tropical seduction
Michelin-starred Vineet Bhatia says that no matter where he travels, it’s all about people, culture, respect, and good-quality fresh products cooked with passion, love and care. I couldn’t agree more.
DEBBIE HATHWAY
WHAT’S
COOKING
Chef Vineet Bhatia will be at LUX* Belle Mare to surprise guests with two special set menus on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 October at Rs2800 per person. A culinary experience at Amari by Vineet is all about creating everlasting memories not just of the environment and the people you share it with but the special combinations and contrasts in textures, flavours and temperatures for which Vineet is renowned.
HOW TO
GET THERE
Air Mauritius operates flights to Mauritius once daily from Johannesburg, three times a week from Durban (Monday, Wednesday and Saturday) and twice a week from Cape Town. Visit airmauritius.com for more information.
BOOKING
visit luxresorts.com.
I LOVE Mauritius. I go there to get my fix at least three times a year.
Call it self-preservation. In this very hurried world, where I struggle to make time for the things I know are important, Mauritius is the best place for me to find balance. The only place I’ve discovered so far where I can truly relax, it’s also where I learnt to dance in the rain.
Those perhaps more welltravelled than me are dismissive of my passion for this destination. Yes, there are arguably more beautiful islands in the world than this one but how many are just a four-hour flight from OR Tambo International Airport?
And Île aux Cerfs, on the coast of Mauritius, was voted the 21st best beach in the world by global travel professionals in a flightnetwork.com survey last year. This little island is the go-to spot for watersports and snorkelling, and boasts a golf course, too.
Tourists and residents alike will vouch for the people as much as they do for the place. And it’s the people – and their music – who keep me going back for more, whether I’m experiencing the island from a luxury perspective or travelling on a budget. I’ve done both. What really counts? Good coffee, good service, good food, good wi-fi – not necessarily in that order.
At LUX* Resorts & Hotels, they do better than good. They only ever do excellent. I know because I’ve tested them on official and unofficial visits. I can pop in unannounced with a few minutes’ warning, craving a cappuccino from Café LUX* made from their blend created at the Belle Mare flagship, and I’ll be welcomed back by name with a smile. In Mauritius, where there are many hotels and resorts, hoteliers have to find ways to make themselves stand out not only to attract new guests, but to keep them coming back. One of the many ways that LUX* Resorts & Hotels does that is through its culinary offering. LUX* Belle Mare in the east and LUX* Grand Gaube in the north have two things nobody else has – the Amari by Vineet and INTI restaurants.
Amari is a concept devised by Michelin-starred Vineet Bhatia where you’ll discover there’s more to Indian cuisine than rice and curry. Under the watchful eye of chef Subi Mungroo, the kitchen staff prepare menus that offer everyone, says Bhatia, “the magic of the spices. Our food is aromatic for the sake of flavour. It’s not chilli-hot unless it’s by request”. INTI, meanwhile, boasts a melange of Peruvian and Argentinian flavours.
Once you’re done ooh-ing and aah-ing at Kelly Hoppen’s fabulous décor that has contributed to the success of this recently transformed resort you’ll be salivating for the chef’s specialities prepared in the open kitchen and served to the sounds of Latin-american music at the Ceviche and Pisco Bar (or at a table, should you prefer).
You’ll be spoilt for choice though – INTI’S one of six restaurants and seven bars. You can do two in one, almost, if you head for the Tree House and work your way effortlessly through some of the 88 different rums while your Creole dish is slowcooked on wood and charcoal under the tree canopy.
Architect Jean-francois Adam’s vision of contemporary yet timeless Indian Ocean living at LUX* Grand Gaube resonates from the sweeping entrance that looks straight on to the sea to the furthest nook of the resort. The renovation has opened the way to many innovations. To elaborate further would surely spoil the surprise.