BEST TIME TO GO:
sea-shore dining at Tides; the Chinese and Japanese restaurants, Chopsticks and Hasu.
Dinner options are either buffet or à la carte, three courses at your chosen restaurant. Everyone pays extra at Hasu.
The buffet at Le Marche is themed nightly and, unlike the mass-produced budget meals at some hotels, the five-star difference means good quality roasts, top-notch seafood and authentic world cuisine. On the Asian evening, there were fresh Peking duck spring rolls, several rice and noodle dishes, curries and grills on hot coals.
For lunches, poolside, there are fabulous pizzas (R300), salads and sandwiches. Kids’ meals are chicken or fish nuggets, expensive at around R120. The all-inclusive packages make sense if you eat and drink a lot. Out-of-package drinks and food are pricey, as with most resorts on the island. ACTIVITIES: If you have kids, don’t bother touring. It is hot, expensive and mostly unimpressive. We did a trip to the muggy and mosquitodrenched Pamplemousses Botanical Gardens for around R2 000, to see a pond of giant lily pads and pitiful tortoises.
Do visit the Ganga Talao temple for a spiritual experience, otherwise hotel watersports should happily occupy a visitor with the best thing to do in Mauritius, which is enjoy the sea. Long Beach has paddle boats and kayaks, glass-bottomed boat cruises and
snorkelling for guests. It is tropical all year round. Hot and humid with the occasional downpour. FACILITIES: Kids’ club, nightclub and baby-sitting services.
There are cooking demos, evening entertainment and an exercise programme with sunrise yoga, a fitness centre, tennis and a spa. Also a complimentary shuttle, ferry and green fees for golfers to Ile Aux Cerfs. If you want to visit as a non-golfer, the taxi fare is about R800 and the ferry is free.
Excellent wifi throughout the resort. DOWNSIDES: Ants and a few stray cats and dogs, but children seem to love them all. RATES: Season dependent, it starts at around R5 000 per room, per night, half board for two people and two children in a 62m² room. The all-inclusive packages were an additional R2 000 per day in March. Discovery Vitality members get discounts on World Leisure Holiday trips. CONTACT: Visit wlh.co.za or longbeachmauritius.com.