It’s not for everyone.

But…when in Mauritius…

I’m fascinated by strange earth phenomena like the Seven Colored Earths. I mean, how neat is it that the earth can do sh-I mean stuff like that? It’s just amazing. Mauritius is a totally volcanic island that is truly in the middle of nowhere in the ocean. Ok, except Reunion. It’s in the middle of the Indian Ocean too. But they are out there–far from both the coast of East Africa and even farther from the Indian subcontinent. If I had to be stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean, Mauritius would be a great place to be…just saying. Also, sorry for those that aren’t geographically challenged, but I just got Adobe Illustrator (I used to have it for work a few years ago) and I’m having so.much.fun. Especially doing silly drawings like this. More on that in another post.

Ok, back to the regularly scheduled post. The Seven Colored Earths was a super quick jaunt from our hotel-the St. Regis in Mauritius (loved, read more about it here). But it is definitely a drive, not a bike. The road is pretty narrow, winding, and….pretty much straight uphill. Neither DH or I are out of shape or particularly nervous cyclists, but definitely would recommend taking a car. Plus, the Rhumerie is right nearby…

The Seven Colored Earths is a small area of sand dunes that are in brightly colored sand. While you can see the valleys in the sand, the dunes never seem to erode away and the sand never seems to wash away during rain storms. Kind of bizarre, really. With the lush greenery of Mauritius right behind the Seven Colored Earths, the contrast is really, really stark.

Now, I will admit, you can only spend so long wondering around looking at different colored sand. But isn’t it beautiful? How the sand looks, and how brightly colored it appears, depends largely on the lighting and whether or not the sun is blocked by a cloud or not. When hit by the sun, the sand has more powerful colors but I think less variation – but in the picture below when it is a bit overcast, there is more variation but less brightness.

There are also plenty of lizards and birds to entertain you if you like lizards (cough, DH took about 100 pictures of this one) or birds…

In any case, if you are in the Le Morne region of Mauritius, Chamarel and the Seven Colored Earths is absolutely worth a quick trip.  I’d strongly recommend hitting the waterfall, the Seven Colored Earths, and the Rhumerie in an afternoon (or morning) outing. Even if you aren’t a drinker, or a rum drinker, the Rhumerie is beautiful and a lovely place to have a coffee or a quick lunch. I don’t really think there is a bad way to spend a day in Mauritius, really!

There is a small entrance fee for the waterfall and the Seven Colored Earths – I remember it being about $7, but don’t quote me on that. The two aren’t particularly close together and most people drive from the waterfall to the Seven Colored Earths though it’d probably be possible to walk. You don’t need anything special to visit, just sunscreen (remember location…) and a camera. If you are really in to sand, you can also buy a tube of it in the little gift store! You know, just in case you need some to bring home.

The Westin at Turtle Bay is by far one of the most affordable resorts in Mauritius. Yes, it is not as luxurious or secluded as the St. Regis. But you aren’t sacrificing comfort for affordability. It is excellently located, the food is good, and the service was great. If you are trying to get to Mauritius without paying an arm and a leg, the Westin is an excellent resort to choose.

Full disclosure: We did stay on points, but this review is not sponsored or paid.

Different areas of Mauritius are very different – whereas the La Morne area is quiet, secluded, and not particularly “touristy”, the Turtle Bay area is definitely a bit more built-up, and closer to the capital city of Port Louis. The Westin is located about 30-45 minutes from Port Louis, depending on traffic, which can be terrible.

I do have SPG Gold status, and we were provided access to the executive lounge which was so nice! Not only did we get breakfast, there was cold water and beer whenever we wanted as well as afternoon cocktails. It was hugely convenient to quickly stop in the lobby for bottle of water or an afternoon beer; particularly since prices in Mauritius are so high.

The Westin is very family-friendly, but there is a large infinity pool that is adults only + honestly, we never saw any kids before around 11am…I guess they were sleeping in? The main pool was empty when we went for a swim one morning. Bonus, if you want to lap swim, both of the pools are plenty long enough for lengths!

The beach is relatively small, but was uncrowded with plenty of umbrellas and chairs while we were there. In addition, part of the beach is pretty rocky–and I don’t know about you, but I love tidal pools. They are so much fun to explore.

The food wasn’t quite as great as at The St. Regis, but everything was good. DH enjoyed the lobster one night, and it was deconstructed and very tasty! We enjoyed breakfast in the lounge every morning, and headed to the Flying Dodo Brewery for lunch one day.  Getting a car/taxi is quick and easy – just ask the front concierge – but we needed to pay in cash instead of charging it to the room, so we were forever running a bit short on money it seemed.

The Westin runs twice daily snorkeling excursions – a quick (10 minute) boat trip takes you out to an area with coral and lots of fish. I think the reef was in better condition near the St. Regis, but there is no doubt that both areas are suffering from bleaching.

