This is the blog post that nearly didn’t happen, because this was the trip that nearly didn’t happen. However, after one botched booking, 1 tropical cyclone (upgraded to a Typhoon I just might add) 2 canceled flights and one ‘touch and go‘ landing, we made it to Mauritius!
See, after a really busy 2016, Elzaan and I really needed a break. We needed to go somewhere, where doing nothing was pretty much all they expected you to do. Somewhere, where drinks magically arrived at your pool lounger and your toughest decision was wether your eggs should be fried or scrambled at breakfast! We decided on the turquoise waters of Mauritius. Neither of us had been, but it was nice and close and well priced so we dived right in. No pun intended.
After all the afore mentioned drama we arrived at the 5 star Radisson Blu Azuri Resort and Spa on the north east coast of the island and were ready to (finally) let the holiday begin! After a super quick and friendly check in we arrived at our room, a garden view room…with a view of the ocean! YES!! The rooms are massive, with even bigger en-suite bathrooms and our personal favorite, the day bed on the balcony. There’s nothing that beats coming back to a nice room after a day at the beach, so this was perfect!
The hotel is set in super lush and tropical gardens with loads of little nooks and crannies giving you the ability to get away from it all and enjoy your own piece of paradise. The resort has 2 pools, but we mostly spent our time at the main pool (pictured above and below) as it was the closest to the bar. That’s right, the bar. We had lost 2 days and weren’t going to loose a second more. The pool is surrounded by loungers and day beds, as is the hotel’s private beach just meters from the pool. When it comes to relaxing in the sun, there was always somewhere to go.
Now, Elzaan and I love nothing more than exploring the streets and alley ways of our neighborhood when we’re abroad.We live for those hidden gems and little culinary experiences that bring soul to our trip. This wasn’t going to be one of those trips! This was a forced relaxation trip and so we didn’t want to think about where our next meal was coming from and how much it may cost us – I don’t mean financially either, I mean, I once had a meal in Thailand that cost me a week of toilet hugging and it so wasn’t worth it!
With that being said we opted for the all inclusive option. This meant that all our meals and most of our drinks were included in the booking price. We did ‘oooh and ahhh’ over this for a couple of days when booking, but in the end we’re super glad we went all in.
The hotel has its main restaurant called Le Comptoir that offers buffet style meals 3 times a day with a themed dinner every night, as well as 2 a’la carte restaurants offering something a little different. In the end we made our way through them all but really loved our night at L’Azuli with a little fine dining and Ocean One for some lunch time pizza and pasta! Was the food good? Well, I picked up 5kg’s in one week so you do the math!
Part of the all inclusive package are selected drinks. Yeah, I know, ‘selected’ was worrying to us too, but there is such a large amount of wine, beer and cocktails to choose from that we never got bored. Trust me, nothing beats working your way through the cocktail menu at the pool without worrying about the resulting bill. I even created my own speciality called the WMBW, it’s made with lemongrass ice tea, simple syrup, lemon juice and a double shot of local coconut rum. Mmmm Mmmm!!
The hotel offers a lot of free excursions and activities during your stay so everyday we would try something new. Between paddle boating, sea kayaking, snorkeling and a bike trip we pretty much managed to fill up all the empty time between eating and relaxing.
However, as a break from our relaxation (oh the irony) we decided to take in one outside excursion while we were there. Everyone we had spoken to went on about how amazing swimming with the dolphins is. Neither of us are particularly big into swimming in the middle of the ocean, but decided to take the plunge none the less (I mean, these puns just write themselves sometimes!)
Now, just to clear it up, this isn’t a massive swimming pool with 2 or 3 dolphins that are trained to play nicely with humans. This is you swimming with wild dolphins in the middle of the ocean as they go about their daily lives. And it’s not a hand full of dolphins either, we’re talking hundreds of them. Your speedboat races out to where the dolphins have been spotted and you basically jump out and intersect them as they come swimming around, over and under you. The moment you put your head under water all you hear is dolphin chatter and all you see are dolphins. The experience is nothing short of incredible and the team at Dol Swim ensured that.
There was one last thing we did in Mauritius that is definitely worth mentioning, something I’ve had up my sleeve for a while now.
Together with the great team at Radisson blue I arranged a surprise beach dinner at the Azuri’s sister hotel the Radisson Blu Poste Lafayette. We literally sat with our feet in the sand and the lunar eclipse hanging so low over the ocean it nearly made the surrounding candle lit lanterns obsolete. The meal was a 4 course seafood feast complete with scallops, prawns and lobster Thermidor. The final ‘course’ however was served only to Elzaan and the smile on her face when she lifted the cloche was almost as big as the smile on my face when she said ‘yes’.
Looks like we might need to change the name of the blog…’What My Fiancé Wore’ does have a nice ring to it don’t you think?
So, what started as a nightmare really did end as a dream. Mauritius is an incredible place that far outweighed our expectations. The Radisson Blu Azuri is a truly spectacular hotel, the service and staff are unmatched by anywhere else we have ever visited, nothing seems too much to ask and all requests are met with a smile. The hotel manager walks around constantly checking in with all the guests as if they’re long lost friends. Its awesome!
If you’re looking for a little down time and just need a quick break, this is definitely the best place to do it. My only advice would be, don’t go in cyclone season and if you only buy one thing for your holiday, make sure it’s travel insurance.
Okay. Stay Fancy!
