Food: There is a “fancy” restaurant and a lobby area bar with food – we tried both. Food in both Mauritius and the Seychelles is crazy expensive, and this was no exception. But it was very good.  Same deal with drinks – $15 and up for any mixed drink. Beer was about $10, but also much cheaper at the corner store just down the street.

Location: The location of Le Meridien is fantastic – it’s nestled on the Beau Vallon beach and you can walk over 1.5 miles down to the beautiful and picturesque granite boulders on the far end of the beach. There are many restaurants located on the beach and nearby, as well as convenience stores. Le Meridien is actually a rebuild of the oldest hotel on the entire island of Mahe. The ocean is stunning and the views really are exquisite.

Rooms: The rooms were clean and spacious, but felt a bit odd. The balcony/porch area had a lovely little veranda with an insane view, but the inside of the rooms were modern, a touch European, and very, very white. I’m not sure why they went with that theme, and I’m sure some people love it, but it felt a little strange to me on the beach.

Service: Helpful! Already had info I had requested in our room on the ferry service to La Digue, and the front desk/concierge all in one was happy to book us taxis and give us good advice throughout our stay.

Ocean: It was too rough to snorkel when we were there, which was really unfortunate because Le Meridien has a super cool snorkeling trail that we were sad to miss. Snorkeling is usually very good, but apparently sea conditions can be just a touch unpredictable from January-March. We did try to go out one day but the waves were breaking right on the reef and it was definitely a bit too shallow – so we retreated! Fortunately we had plenty of great snorkeling at La Digue and the St. Anne Marine Park.

Pool: There is a pretty large infinity pool that sits right on the edge, looking over the beach. We enjoyed it on the day the water was too rough to snorkel, and it was raining!

Would You Return? Yep, particularly if we were exploring nearby islands. Le Meridien was a great redemption of some Starwood Preferred Guest points, too. Le Meridien isn’t somewhere to hunker down for a week, but it is a great base of operations if you want to see Mahe or other sights. The location is really fantastic for walking and exploring, too. Now, if we wanted to hang out at a resort – I think we’d consider one of the other islands, perhaps.

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.

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

Yet I feel as if I’m dangerously close to hoarding…so there will have to be some serious planning in the next few months of how to get rid of all the points I’ve accumulated because most of them just keep losing value.

Anyway, I opened the American Airlines Citi Gold Card about a year ago to get the 30,000 mile bonus. I was a bit disappointed that when I called to cancel, that the best they could offer was no annual fee and a point bonus for lots of spending: it’s not our main card and American usually doesn’t have great first/business class saver availability on routes of interest, so putting all of our spending on that card and stockpiling more American miles just wasn’t the best strategy.

Speaking of American award availability–they do have some stellar deals, like 37.5k one way to Sydney, Australia. That is pretty fantastic (75k roundtrip, with good connections). But be it as it may, both DH and I really were hoping to fly business on the way back if we go to Australia. We both got spoiled flying back from Bangkok last year. And there almost isn’t a single business saver ticket available for pretty much most of 2016 to/from Sydney. Why, American Airlines/partners, why?

Anyway, with the American Airlines card now closed, I was looking for other options: in particular, I was considering the Chase Sapphire and the Starwood Amex, and waiting to see which bonus looked better with a reasonable spend requirement. The Starwood Amex won out, as SPG points are not only very redeemable, but of high value. I already have quite a few SPG points, so the additional 30,000 will create a nice nest egg for a few nights somewhere that we wouldn’t normally pay for (or to offset the cost of a trip). There are some truly amazing SPG properties.

Now, where to go?  I have to admit that trying to coordinate miles tickets has been a bit of a thorn in my side these days. I’ve been pretty busy, and without firm dates or a firm destination, I get pretty half-hearted in my searching and planning. I know that all these websites like to proclaim “travel hacking is so easy”, and while it may not be hard, it does require a lot of time to find redemptions that are actually worthwhile, particularly if you are interested in using miles for saver business seats and upgrades rather than just a free ticket.

Not that I’m complaining, I’m very fortunate to have both the time and funds to travel, regardless of class. But, who am I joking, traveling back from Asia in business class is way better than in coach. Mainly because I can sleep (food? eh. drinks? eh. sleep on flat bed? YES).

Vietnam? Indonesia? Maldives? Hmmm….any recommendations?

Now, I should clarify at least one thing: while Toasty loves the beach, she hates the water. With a passion reserved normally for children and greyhounds. She got her paws wet twice on this trip, once because she wasn’t paying attention and a wave got her…and once because we connivingly got her to enter the water. As soon as she figured out what we were doing, and her front paws got wet, she tucked her tail between her legs and refused to look at us for a good twenty minutes.

Dogs don’t hold grudges? Ha. Meet Toasty.

Each year I convince myself that this year might be different. That this year she might like the water. I mean she decided that she liked the stream in Rock Creek park after years of refusing to set foot in a puddle. But each year she seems to hate the waves even more than the year before. Whatever. I will one day learn to stop wishing for unicorns.

While we have always stayed at the Residence Inn (beachfront), we opted for the Sheraton this year because it was less expensive, has no dog surcharge, and because I have Gold status (thanks Amex Platinum). Overall we were happy– while we missed the kitchenette of the Residence Inn, we had a great corner room at the Sheraton. Both of these hotels have obviously taken some wear and tear over the years…I mean, it’s hard to keep things dry next to the ocean. But our room was clean and the bed was soft. Toasty obviously loved the balcony (we had an oceanfront room) for yelling at children and skateboarders.

We’re skeptical of sandcastles as they are built by children…

We both really needed some relaxation with sand between our toes and, of course, a fluffy monster who loved chasing a crab and making us smile with her ridiculous antics.