If you stay at Le Prince Maurice in Mauritius, you will feel the first stirrings of luxury overload. One of the Indian Ocean island's most deluxe hotels, which opened in November 1998, the all-suite hostelry sprawls on a spectacular swathe of three beaches.
With a sharp focus on understated style, the 88-suite Prince Maurice spreads languidly on 60 hectares on the island's east coast. With turquoise lagoons and coral reefs on one side and mountains on the other, the Maurice's isolated location guarantees exclusivity.
Striking in its simplicity, the hotel's winding waterways and gently cascading falls create an ambience conducive to meditation and mental well-being. The central lobby is devoid of a reception area and cashier's desk so that guests feel like they are living in a deluxe country home.
Scattered along the sea shore, snuggling in landscaped gardens, on waterways and even elevated on stilts along the lagoon, the understated-style suites create a feeling of space, states a write-up. The rich wooden floors and high vaulted ceilings blend with soft and subtle furnishings.
The Junior Suites spell comfort and space, states the press release; the Senior Suites are detached villas that are reportedly the ultimate in luxury. With private Jacuzzis and al fresco bathing in a private courtyard, each Senior Suite has a large terrace and a private swimming pool. And hold your breath–the Prince Suite encompasses two Junior Suites, a Senior Suite and two pools, evocatively positioned on its own beach peninsula. Surrounded by mangroves and palm trees, at its heart lies an elegant courtyard where guests may dine and entertain in virtual seclusion.
Apart from La Barachois restaurant, the isle's first floating eatery, there is La- Archipel, which presents a feast for the eyes—shining vistas of mountains and sunsets. Those who seek privacy can dine on their own terrace with a full silver senice. The price for the Prince Suite?
The more active can enjoy water sports, limber up at the fitness center or tee off at the 18-hole championship course at the 25year-old Belle Mare Plage which is also part of the same group—Constance Hotels Services Ltd.
The Belle Mare Plage is one of the oldest on the island yet wears its age with aplomb. Rooms at the Belle Mare Plage have the feel of a castaway's dream cottage, suspended as they are over azure waterways and curvaceous swimming pools that give this grande dame a feeling of light and life. One of the first luxury hotels to be built on this Indian Ocean isle, 25 years ago, the Belle Mare started life with 12 villas, said Jennyfer Marot, communication manager, Constance Hotels Services Ltd.
Now equipped with 210 rooms and suites, and an excellent golf course, the hotel lures golfers and honeymooners alike, even from India, she said. Again commanding a superb location on the east coast, the hotel is ensconced on one of the loveliest sandy beaches of the country. Set in a well-tended tropical garden of 18.5 acres, the beach is encompassed by natural coral reef and is a safe area for watersports. The 204 rooms, and six deluxe suites and private villas unravel along the beachfront, overlooking, in the process, blue pools and waterways and yonder, theblue-green hues of a changeling, fickle ocean-
Each room is designed with tropical comfort and charm.
The hotel has an 18-hole championship golf course, the first of its kind on the island. The course has large greens set against a superb backdrop and some holes commanding views of the sparkling bay. The Belle Mare Plage has an in-house Golf Academy to improve your swing, a private diving center to explore the secrets of the sea, and a Coco Club for children. (Plus the usual five star amenities.) As at most hotels on the island, special rates for groups and off-season discounts are available.