MAURITIUS

Delicious Mauritius

It was a bit of a Brad Pitt/George Clooney 

dilemma for Isabel Conway.... in the end 

she settled for better value and a bit more buzz

View from the open plan entrance lobby of Zilwa Attitude hotel resort at Kalodyne on the north coast of Mauritius.

     “It is a bit of a Brad Pitt/George Clooney dilemma, you’re not going to be disappointed either way” the reader who wanted to know “which is better the Maldives or Mauritius.” was diplomatically informed by a holiday magazine travel guru. The Maldives might be prettier and glitzier than its rival but there was more of a buzz to Mauritius, more to see and do and it was also better value, Travel Guru pointed out.
     I have not yet visited the Maldives. But George Clooney is certainly my type I quickly decide   as our overnight Air Mauritius flight from London dips in to land revealing picture postcard perfect ribbons of turquoise lagoon ringing a dramatic interior landscape of cone like dormant volcanoes, surrounded by lush forest.

Map:HOLIDAYezine

     Some 2,000 kms off Africa’s south East coast, (see map) pear shaped Mauritius is small, just 42 miles long and 29 miles wide. Yet this Indian Ocean paradise ranging from pristine white beaches fringed with palm trees and lush jungle interior appears much larger due to differences in gradient, variety in landscape and twists and turns of small roads, bordering sugar cane fields and sleepy fishing settlements away from the highways.

     Intrepid traveller and writer Mark Twain took a voyage to Mauritius while travelling the world in the late 1800s compiling a Lonely Planet Guide of his day called “Following the Equator”. He wrote of enjoying “splendid scenery” and the island’s interesting legacy of a diverse ethnic mix.
     In the past rival colonies grabbed a slice of Mauritius, from the Dutch and French to the British because of its location as a trading post for slaves and spices from the African continent and sugar. Back in 1968 the island became independent from Britain.

Preparing the sugar cane to squeeze out sap

     The legacy of the past is reflected in the ethnic diversity of the population and languages spoken as well as the island’s varied cuisine – think Creole, Chinese, Indian and French.  The nearest I came to a British culinary legacy were the hotel resorts breakfast bacon and eggs, fried bread and grilled mushrooms.
     A Creole lesson, a daybreak boat tour with a local fisherman, traditional cooking with a local lady, tours from tea plantations to rum making, authentic markets to Hindu shrines and towering waterfalls – these are just some of the distractions for those willing to wander beyond infinity pools, water sports and sunbathing on Mauritius.
     Encouraged by our charming host Guillaume, Assistant manager at Zilwa Attitude, the latest property in a well established chain of quality Attitude hotel resorts on Mauritius, we set our phone alarms for the ungodly hour of 5.30am and a daybreak date with a boatman.
     A fleeting transformation from inky blackness into shimmering swathes of orange tinged gold, clouds outlined as if with strobe lighting while the sun slowly moves above the horizon of the Indian Ocean was a sight to behold, Guillaume has promised.  And he is absolutely right.
     Later as the sun slowly climbs up the Jacobs ladder we wade knee deep in lukewarm water  on to a little beach of bleached soft sand  taking a  quick dip before tucking into a picnic breakfast serenaded by cheeky birds dive bombing bread and pineapple chunks.

Lazily installed on a tranquil beach, 
listening to the gently lapping waves, 
maybe a rum cocktail in hand 
     Chugging back to our horseshoe shaped  resort pier a flying fish appears so we scramble for cameras and iphones.  A sudden splash rents the glistening water, a pair of dolphins chasing their morning snack. Having lost the flying fish the dolphins swim beside our boat, leaping and showing off.
     It is well worth the effort – hard as that might be when temperatures sizzle and you are lazily installed on a tranquil beach, listening to the gently lapping waves, rum cocktail maybe in hand to scratch below the surface of Mauritius, or ‘Maurice’, to French visitors who have always loved the island

Four Seasons Anahita Spa

     Start with the capitol Port Louis. Browse the galleries and craft market of the Caudan Waterfront before heading to the authentic bustling Central market where you encounter an aroma of exotic spices mixed with the slightly rancid mingling of meat and fish smells, pyramids of fresh  fruit and vegetables.