In addition to snorkeling, there are also hobie cats, kayaks, and some paddleboards available for use. They also often scuba diving excursions, but those you have to pay for in addition (and neither of us are certified anyhow).

As for my one big complaint, while all of the receptionists and other staff at the Westin were really friendly and welcoming, the snorkeling staff and those doing the water sports were….just not. While waiting for fifteen minutes at the snorkeling window, which was right beside the scuba window, when there was no staff, we asked the scuba guys if they could help us out. They promptly launched into the fact that there was a difference between snorkeling and scuba diving (no sh*t) and gave us an extraordinarily hard time, all to write our names on a piece of paper. It was a bit ridiculous. I’m sure they get a lot of very annoying tourists, but between that and the guide’s total indifference to anyone on the boat while snorkeling, it’d be nice if they hired some people who were ambassadors for how great the island is…not people who are tired of tourists and tired of their job. It was the only bad experience we had at the Westin, though, and we didn’t let it cloud how great the rest of the time was.

DH loved the Westin–probably in large part due to the free beer and food–but we did have a really terrific stay. Our room was large, and we had an enormous balcony too, which overlooked the main pool and the ocean. Nothing was ever crowded, not the restaurants, not the pools, and not the beach, which made me very happy! We would absolutely return to Mauritius, but I think DH and I would probably split our time again at two different places on two different sides of the island.

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.

Back to the regularly scheduled post…

Almost. What is cuter than a flying…Dodo bird…?! And the Flying Dodo is one of the few craft breweries on the island of Mauritius. So we were super excited to head to Flying Dodo to check out what they had to offer around lunch time one day.

For the second part of our stay on Mauritius, we stayed at the Westin Turtle Bay, which is on the northwest coast of the island. Bagatalle (close-ish to Port Louis) is about a 30 minute drive, depending of course on traffic. Which can be quite bad. Not DC bad, but on a 2-lane interstate, bad enough to spend an hour stuck in traffic, as we learned on our way up to Turtle Bay.

Coming from the pretty undeveloped southwestern tip of Mauritius (where we stayed at the beautiful St. Regis), Bagatelle and Port Louis are significantly more developed and reminds you of a normal bustling city. Flying Dodo is located in a huge shopping center/mall, the first we’d seen in Mauritius. If you need anything, this would be a good place to go to find it. Flying Dodo is located at an outer corner of the mall, and does do on-site brewing.

We arrived early for lunch (since we are early eaters), and while we couldn’t yet order food they happily seated us outside for some beer tastings. Despite the fact that nearly everything in Mauritius is expensive, a flight of beer was about $12, which is pretty comparable to what we’d pay in many places in the States.

And the beer was good. Really good.

We did a full flight (6 tastings) from our choices on the menu. Two blonds, a red ale, a stout, and I believe a sour. They came out in the order in which they should be tasted. The traditional Flying Dodo blond as well as the old style Belgian wit were two of our favorites, though the stout didn’t disappoint either! If you are staying in the area, they also offer 1-L refillable bottles and 5L mini-kegs.

Now, in addition to beer, the Flying Dodo has a great lunch menu, including some excellent pizza! I mean, beer + pizza? Who can refuse.

Since we were in the middle of the ocean on a tropical island, we opted for the seafood pizza, which came complete with a giant (monstrously sized) shrimp and mussels. It was a great addition to a pint of the old style Belgian wit.

Since we were car-less at the hotel, we opted to take a hotel-hired car to and from Bagatelle, which was about $40. Hiring cars isn’t cheap on Mauritius, but neither one of us was really gung-ho about driving in traffic on vacation. Points for relaxing.

I’m not sure how popular Flying Dodo is with travelers–I think many stay in their resorts and don’t spend much time exploring the island. There were a lot of expats and business people from the Bagatelle area who filled up the restaurant for lunch, so we were glad that we got there early enough to get a jump on things. Our server was super knowledgeable and helpful. They also offer free brewery tours (we didn’t do that–we’ve been on a lot of brewery tours and were more interested in tasting…and eating).

All in all, if you are passing through Bagatelle or looking to get away from your resort in Mauritius (or there on business…if only I could be so lucky), Flying Dodo is definitely worth a stop!

You can find the brewery online (they have another restaurant in Port Louis too, called Lambic) at www.flyingdodo.com.

I was picturing a super touristy distillery, with a little too much Margaritaville (we did that once, and it was fun…but…). What we found was a beautiful location, a beautiful property, and a lovely hour of learning about rum. With a little rum-tasting involved (and I mean a little…but more on that later). Nestled in the hills of the village of Chamarel, the Rhumerie de Chamarel offers tours/rum tasting for only $12. They also have a lovely restaurant in a beautiful garden area. We didn’t eat there, but it looked delicious and food with alcohol is always a good idea. We hired a car/driver (which if you partake in the tasting is highly recommended), but there is plenty of parking there if you just want to go have a bite to eat and see the beautiful grounds. The distillery is also eco-friendly.

