As half Mauritian and half travel enthusiast, my standards for hotels are perhaps a bit high. The following recommendations are based solely on my personal experiences, and I encourage everyone to consider them as such.
Lux Grand Baie
Location: Northern Grand Baie Area
Star Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Recommendation:
Lux Grand Baie is a luxurious addition to the Mauritius hospitality scene, showcasing a vibrant contrast to the typical sleek and minimalistic Lux brand style. The hotel boasts an art gallery, and every detail inside, from the spa to the apartments, basic rooms, and villas, feels like a piece of art.
The basic rooms, with an area of 60 square meters, face the sea, providing a refreshing ocean breeze as soon as you open your eyes. The rooms include a bathtub, a separate shower, and intelligent toilets. To promote environmental sustainability, the hotel uses Lux-branded bath amenities without plastic.
Equipped with a smart home control system, the rooms have both Type-C and USB sockets, eliminating the need for plug adapters. While the basic rooms face the sea, the apartments have private pools but no sea view, and the villas, eight in total, have both a sea view and a private pool.
The hotel’s restaurants, including Beach Rough, the Asian restaurant, and the bar, maintain Lux’s high culinary standards. The rooftop bar and pool, especially picturesque, close after sunset, so be mindful of the time for those Instagram-worthy shots. Apart from being a bit pricey, there are no significant downsides.
Prices (varying between peak and off-peak seasons): $550 to $1100
LUX Belle Mare
Location: Belle Mare Beach, East Coast
Star Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Recommendation:
Reopened on October 1, LUX Belle Mare has undergone a refreshing transformation. Always popular among guests, the hotel is loved for its serene environment, tranquil eastern beach, and Tiffany’s Sea. The post-renovation Belle Mare now features a palette of green and pink, with coral accents, creating a romantic ambiance ideal for honeymooners.
The basic rooms, covering 65 square meters, include a bathtub, a separate shower, a toilet, and a wardrobe. Unlike its counterpart in Grand Baie, Belle Mare rooms lack smart furniture, but each room has tempting offerings, including various alcoholic beverages to enhance your experience.
The hotel’s restaurants, such as the main restaurant Mondo (buffet-style), Beach Rough (specializing in seafood, including lean sea urchin), and a Michelin-level Indian restaurant (beautifully decorated), provide diverse dining options. There’s also a Chinese restaurant with a somewhat intimidating roasted duck display.
Prices (varying between peak and off-peak seasons): $400 to $700
LUX Grand Gaube
Star Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Location: Northeast, toward the East (Situated at a corner in Grand Gaube, a hotel surrounded by the sea on three sides)
Recommendation Index: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Recommendation:
Grand Gaube is the first hotel created under Lux’s new image. Nestled in a corner of the northern bay, the hotel offers sea views from all rooms. It provides a relatively calm environment due to its location, making it comfortable for guests.
The Superior Room, the basic room type, covers 51 square meters. Though the room is spacious, it lacks a bathtub, which might be a drawback for some guests. The room facilities, including a balcony, a shower, and branded toilets, are satisfactory, but there’s no smart central control. The lobby’s “z UI” is a likable spot, suitable for taking photos, with a direct view of the sea as soon as you step inside, creating a refreshing feeling.
This hotel has a relatively high cost performance among the four Lux hotels, with prices ranging from $270 to $620 per person.
LUX Le Morne
Star Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Location: Southern base of Le Morne Mountain (Beautiful scenery, but a bit remote)
Recommendation:
Le Morne is excellent, but it’s challenging to secure a booking! That’s pretty much the only downside. Situated at the foot of Le Morne Mountain, the hotel encourages guests to simply relax within the hotel or enjoy the beautiful beach right outside.
The Superior Room, primarily in white tones, includes a walk-in closet, a bathtub, branded toilets, and faces the beach with the mountain at its back. It’s an excellent spot in terms of Feng Shui – facing the sea with the mountain behind. Booking in advance and allowing some flexibility in your schedule is advised.
Prices: $400 to $700 per person
If you have another hotel you’d like reviewed, let me know in the comments.