Who: Ben ‘Big Hitter’ Batty
When: September 2017
Where: Constance Prince Maurice, Constance Belle Mare Plage
If you could describe Mauritius as a destination in three words, what would they be? Beautiful, Friendly, Fantastic
Which was your favourite hotel for couples and why? Constance Prince Maurice – it is such an amazing hotel! Really private and the service was incredible. Restaurants are great and the floating restaurant Barachois is very romantic. The attention to detail and effort which the Constance team make for every guest make the hotel extremely special.
Which was your favourite hotel for families and why? Constance Belle Mare – A friendly, fun and very welcoming hotel. Great evening bar for cocktails and music – kids are welcome too or there are great babysitting services. Lots going on all the time at the hotel so you will never get bored, I especially enjoyed the 2 stunning golf courses.
Did you do any activities or excursions whilst you were there? Is there one in particular you would recommend? I would definitely recommend the glass bottom boat trip from Constance Prince Maurice. As the hotel is situated in a lagoon the sea is so calm and we saw some amazing marine life. We also went on a road trip around the island which I really recommend doing. It gives you a great insight to all the different areas and local towns. We loved walking around the markets in the island capital, Port Louis.
Did you try any local Creole dishes? What did you try and what did you think? It is all about the creole spiced seafood and fresh fish – my favourite meal was the catch of the day at Barachois, the floating restaurant at Constance Prince Maurice.
Was there anything that surprised you about Mauritius that you didn’t know before you went? I couldn’t believe how friendly and welcoming everyone was. From the driver who picked us up at the airport, to the hotel staff in both properties and all the locals we met along the way, they were all so friendly and so happy to help and offer advice.
If you had one top tip for people travelling to Mauritius what would it be? Make sure you get out and see the island. It’s such a beautiful place, with so much going on it’s definitely worth spending a day having a look around.
What is the local beer in Mauritius…where did you enjoy a beer with the best view? Phoenix beer, pretty decent especially the one they do with lime! Best view was definitely watching the sunset at the floating bar at Constance Prince Maurice.
Finally, if you were thinking of combining Mauritius with another destination, where would you recommend and why? I would personally combine it with a few nights on safari. Either 3 nights at Hemingway’s Ol Seki in Kenya or 3 nights at Sanctuary Makanyane in South Africa would be ideal. There are direct flights from both Johannesburg and Nairobi to Mauritius, making it really easy to combine the destinations for an awesome safari beach holiday.