Whatever your ailment
- there's an infusion to cure it.  
     Have a chat, even a consultation with Mr Mootoosamy,  fourth generation herbalist who claims – whatever your ailment – he has an infusion to cure it.
     Then climb up to the Citadel and Fort for a superb view of the port and the oldest Racecourse in the southern hemisphere below. Before you leave town be sure to drop by the Penny Blue museum and in the gloom stand in awe at the shrine of the Penny Blue. The postage stamp, barely the size of your thumb nail was bought for an astonishing $2.2 million.
It is one of the world’s great philatelic rarities. A glaring misprint back in the 1800s saw ‘post office’ instead of’ postage paid’ printed on the consignment, only one or two of them still in existence.
With some of the best stretches of beach and largest lagoon on Mauritius the renowned Four Seasons at Anahita  is among the top hotel resorts of the Indian Ocean, on the south east coast, our base for the next few nights.
     From here we visited the Bois Cheri Tea plantation, touring a busy processing plant and meeting guide Azad who came to work at Cheri aged 14 packing 200 tea packets a day. Today a German built machine on site packs 10,000 daily. Surrounded by hillside tea plantations we sample various teas at the Scenic Bois Cheri Chalet whose restaurant offers chicken with green tea sauce or prawns marinated in exotic flavour tea. Sampling another spin off - tea chutney it is definitely an ‘acquired’ taste we agree.
We needed no such acquired taste at Rhumerie de Chamarel  later. Following a tasty lunch at its L’Alchimiste Restaurant we are ready to  embark on a cane to bottle discovery of Mauritian produced premium rums .
     Vanessa, the rum expert encourages us to develop our knowledge of the famous exotic drink in all its varied types and vintages, without tasting any of the delicious lethal samples herself.
Afterwards we visited  yet another famous Mauritian landmark, the strange coloured earths of Chamarel whose blue, green, red and yellow colours are the result of erosion of volcanic ash. It is a place of tranquillity and beauty amid native plant life and neighbouring waterfalls.

Sugar cane juice for sale in Port Louis

     Four Seasons at Anahita  is the ultimate Mauritian luxury resort boasting superb accommodation, casual elegance and friendliness, top restaurants, a championship golf course and Spa.
     We stayed two glorious days – but lusted after a week, if not longer  in  our gorgeous villa with its own plunge pool and botanic garden. Bikes parked outside beckoned   further exploration and we only called a piloted buggy to move the luggage back to the open plan stylish main  buildings.  A free launch takes guests out from Four Seasons Anahita to beautiful Ile aux Cerfs tropical island in the lagoon.
     I spent a lovely morning playing at being a beachcomber. I strolled on a deserted spit of ivory coloured sand on Ile aux Cerfs and threw stranded sea stars back into the deep competing with a equally mad French woman doing the same with sea urchins, then wandering inland among tall tropical trees where squirrel like creatures with long tails turned out to be tribes of local mongoose scuttling through the undergrowth.
     The Four Seasons Golf Club is a championship course set against lush mountains and fringed by the huge crystal clear lagoon with complimentary unlimited rounds of golf for guests.
A range of inclusive water activities includes  excellent snorkelling.  My companion snorkeler had a panic attack as we scanned the bottom of a exciting coral garden patrolled by rainbow coloured fish and saw the (inert) green and brown striped sea snakes some curled, others stretched out along the seabed.
     Another highlight was the Four Seasons weekly Mauritian specialities buffet of sea fresh fish among dozens of  beautifully presented local and international dishes and a Sega dance performance, renowned in this magical corner of a Indian Ocean Eden.
     Here at Four Seasons the Sega, once an erotic dance slaves enjoyed after toiling in the cane fields , often a prelude to more intimate encounters, was a colourful  tastefully choreographed   performance with a smattering of calypso  and other genres, tuned perfectly to guests from all over the world which in a way sums up Mauritius, exhibiting the attributes of a tropical paradise -- ....exotic but never too much so.

Travel File:
Air Mauritius (www.airmauritius.com) daily flights ex London Heathrow. Emirates (www.emirates.ie) flights ex Dublin on ultra comfortable A380 aircraft with a short layover in Dubai, from €846. High end tour operator Abercrombie & Kent (www.abecrombiekent.co.uk) has a range of luxury holidays to Mauritius. For Zilwa Attitude see www.zilwa-hotel-mauritius.com  (who have a current limited Summer 7 nights all inclusive offer including flights for €1,200 and €125 per person daily all inclusive low season.  Four Seasons Anahita (www.fourseasons.com/mauritius)
Topflight world wide (www.topflight.ie) feature holidays at Attitude hotel resorts Mauritius. See also Trailfinder (www.trailfinder.ie) and Travelmood (www.travelmood.ie) have flights plus a week’s accommodation from €1,399 depending on season.  Travelmood  offer Dubai and Mauritius 7 nights  accommodation only from €1,199 in October.  For Four Seasons see also www.elegantresorts.co.uk who offer 7 nights at Four Seasons Resort Anahita, half board basis, Garden villa, ex Dublin with Emirates from £3,195 p.p.

For more information on Mauritius: www.tourism-mauritius.mu

When to go:  Low season until October, temperatures around 25c and good hotel deals. High Season Nov-Feb when hotel prices and temps soar.