Mauritius: Join the party as the country celebrates 50 years of independence
Mauritius is celebrating 50 years of independence in 2018 – but there’s more than a half-century of reasons why it is the indian ocean’s ultimate getaway destination of choice,
From the ancient capital of Mahébourg, i ride down narrow lanes, past candycoloured village houses fringed with lambrequins and stalls piled with coconuts that are sliced open to drink on the spot.
Our first stop on this new circular electric bike tour of Grand Port in the sleepy southeast is the monument in the mangrove where the first islanders – the dutch - set foot on Mauritius.
At the ruined dutch fort in vieux Grand
Port, e-bike discovery’s founder Laurent d’Unienville, an eighth-generation FrancoMauritian, regales us with tales of slave raids, ships stacked with ebony, and duels to the death. A cannon points into Grand Port Bay at Falaise rouge (red Cliff) restaurant where tucking into a deer curry lunch, we learn that in 1810, the British fought the French for island sovereignty - and later that year, won it.
We ride into Mahébourg, along its waterfront promenade, with views over Lion Mountain, to the Natural History Museum, whose eclectic exhibits include a stuffed dodo, French governor Mahé Labourdonnais’ bed and legendary Corsair robert Surcouf’s sword.
We’ve travelled 30 kilometres and covered four centuries of island history – but, invigorated by the smells and sounds of this tropical island, my legs don’t ache at all.
Celebrations
Multicultural Mauritius has seen a 9% increase in UK visitors this year.
“Mauritius is celebrating 50 years of
independence, which saw Lonely Planet choose it as one of its top 10 places to visit in 2018,” says Sheena Paton, Commercial & Product Manager – Beach at Kuoni.
“Access has increased over the past year thanks to British Airways increasing capacity from three to five flights a week over the peak season and new Emirates flights. Plus, it now has accommodation to suit all budgets.”
Looking to grow its branded hotels across the world, Mauritius is also on Thomas Cook’s radar. the operator’s Kirstie Boon, Contracts Manager - Maldives, Mauritius and Sri Lanka, says: “It’s the safest destination in the indian ocean, with highquality hotels and fabulous standards of service.’
the island is also increasingly attractive for families, with island hotels adding teen clubs, more family-friendly rooms and featuring special offers such as kids stay, play and eat for free.
Wellness is a focus, with more hoteliers adding wellness concierges and wellness programmes, such as Shanti Maurice’s fivenight yoga retreats in July, with a daily spa treatment, wellness menus and nature hikes.
Sunset Faraway are launching sports packages, with a kitesurfing fam trip going out in late 2018. “in the context of the indian ocean, the value for money in Mauritius is hard to ignore,” says Alex Artitzone, Product Manager at osborne and ebel, which have seen growth in demand for studio apartments such as the well-priced B-Cozy in trou aux
Biches. With a trend for beach clubs and longer stays in Mauritius, Sunset Faraway has added more self-catering options.
Exploration is trendy. Thomas Cook’s customers are increasingly opting for on island twin-centres and touring is on the up. Attitude Hotels’ Otentik Discovery self-guided app has 10 Mauritius itineraries and Mautourco’s ‘stroll in the past’ tour takes in botanical gardens and the capitals’ street food sellers.
Shiny and new
the island saw a raft of renovations last summer. La Pirogue has a boho-chic vibe and modernised rooms, new wine bar and theatrical seafood buffet on the beach.
The reinvention of sporty Long Beach
Mauritius has seen a new Cinq Mondes spa, mixology classes and in 2018 and a new Asian-fusion restaurant called tamarind Soul.
Rebranded as the island’s first wellness hotel, Heritage Le Telfair’s restored Heritage Le Château now sports a sumptuous Presidential Suite and menu designed by Michelin-starred david toutain.
LUX* Grand Gaube has been re-imagined by Kelly Hoppen, with lovely new rooms, a new spa and beauty salon, and exciting dining concepts, Argentinian-Peruvian,
Turkish and a Creole Smokehouse.
