Of the hotel’s three restaurants, Le Barachois is the most memorable. Set on a lagoon and reached by a lantern-lit boardwalk through the mangroves, it’s a wonderfully atmospheric spot for dinner or sunset on a nearby floating bar. The atmosphere is especially charming at dusk, when the mountains are silhouetted against the pink sky in the distance, and the ocean is lit up enough to keep the kids busy watching the fish in the water below. Elsewhere, an intimate Asian restaurant on the beach offers everything from sushi to curry, while L’Archipel offers an a la carte menu of seafood and Mauritian dishes alongside generous buffet breakfasts. Wine tasting in the extensive, 25,000-bottle cellar (incidentally, the largest in the Indian Ocean) is worth booking.
As a mother of a baby and two toddlers, it would be remiss not to mention the excellent kids’ club, open to the little ones, free for kids ages 4-11 and with adult supervision (nannies can be arranged). Set in its own grounds, it includes a pool, climbing frame, trampoline and plenty of open green space. Our toddlers were supervised by the wonderful Dipa and spent happy hours making bracelets, painting wooden dolphins, doing yoga, splashing in the pool and doing a bit of gardening.
Smart, luxurious and refreshingly relaxed, Constance Prince Maurice offers discreet, intuitive service in a setting that works as well for couples as it does for families. I am already planning a return visit.
British Airways Holidays offers seven nights Constance Prince Morris From £2,079pp, inc. Flights from London Gatwick, B&B in a junior suite based on two sharing. www.britishairways.com ; www.constancehotels.com
