The Overview
Never have I been so disappointed to miss a night at a hotel…
I was crushed to lose a night at the St. Regis in Mauritius as a result of Emirates crappy service regarding a missed connection (that actually wasn’t missed at all, we were refused boarding since they already rebooked us).
My whinefest about Emirates continues…at least about the customer service experience.
If it wasn’t so far over to Mauritius, I’d immediately book another trip to the St. Regis in La Morne. And no, this isn’t sponsored. We weren’t provided free accommodations. But yes, we did use points because the St. Regis in Mauritius is relatively expensive.
The St. Regis is the idyllic resort that you dream of in a far off island. It is secluded. It is quiet. Except at dinner, we saw at most 5-6 other guests at any given time. It is also located on the southwestern part of Mauritius, an area that really isn’t developed and has miles of connected beachline and no high-rises.
The rooms are large, and feel secluded. We were probably 15 yards from the beach, where you could look out the balcony and see the waves lapping the sand. The bathroom was the size of our current living room, no joke. Oh, and the bath products deserve two thumbs up: I’ve been using them on every weekend trip in the last few months.
The bed faces directly out the large glass doors – and all accommodations face toward the beach, so it is not as if you are staring into another adjacent room (below was our view). It’s lovely to wake up in the morning and see the sun creeping in and hear the waves. Now, if you are a “light” person, the rooms are dark. Really dark. I personally find it relaxing after being in the sun all day, but if you like lots of light in your rooms, you are going to have a hard time.
The St. Regis is not adults-only, but we saw only a few well-behaved 10-12 year olds there. They do have a kid’s club, but obviously we didn’t explore that. There was a good mix of families and couples, but everyone really stayed to themselves–which is totally fine!
We received a very, very late checkout around 4pm–in part I think due to my SPG Gold Status, and in part due to the fact that we missed an entire night and they were sympathetic…either way, it was much appreciated and allowed us to enjoy another full day at the resort.
The Quick & Dirty Report
The rooms: Lovely, huge, and gorgeous beach views. Dark, though, so if you like lots of light, be specific about your room choice or consider another hotel. Some rooms are up a flight of stairs, so if you need accessibility, mention on booking.
The food: Yea, that hamburger was $35, but it was delicious. Or maybe it was the view. Either way… Everything in Mauritius is expensive, and adding the St. Regis hotel prices to that makes it even more so. So while overpriced, it generally was all very good. Some of it was excellent.
The beach: Pristine. Snorkeling off the beach was wonderful as well–just walk in, and you can swim in water no more than a few feet deep pretty much out to the reef. There are lots of complaints about the beach having too much broken coral. I’ll trade sand for more sealife (we saw a ton of awesome fish), but if you want white sand way out in the water, this beach is not for you. Thatched umbrellas, towels, chairs easy to come by.
The pools: Quiet. Seemed like most people favored the beach. Always available chairs, shade, and usually a cabana.
The staff: The concierge in particular was super helpful, but everyone was attentive without being overbearing. The check-in process took a bit longer than I would have liked, considering we had been in-transit for nearing 48 hours, but I think it was intended to be relaxing…
The bars: Cha-ching! That was a delicious $20 cocktail. I stuck to beer, though DH did try a local rum drink. It was good, but not $20 good.
The Verdict
Worth it, but maybe try to get out of the hotel for a meal or two. The Rhumerie at Chamarel looked delicious and isn’t too far away. Wish we had more time to lay on the beach and enjoy the scenery, that’s for sure.
