Mauritius - where to stay? One and Only vs Prince Maurice

[jashermd]

Hello,

Has anyone out there been to Mauritius? I'm thinking about heading there for some winter sun (given that North Island is out of the question for now) and have been doing a bit of research.

I'm looking for a small ultra-luxurious child-free place with excellent food and a number of activity options so there's more to do than just lie on the beach. Accommodation should be in private villas with plenty of privacy, ideally built over the water.

So far I've come up with the One and Only St Geran, One and Only Ile Maurice, and the Prince Maurice. Has anyone stayed at any of these places - or anywhere else which fits the bill?

Cheers,
Julian
Message Edited by jashermd on 01-29-200710:23 AM

[mary-j]

Last year we did a 2-centre with Dubai/Mauritius and we stayed at Le Prince Maurice. It wasvery nice and I would highly recommend it butI don't suppose it will be on par with Le Saint Geran. We stayed in a senior suite which was situated on the beach with our own pool, whichI really liked. We had intended on opting for one of the senior suites which was situated on stilts over the lagoon but they don't have their own pool so we decided against it. The whole place is very luxurious and the staff would bend over backwards to help you although it was quite expensive, especially drinks, but we expected that to be the norm in a five-star resort in Mauritius. You did mention that you wanted a resort with no children, well .Le prince maurice does allow children, but saying that, we only ever saw a family with 2 children around ages 10yrs the whole time we were there. I must add, we enjoyed the luxury and the surroundings so much that we never actually left the resort for the 5 nights we were there. I know that is such a waste of the time in Mauritius but we were so chilled out at the resort we just could not be bothered to leave it. If you do choose this resort, you will not be disappointed. Is your heart set on Mauritius? If not, have you considered the Seychelles? it is just that we also went to the Seychelles in June and although we absolutely loved our stay at Le Prince Maurice, we enjoyed our stay in the Seychelles even more. We stayed at the Banyan Tree in a "pool villa by the rocks" and this is the most beautiful place we have ever been to. Our private villa was "out of this world" and the views were "to die for". This place really has to be one of the most wonderful resorts ever built. Although, it is my favourite resort/hotel along with Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa. Now that is another story!!!!!

[jashermd]

Hi Mary-J,

I was hoping you would reply, as you seem to have been to exotic islands all over the world! I'm glad to hear about your marvellous experience at Le Prince Maurice. It's gotten very good reviews from Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast, but as you said I'm not sure how it would compare to le Saint-Geran. Now hopefully someone else will have been to le Saint-Geran and will chime in. The One and Onlys certainly look much nicer on their website but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be a better experience.

How was the food at Le Prince Maurice? Would they cater to your requests? I'm asking because I'm not a huge fan of extremely spicy food and I've been warned by a friend that the cuisine in Mauritius tends to be pretty spicy.

If I went to the Seychelles I'd want to go to North Island, so I'm looking at either Mauritius or the Maldives for this trip. Mauritius seems like a more logical choice because I could probably combine it with a few days in Cape Town or on safari. I have heard great things about the Banyan Tree properties though, and it does sound lovely!

Cheers,
Julian

[mary-j]

Yes, the food did tend to be on the spicy side, but I wouldn't let that put you of. My husband is the most fussy eater you will ever meet and he had no problem at all. Our favourite restaurant was Le Barachois, and we actually ate there 3 nights. We loved where it was situated, but the first night we went my husband did not really fancy anything on the menu so they asked what he would like. He said he fancied a steak(which was not on the menu) and the chef went out of his way to make him one, and he said it was one of the best he had tasted anywhere. The staff will do their best to please you, so if there is something on the menu which does not appeal to you, then they will do their best to accommodate you. They do have international food too so it won't be a problem if you don't fancy what they have from the Mauritiun style menu. I see you are also considering the Maldives. Have you got a particular resort in mind?I am also considering Maldives and my choice will probably be the Hilton Maldives or One and Only Reethi Rah.

[jashermd]

Hi Mary-J,

Thanks for the info on the food. I don't mind a little spice now and then but a week of spicy food would be a bit much. The flexibility you mention is wonderful -- that's what it's like at the best safari camps. I don't like potatoes, onions (round) and coconut, and there have been times where an entire menu was prepared for me.

I did consider the Maldives, but have pretty much settled on Mauritius because I can combine it with some time in South Africa for a bush and beach break (there are easy flights from Joburg). I was looking at Banyan Tree, the One and Onlys, and the Sonevas.

Cheers,
Julian

[cruisinred]

Jasher-



If you wanted to combine South Africa and the Maldives, I think that you could do that on Emirates (JNB-DXB-MLE).



My opinion is admittedly a bit biased in the Maldives vs. Mauritius debate, although I have not been myself. People I have spoken to who have visited were not impressed with Mauritius, saying that it did not rank favorably with even a 2nd rate island in the Caribbean. The Maldives on the other hand gets rave reviews from every I know who has gone there. I think the fact that almost every resort is on its own private island really makes the difference.

[jashermd]

Hi Cruisinred,

Thanks for the suggestion on the routing -- I'll look into it, though flying all the way back up to Dubai and then back out to the Maldives looks like it might be pretty brutal. I didn't realise that every resort in the Maldives had its own island, though the ones I was looking at did.

Aside from the convenience of the flights, the other factor in the Mauritius v Maldives debate for me was that the people I know who have gone to the Maldives have said that it's effectively a honeymooners' destination, which makes me wonder how I'd feel being there on my own.

Cheers,
Julian

[jazykevert]

The One and Only would definitely be a good choice.

What about the Oberoi there?

Check it at http://www.oberoi-mauritius.com/inde...o=1&leftitem=1



We once stayed two weeks in Mauritius (about twelve years ago already)andthoroughlyliked it, but overall the island may now be a bit overrated. Mind you, I'm only referring to life outside the many (definitely) splendid resorts and hotels.

Went to just about every corner (rent-a-car, and you get everywhere) and would certainly have expected a little more diversity in landscape (deforestation, overexploitation, you name it, caused a lot of forests to disappear).

Given the tourism booming in recent years (and growing manufacturing and offshore banking industries), I wonder how it looks nowadays. I sure hope they managed to preserve the (sub-) tropical look and feel.