Since Mauritius is tropical, they grow a tremendous amount of sugar cane which is used to produce the rum at Chamarel. In fact, they are one of the few distilleries that cultivate their own sugarcane to use in their rum. All sugarcane is harvested by hand and arrives at the distillery within 4 hours of being cut. They produce a pretty wide variety of rums, from aged rums to classic rums to rum-based liqueurs.  Their classic rums are both classic (white) and gold, and they also make vanilla rum, spiced rum, and a double-distilled variety.

The tasting involves trying 7-8 different types of rum. And they offer nearly a shot of each of them. Yea, right. I made it through the first shot, which was a delightful homemade cocktail of rum, lime, and sugar (SO good), and tasted the double distilled rum before I realized that if I wanted to enjoy the rest of my day, I was not going to make it through all 7 shots. Even DH was asking how he was going to keep trying all the different rums!  I skipped the spiced rum completely (not my favorite), but I did try both of their liqueurs (coffee and vanilla) which were delicious. There were about 8 in our tour, and 6 of us were trying to figure out how to handle all the rum–while these 2 little ladies downed each shot with nary a glance. I don’t know where they were from, but they drank DH and I, and the four Germans with us, under the table. We asked the tour guide how many people made it through all 7 shots, and she laughed and just said “a lot”. And then offered to refill our shot glasses with whatever we wanted! I don’t know how people do it.

They have a beautiful gift shop, and shockingly, the prices on their rum are exceedingly reasonable. I guess that is one of the perks of being able to produce your own sugarcane. We purchased a bottle of coffee liqueur which made the journey home with us for only $12. With how expensive things are in Mauritius this was a bit of an unexpected (and pleasant) surprise. And their rums are very good!

The Rhumerie de Chamarel has a lovely website (www.rhumeriedechamarel.com), and if you are visiting the southern part of Mauritius (they are located in the Southwest, very close to the Seven-Colored Earths), I would definitely recommend a visit. The area is lush and gorgeous and even non-drinkers can enjoy the scenery and a few hours away from the beach.

I’m behind. As usual. I’ve already been on another trip since Mauritius and the Seychelles, and I’m ready to stay put for a while. Next on the docket is a quick beach trip for the dog–obviously, the infamous, excessive Toasty beach vacation! (See here and here). That should actually be relaxing.

It was a whirlwind trip, and one well worth all of the points/miles that we spent getting there and staying there. I’m not sure it was quite as relaxing as either one of us would have liked, but we did enjoy a few days of down time doing nothing but lazing by the beach/pool, enjoying a beer, and reading. Ok, so there was probably a morning run thrown in there. And some snorkeling. But you get the idea.

I wish it wasn’t so far to the Indian Ocean. It’s so beautiful. Yes, a beach is a beach is a beach. But without a doubt, the beaches in Mauritius were some of the best I’ve ever seen. The food in Mauritius was crazy expensive but delicious, and we also went to a rhumerie (a rum distillery), which is something I never would have done without some nudging from the concierge, but it was so much fun! I’m so glad we went to the Seychelles, too. We enjoyed the giant tortoises on Ile Moyenne, as well as the famous La Digue beaches particularly.

This was a dream trip for us, one that has been on our bucket list for at least five years. I wish we had a few more days, particularly after our flight from the states to Dubai was delayed, resulting in one less night in Mauritius. There is so much to see in both places, and we barely nicked the surface.

We stayed on points the entire trip (thanks Starwood Preferred Guest!) and each hotel was very different but met our needs and more. In Mauritius, we stayed at the St. Regis on the southwest side of the island before moving to the Westin at the northwest side, in the Seychelles we stayed the entire time at the Le Meridien on Mahe, and used it as a jumping off point for a few quick day trips which worked well for the time we were there. There are so many choices of where to stay–and honestly, where you stay is largely dependent on your budget. Things are not cheap in either Mauritius or the Seychelles. When we arrived at the airport in the Seychelles, our driver laughed and said he was flying to Mauritius for medical care because it was cheaper. Mauritius was expensive, but the Seychelles were definitely even more so!

I can’t wait to share more about the places we visited, the hotels, etc. In the meantime, have a Happy President’s Day in the United States–I for one am off from work, and still am sick, so trying to weigh sleeping in bed and trying to get some of those chores done. Oh yea, and the dog is terrorizing me since DH is out of the country. So mainly I’m trying to keep tabs on that wild animal. #bigproblemshere