me I wasn’t (seriously, they are better than in London).
Mauritius is a wealthy island with its sugar, rum and cutflower exports. I travelled north up the east coast to Shangri-La’s Le Touessrok Resort, which reopened at the end of last year after a major refurbishment (it was previously owned by the One and Only group). No matter what time you arrive, your breath will be taken away by the entrance to the hotel with its huge mangrove tree filled with fairy lights – and then by the local art and huge, blown-glass light fittings in the foyer.
The resort sprawls across the bay with low-level beachfront villas connected by a path which you can use to pop to one of the three private beaches.
Depending on which way the wind’s blowing, you will always find a tranquil suntrap; well, most of the time – sometimes you’ll get a party boat whizzing by with hordes of rum-soaked guests dancing on deck.
As well as the beaches, the hotel has two beautiful, and very quiet, swimming pools surrounded by tropical plants and trees. Lying in the shade and taking the occasional dip to cool off, the days could not have been more perfect. The hotel also has regular motorboat shuttles to its two private islands. One is the venue for watersports such as parasailing and kitesurfing, while the other has an 18-hole golf course as well as a huge stretch of totally unspoilt beach, where we were even serenaded by a lone guitarist who played Light My Fire (‘Have you heard of The Doors?’ he asked).
You might not want to, but there are plenty of opportunities to leave the resort. You can canoe among the mangrove trees, visit a local rum distillery, cycle along the coast or pay for a speedboat tour along the coast.
Our driver Charles was no stranger to full throttle, and we charged along with music blaring, leaving boats of Japanese tourists bobbing dangerously in our wake.
We anchored at the Blue Bay Marine Park where we dived from the boat to snorkel among beautiful fish. Back in the boat, we were taken to a waterfall where we saw monkeys eating mangos from the trees on the bank, then to Fouquets Island, which houses an old lighthouse built by slaves, and to an ocean sandbank for a great view of the island. The only view that’s better is through the plane window as you leave, but you’ll be too sad it’s all over to
appreciate that one.
Kuoni (kuoni.co.uk) offers seven nights’ B&B at Shangri-La’s Le Touessrok Resort & Spa from £2,149pp including return flights from Gatwick and transfers. Book by April 30.