One And Only Le Saint Geran

NOT THE LAST RESORT...

by Siddha3th

Wanderlusting through Mauritius, you WILL come across the basic, standard hotel, or B&B style pit-stop. Which is great for the no-frills like wanderer such as yourself - and myself ;-) But for the most part, the island seems to have positioned itself as a niche, Utopian getaway - catering to rich tourists with boatloads of cash. The presence of a seemingly endless array of picture-perfect resorts bears testimony to this fact. A catwalk of holiday resorts, if you will :) Leading this supermodel line-up are 2 One & Only properties - Le Saint Geran and Le Touessrok. The Beachcomber chain has some amazing hotels here as well. The Oberoi, Mauritius is probably the most uniquely luxurious spot on the island. If you've got some moolah in hand, Mauritius really gives you the royal treatment like no other.

St. Geran Monument

by canuckmike

In the town of Poudre d'Or is a monument for the St. Geran which sunk in 1744. This tragedy gave birth to Mauritius most famous story, Paul et Virginie. It is a love story that you are going to have to check out to get a more of a background knowledge of Mauritius.

Cap Malheureux

by canuckmike

At northernmost point of the island is Cap Malheureux. The main reason to come here is for the picturesque red roofed church. If you are into photography you will have to come here for that. According to local legend this is where Virginie (Paul et Virginie) washed ashore after the St. Geran sunk. It is also here that the British landed in 1810 to capture the island.

Mauritius

by SoupDragon

"Practicalities"

We spent the first week of September in Mauritius. Flight time 11.5 hours from London - most flights are overnight. There is only about 4 hours time difference from the UK so jet lag shouldn't be a problem - other than you'd normally expect from long-haul. No visa required for up to 3 months from most EU countries.

The climate is typically tropical - warm but be prepared for frequent downpours. Most afternoons were fairly overcast - but the weather can change from place to place - even within a few miles.

Water is drinkable, electricity 250V UK style 3 pin sockets. Currency - the Mauritian Rupee - about 50 to the GBP - or 30 to the USD at the time of writing.

English is the official language and widely understood, however, French and Creole the languages spoken locally.

The population are nearly all migrants from either India or the Far East, approx 50% Hindi, 25% Muslim and 25% Christian - although individuals seem to pretty much mix and match.

"Accommodation"

The majority of the resorts are in the North of the island - about 30km (40 mins by taxi) from the airport. Most hotels can arrange transport to and from the airport.

In terms of accommodation - most of it is fairly upmarket and geared towards packages. It is popular with South African visitors being the closest upmarket tropical island. Although budget accommodation is available it's not the first place that would spring to mind for backpacking!

We stayed at La Plantation which is mid-price (for Mauritius). The island is famous for a couple of exclusive resorts - the Prince Maurice and Le Saint Geran.

"Scenery"

Scenically, the island very verdant - and quite mountainous since it was volcanic. Much of it is given over to the cultivation of sugar cane - one of the islands biggest cash crops.

Most of the best beaches are actually privately owned by the various resorts - although there are a number of stretches of public beach - the best possibly being at Pereybere in the North.

Most hotels offer trips around the island - although you can make considerable savings by asking a local taxi firm - or smaller local travel agent. The itinerary is pretty standard involving a trip to the extinct volcano at Trou aux Cerfs, the coloured sands Chamarel, the Black River Gorges, the capital Port Louis, the Pampelmousses Botanical gardens and the offshore sand bank resort at Isle aux Cerfs (under construction when we visited)

Exploring on Horseback

by junecorlett

The scenic areas of Mauritius are ideal for exploring on horseback. Vieille Cheminee at Chamarel is in the south near Le Morne, where horsback trails explore fileds,plantations and rivers. Near Grand Bay the Leisure Park in the north offers riding over an esate od 1700 acres. There is a fee which includes a visit to the property and the services of a professional instructor. Refreshments are included ion the fee.