One&Only Le Saint Géran re-opened after a multi-million-dollar transformation last december, with remodelled rooms and suites, fresh dining concepts such as pan-Asian tapas-style Tapasake restaurant, new kids club, sports zone and pool and immersive guest experiences, such as a day with an ecoranger from Mauritian Wildlife Foundation.
the east coast’s Solana Beach, no longer exclusive to Kuoni, became adult-only in November, and veranda Paul et virginie is couplesonly, with a new infinity pool and sunken deck.
“Our staff holidays to Mauritius (with up to 70% discount) allow agents to experience a resort how it should be – with their loved ones”. Alex Artitzone, Product Manager, Osborne and Ebel
Beyond the beach
A birds eye view: New-generation four- to six-seater helicopters (corailhelicomu.com) were introduced last year. Sunset
Faraway’s half-day scenic heli-tour from north to south includes Rochester Falls, Black River Gorges and lunch at rhumerie de Chamarel.
Easy rider: explore authentic island life with E.Bike Discovery’s (electrobikemauritius.com) electro-bike tours in Chamarel, Souillac and Grand Port. New is L’Aventure du Sucre.
Try street food: Authentic island experiences include veranda resorts’ taste Buddies (tastebuddies.mu) street food tour of the capital, ‘Porlwi’, which takes guests to try boulette dumplings and tamarind juice.
Eco-safari: Take a guided tour along a raised wooden walkway to spot endemic birds, plants and trees in the recently-opened ebony Forest reserve (ebonyforest.com).
Sleep under the stars: Spend a magical night in a new luxurious Bubble Lodge on ile aux Cerfs, either nestled in a banyan tree or on a private beach, from £300 per night sharing on half board, with butler service and complimentary golf (infogolf@iacgolf.mu).
What’s new
Airlines: refurbishment on Air Mauritius (airmauritius.com) A340s starts in 2018.
emirates’ (emirates.com) new daily route from Stansted to dubai launches on June 8.
Alitalia (alitalia.com) resumes its three-timesweekly Rome to Mauritius service on October 28. Kenya Airways’ (kenya-airways.com) launches a four-times-weekly Nairobi to Mauritius flight on June 7, with connections from Heathrow. Attractions: the 18-hole Mont Choisy
Golf Course (montchoisygolf.com), designed by
Peter Matkovich, opened last November.
ile aux Cerfs (ileauxcerfsleisureisland.com) gets a soft refurbishment this year. it will add the island
Bar and Grill, with driftwood cabanas, live music and DJs, fresh local fish and pizzas.
Tour operator news: Sunset Faraway
Holidays has opened a secondary office in Mauritius to focus on large weddings, with a coordinator on the ground to make the big day run smoothly. Thomas Cook is also rebooting its Mauritius wedding programme this year. hotels/resorts: Preskil Beach Resort (southerncrosshotels.mu/preskil-beach-resort) re-emerges as the four-star-plus Preskil Island Resort on december 1 – expect authentic island style and new family rooms and separate bedrooms.
the legendary tamarin Hotel will be reborn as three-star-plus veranda tamarin Hotel & Spa (veranda-resorts.com) in october, with 50 new rooms, a Seven Colours Spa, new rooftop bar and pool. New product: Agents can now book three- to seven-night dream Yacht Charter cruises (dreamyachtcharter.co.uk) by the cabin.
A new One Love speedboat tour from
Sunset Fataway (sunset.co.uk), includes a stop at Mahébourg market.
Tourism talk
“Mauritius has seen a fantastic start to 2018 thanks to the many newlyrefurbished hotels and updated offerings on the island. This year the MTPA will be running a travel agent booking incentive with Premier Holidays and will host its popular regional roadshow events up and down the UK to update agents’ knowledge on the destination
“Our annual ‘Golf and Spa Day’ for key trade partners will again take place in June and the MTPA will be hosting a selection of intimate dinners to update agents.”
Matt Littlechild, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA)
“When out exploring the island, agents are often amazed by the genuine friendliness of local Mauritian people” Mark Boullé, General Manager, Beachcomber Tours