HOW I MET MAURITIUS

It was easy. Mauritius wants to be discovered; its people are natural hosts. On arrival at my hotel, SALT of Palmar, I was welcomed by Melanie and a burst of Camille Walala colour. Check-in was fast and informal, and I learned that Melanie is a former Miss Eco Mauritius and SALT is single-use plastic-free and zero-waste. I already felt at home. I booked a Bang on the Beach room, and I'm still congratulating myself on the decision. After incredible sleeps, thanks to the bed designed by physiotherapists, I would watch the sunrise from my balcony over a cup of fresh moringa tea. My first breakfast was made-to-order Pokecado, freshly-baked jackfruit bread, and locally-roasted coffee. And it was that good every day. The bakery uses seasonal fruits and local spices to create unique treats, and the barista coffee was superb. Food is a big part of the hotel's charm. It's made tt order using locally grown ingredients only — and you can taste it. Exploration came easy. Sharonne, one of the hotel's team members, took me to the home of Janine the potter, who let me try my hand at her wheel. Then to meet Natalie, who demonstrated how to make natural soap using blended natural oils. We bought a car snack of lychees from a roadside vendor. I know how to eat them like a local now Then we went to Flacq. As you enter the town, a sign says it all about the Mauritian culture: We went to the market. It's where the locals shop for food, clothing; you name it. It was lunchtime, so we sampled Indian peanuts roasted before us in hot sand, and we ate dhall purl, alouda and poutou — local recipes I'll forever try to recreate. One night, at the hotel's rooftop bar, after a chat with Valen about my flavour preferences, he crafted a perfect cocktail of homemade savage pepper bitters with gin and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice to meet my brief of 'not too sweet.' We named it The Savage. Jena, another member of the SALT of Palmer team, took me to her boyfriend Krish's farm — a two—acre plot at the foot of the Belrose mountains. He grows pineapple and papaya, while all around his neighbours tend bananas, moringa, and mangoes. I went to Mirella's house to eat with her family. She served up a delicious feast along with rum she had flavoured with ginger before her nephews, Adel and Damien, played ravanne drums and sang Mauritian songs. I also spent quality time at the hotel, swimming in the warm sea and the cool pool, reading in the library bursting with books by locals and learning how to make traditional chicken curry. We made the paste, the curry and rotis from scratch. It was delicious, healthy, and a skill I took home. In the spa, Safinaz and I collaborated on my salt foot scrub and massage oil mix and visited the salt room to detoxify and boost my respiratory system. My day in the capital, Port Louis, was packed with discovery. The hotel connected me with Shakti, who filled my head with history and my belly with street food. Gateau Pimas on Pasteur Street. Chicken Boulette down an unassuming alley off Royal Road. Sesame cake from the Chinese bakery on Venpin Street. And hot vanilla tea from the market. She also took me to pagodas in Chinatown and to meet a jeweller making silver needles for use by devout Tamils to pierce their bodies during Thaipoosam Cavadee. When I think about my trip, many things stand out. In the hotel, chef Rehad went off-menu to create a platter of sashimi for me because Kishor, the dayboat fisherman, had landed a Ruby Snapper that morning. And while out exploring, I shared spiced chickpeas at the market with a smiling old lady. In these, and every, moment, I was experiencing the real Mauritius. It all comes down to the interactions I had, and I met all of these wonderful characters because I stayed at SALT of Palmar - a hotel that connects its guests to locals. A guidebook can only take you so far. People are where you find the real soul of a place.