Where to stay on the island made for a proper tropical escape
Sitting almost alone in the Indian Ocean, a good 1,500 miles from mainland Africa, Mauritius is a true tropical island escape. Replete with high-end hotels jostling for attention with myriad ways to pamper lucky guests, hotel lovers flock to these shores in search of the roomy guestrooms, world-class service, and sprawling resorts Mauritius has become synonymous with. A surprising bonus is that room rates can be temptingly good in Mauritius.
The island is served with direct flights from the UK by British Airways and Air Mauritius, although a popular stopover to break up the 12-hour flight is the Emirates, perhaps to try out one of the best hotels in Dubai. Those travelling outside of school holidays may want to visit between November and April for the warmest weather, although Mauritius is one of those smug all-year-round destinations where even winter temperatures hover in the blissful early 20s.
Many of the best hotels in Mauritius are found along its eastern edge, including the legendary One&Only Le Saint Géran, although luxury hotels dot the entire circumference of the island. It’s exceedingly family-friendly, with even the most luxurious resorts warmly welcoming children and plying them with fabulous facilities and activities.
From refined elegance (we’re looking at you, Four Seasons Mauritius) to the modern beachy feels of the LUX* line-up and the design flair of SALT of Palmar, there’s a flavour of luxury for every palette in Mauritius. But how on earth do you choose between one picture-perfect Mauritian resort and the next? Read on while we break down the options for you. These are the best hotels in Mauritius.
Best for beach club feels: LUX* Belle Mare
Whereas many of the best Mauritius hotels opt for a refined luxury approach, the LUX* hotels (of which there are four dotted throughout Mauritius) embrace the more tropical side of the island. At LUX* Belle Mare, this comes in the form of a laid-back, beachy version of luxury featuring fresh and modern spaces.
If you can’t get enough of that Mauritian sky, you’re in luck: indoor/outdoor living has been designed into the bones of this sun-bleached resort, and it leans on local touches like locally woven nautical ropes and tables cast in reclaimed local sand. Dining is easygoing without losing its specialness and includes the moodily lit Duck Laundry, an incredible Chinese restaurant, and restaurants dedicated to Indian food and Southeast Asian dishes. Beach Rouge is the resort’s beach club, where you can expect Mediterranean food served with a soundtrack of DJ-spun beats. There's also a cafe of dreams — if only Maison LUX*, with its sunken banquettes, could be where we pick up a cortado every day...
Best for privacy and seclusion: Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita
Set on an impossibly perfect curve of silken sand lapped by calm, turquoise waters, Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita has a prime position in Mauritius. This is a crème de la crème resort, where every villa has a private pool so that days can be spent in blissful and total seclusion.
Yes, it’s a swish kind of luxury here, but there are informal elements too, such as the idyllic rope swings that idle by the rustic beach bar, and you can watch your pizza being stone-baked in the water’s edge Acquapazza restaurant. Dine around the world with venues dedicated to the cuisine of Italy, the Middle East, India, Asia, and (naturally) Mauritius. Aside from dropping into the incredible spa, one of our favourite things at the Four Seasons is hopping on the complimentary boat to Ile Aux Cerfs, an island with a beach that's exclusively for Four Seasons guests. Spend a day swimming in a secluded cove and feasting on freshly caught seafood for lunch.
Best for laid-back luxe: One&Only Le Saint Géran
At the northern point of the Belle Mare coastline in the northeast corner of Mauritius, the One&Only attracts a stylish set tempted by a refined and elegant version of luxury. This is a place for all you jet-setters to unwind and feel looked after. There’s everything you’d expect from a top-end resort here, from an exceptional spa to plenty of bespoke experiences that are magicked into action by a friendly and attentive staff.
The high-specification guestrooms are spacious, whichever type you opt for. Even the most modest of the selection, the airy Lagoon Rooms, have a generous dressing room for swishing about in as you get ready for dinner. Dining highlights include an open pan-Asian kitchen set on stilts over the water to a sleek venue serving Mauritian seafood and Wagyu beef. And as decadent as this all sounds, it still succeeds in being a remarkably family-friendly option, with a fantastic kids’ club and plenty of activities to enjoy together, like evening crab netting on the beach and kayaking through a mangrove lagoon.
Best for adventurers: JW Marriott Mauritius
With the magnificent basaltic mountain of Le Morne Brabant as its backdrop and a coral reef off its shoreline, the JW Marriott sits in a special part of Mauritius’ southwest corner, which is home to one of the world’s best kite surfing and windsurfing spots – One Eye. However, if you’re not quite ready to tackle that particular challenge, consider visiting Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark, a remarkably beautiful spot with waterfalls.
Back at the resort, more action awaits. Hiking, biking, and watersports are all on the agenda here. Those eyeing sheer relaxation can rest easy, knowing that for every high-octane activity, there’s also something decadently soothing, from powder-soft sands to a duo of pools, an oh-so-sumptuous spa, and guided evening stargazing.
Best for wellness: LUX* Grand Gaube
The Kelly Hoppen-designed LUX* Grand Gaube interiors give off distinct beach house vibes. This is the perfect fit if you love a wellness-orientated holiday, offering more than your average luxury resort when it comes to fitness classes and healthy menus. It’s the kind of place where you’ll spot early risers clad in Lululemon setting off for sunrise yoga and then trying out sound bath therapy.
Despite its wellness credentials, libations are by no means off limits: there’s a bar dedicated to gin and tonics and a beach club with a tempting cocktail menu sitting right on an idyllic curve of beach dotted with straw parasols. Then retreat to a gorgeous room – decked out in fresh tones and air-cleansing pot plants. And if you’re splashing out, look no further than the villas. They’re deliciously decadent, fitted out in latte and caramel tones and a beach house feel, set on an exclusive peninsula with a private beach (yes, seriously), a pool and an outdoor ocean-view tub.
Best for couples: SALT of Palmar
Mauritius is a haven for family holidays, so when it’s just the two of you, an adults-only option free from little darlings dashing about will be tempting. Step forward SALT of Palmar, a design-led boutique hotel with Moroccan riad-style architecture and monochromatic stripes at every turn.
Food is as important as design at SALT and is taken very seriously. Expert bakers whip up morsels of deliciousness at SALT Bakery, served with home-roasted coffee 24/7. In the soulful surroundings of The Good Kitchen, you can order fresh, raw, vegan, and vegetarian dishes alongside the downright indulgent. But our favourite space, hands down, is The Rooftop Bar, overlooking the ocean at the end of a sun-kissed day with an expertly mixed Mauritian rum cocktail in hand.
Best for escapism: Shangri-La Le Touessrok
Le Touessrok has been a name to know on the Mauritian hotel scene since the 1970s. And while newer, even flashier resorts are easy to come by on this tropical isle, Le Touessrok offers an expert pair of hospitality hands. A sweep of pristine beach is the showstopper here, so opting for a beach access room on the ground floor is well advised.
Lucky guests of Le Touessrok can be whisked away on a ten-minute boat ride to Ilot Mangénie, an exclusive island just for guests with cabanas and a beach butler service, staying for the day for spa treatments, nature walks, and oceanfront dining.
Best for traditional luxury: The Oberoi Beach Resort
Sitting prettily on the oh-so-idyllic Turtle Bay, The Oberoi is another Grand Dame of the Mauritian hotel scene. Traditional thatched pavilions and villas are set in lush gardens with Indonesian stone heads and lily-dotted ponds, giving this luxury resort a feeling of calm serenity.
While there are watersports aplenty (if that appeals), life here leans in favour of a slower pace, with traditional spa therapies and long lunches at the beachside restaurant proving an excellent tried-and-tested formula for an idyllic day here. Come evening, things get interesting with the dining options: try fine dining in the 18th century The Gunpowder Room, feasting on the Creole Casserole menu, but don’t miss Friday and Saturday nights on The Herb Trail, where diners are treated to a four-course menu of smoky dishes slowly cooked in an underground fire pit.
Best for honeymoons: Maradiva Villas Resort & Spa
Fresh from a 2023 renovation, Maradiva's all-villa approach is executed with flair, using tactile materials and an earthy palette, giving the whole place a feeling of quiet luxury. Each villa has a private heated pool and is finished with Hermes wallpaper and Bulgari amenities. And it is undoubtedly where you’ll spend most of your time, particularly if you want to escape into a romantic bubble for a week or two.
Elevated privacy doesn’t mean this isn’t a social kind of place. Guests emerge from their cocoons to dine at one of the four excellent restaurants or try a teppanyaki cooking class. In the spa, an Indian Ayurvedic doctor is one hand to tailor a therapy just for you.
Best for a girls’ getaway: LUX* Grand Baie
This contemporary and buzzy resort shuns those traditional Mauritian vibes and lays on the glitz and glam instead. Aside from the gorgeous Beach Rouge, the atmospheric beach club at LUX* Grand Baie, there’s an astonishingly beautiful adults-only rooftop bar with a vast infinity pool that’s the perfect spot for sundowners. The moody Ai KISU restaurant wouldn’t be out of place in Dubai, with chefs theatrically whipping up Japanese dishes in the open kitchen over a Warayaki straw fire. Then, the hotel’s nightclub awaits, with a distinctly private members’ club feel where you can dance all night.
There are plenty of suites that sleep four or six adults—try the LUX* Pool Penthouse or the LUX* Grand Beach Pool Villa, which have three bedrooms each and comes with a private pool.
Best for water sports: Shanti Maurice Resort & Spa
Down on the south coast of Mauritius, in a spot that brings the best of both worlds to water babies, the luxury Shanti Maurice Resort & Spa has calm, swimmable shores on one side and spectacular Indian Ocean waves on the other.
The boathouse provides everything from snorkelling gear to stand-up paddleboards and kayaks. If you’re keen to get beneath the waves, there’s a dive centre not far away, and the area is also renowned for excellent kite surfing. Then, after a day of salt spray and aquatic discoveries, Shanti Maurice welcomes you back with dining on the sand and beneath the stars or in a garden setting where you can feast on delicious Mauritian food with many ingredients sourced from the resort’s herb and vegetable garden.
Best for active families: The Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa
Boardwalks with glass balustrades cross pristine pools and lead you from one part of the hotel to the next at The Westin. And boy, is there a lot going on here. Complimentary watersports mean there’s no excuse not to get out on that glorious ocean, whether windsurfing tempts you or glass bottom boating or kayaking is more your bag. But the local hotel staff is just as likely to persuade you to get out and about around their beautiful island.
Speaking of families, the Westin excels at entertaining wee ones. Children are handed a travel journal on arrival, the first indication that they’re warmly welcome here. Kid-sized robes in the family-friendly guestrooms follow (consider a Heavenly Family Suite with a cosy sleeping nook for little ones). A modern and colourful kids club, with a tropical garden, playground, and pool, will tempt them more than most. Family time is encouraged with sandcastle competitions, campfire night, and movie nights, but there’s also a Parents’ Night Off where the kids go wild singing karaoke while parents take full advantage of one of the five restaurants.
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