Hotel review: Four Seasons Resort at Anahita (Mauritius)

Wednesday newsletters always feature a luxury hotel or flight review.

Today (September 17, 2014): Hotel review: Four Seasons Resort at Anahita (Mauritius).

Location: Google Maps
Address: Coastal Road, Beau Champ, Mauritius
Hotel website: Four Seasons Mauritius

Located on the east coast of Mauritius, Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita welcomes guests to a luxurious tropical sanctuary, where greetings of warm smiles and gentle lagoon breezes fill each day. Whether you’re playing a complimentary round on the thrilling oceanfront finish of the resort’s Ernie Els-designed golf course or splashing with the family by the lagoon, the stylish open-air luxury resort invites relaxation, romance and endless possibilities for adventure amid the dramatic landscape and the vibrant colours of Mauritius. Its 136 villas and residence villas are generous in size and designed to interact with the outdoors.

Four Seasons Mauritius features in my top 10 list of the best luxury resorts in Mauritius.

In this review (more info and photos below my Youtube clip & slideshow):

Pros & things I like
Cons & things to know
My verdict
Tips for future guests & save money
Comparison with other luxury resorts in Mauritius
Comparison of Mauritius with other Indian Ocean Islands
Best time to visit
How to get there

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PROS & THINGS I LIKE

This ultra-chic resort is managed by the famous Four Seasons hotel group, one of the world’s most exclusive hotel brands. Consequently, your expectations will be high, but the stunningly beautiful resort has no problem exceeding them. The main part of the resort is located on the mainland and connected by a bridge to a man-built island, where you can find the most expensive rooms, the pool and the beaches.

The excellent service is a typical Four Seasons’ one: the staff will try to accomplish your wishes at all times. By day 2 of your stay, everyone also seems to know your name. The entire staff from the front office, house-keeping, restaurants, in-room dining, business center to the fitness center and spa are just superbly courteous and smiling all the time.

The two man-made, private beaches of the resort are very nice for Mauritian standards. The sand is rather rough and there are no waves at all (the resort faces a lagoon, not the open ocean), but that is not different from elsewhere on the island. In fact, IMHO, the Four Seasons beaches rank higher in beauty as compared to some of Mauritius’ natural beaches.

As the resort faces a lagoon, you will not see the typical blue shades of the ocean here, but there is a complimentary boat trip every hour to the Ile De Cerfs (20 minutes away) where you can walk or sunbathe along natural beaches with incredible blue water (no palm trees here though, only pine trees).

The main lobby of the hotel (with its black marble floors) is amazingly impressive and one of the nicest hotel lobbies that I ever visited (especially at night when enlightened).

The resort grounds and gardens are well manicured, with lush patches of green and lots of small roads meandering through them. The domain is spread out, but the resort runs a very efficient buggy service and you can also rent bikes for free.

Food at the resort is excellent and amongst the best on the island. The resort has 3 restaurants with usually 2 being opened most nights. The fine dining restaurant Beau Champs serves delicious steaks, the Italian restaurant Acquapazza prepares fantastic wood fire pizzas and high quality fish dishes, and the outdoor-style, poolside restaurant Bambou serves a fusion of Indian, Mauritian and Chinese food (and hosts buffets on theme nights). Breakfast buffet, displayed at Beau Champs, has an amazing variety with freshly cooked eggs made to order, freshly squeezed juices, several breads and pastries, cheeses, sparkling wine, fresh fruit, and deli meats.

The villas are absolutely fabulous, and all come with their own private plunge pool (which is more aesthetical since the water is too cold to take a dip). Beds are big, soft and very comfortable. Bathrooms are large and luxurious with a bath tub, an indoor as well as outdoor shower.

The main pool area is very attractive and overlooks the lagoon. When relaxing near the pool, you will be spoilt with little treats and snacks throughout the day (e.g. strawberry frozen slushy). The pool staff will even clean your sunglasses daily.

Free WiFi is available everywhere, including the beach.

Access to the spectacular Ernie Els designed Anahita golf course is included for resort guests.

There are lots of harmless fruit bats that float in around dusk which is fabulous to watch.

CONS & THINGS TO KNOW

The ultra-chic Four Seasons Mauritius resort comes close to paradise. But there are some minor issues I that encountered during my stay:

The spa is very nice, with a stunning architecture and gorgeous setting, especially at night. However, while the spa treatment was ok, I would not rate it excellent.

Beach service was a little inconsistent during my stay: some days they offered lots of complimentary snacks, some days none.

After a trip to Ile de Cerfs, the resort boat did not show up to take me back to the hotel. After some calls by a security agent, the boat came with a delay of 30 minutes. Be sure to inform the resort correctly about your whereabouts when you leave the resort grounds.

The resort is located on Mauritius’ East coast, which is quite windy and cool in the Mauritian winter months (May- September).

The resort has no child free zones. Children are allowed in the spa and bar which can be a little annoying for honeymooners and those looking for tranquility.

Don’t come here if you love the ocean, since the resort is located along a lagoon. You can’t really get a good view of the ocean from anywhere in the hotel.

MY VERDICT

Location: 7/10
Design: 8/10
Rooms: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Overall experience: very good: 8,2/10

TIPS FOR FUTURE GUESTS & SAVE MONEY

Airport transfer in a private hotel car is offered at the price of 140 euro one way. Just know that you can also arrange a taxi for 35 euros one way (which I booked through Taxis Mauritius).

Book a meal-inclusive package (breakfast + dinner) to avoid high food costs.

The mangrove villas have no view of the lagoon or even any water at all, and overlook the island’s interior. Still, you will be able to enjoy stunning mountain scenery, but book a higher room category if a water view is what you are after.

Save money: read my tips for getting the cheapest rate for a room at a luxury hotel like the Four Seasons Resort at Anahita (and/or receive many free perks).

Read my tips for preparing your trip in time.

COMPARISON WITH OTHER LUXURY HOTELS IN MAURITIUS

The St Regis Resort on Mauritius’ west coast is comparable to the Four Seasons in terms of service, slightly inferior in terms of food, but enjoys a more stunning and absolutely spectacular location (with a natural beach and open ocean views).

The Shanti Maurice (south), the Oberoi (north), and Constance Le Prince Maurice (east) all have their own natural (and for the Oberoi: partly man-made) beach with open ocean views, but their setting is somewhat less impressive as compared to the Four Seasons. Service at all those resorts is excellent, with only marginal differences between them.

The One&Only Le Saint Geran hotel, while lovely located in a coconut grove along a nice stretch of beach, is currently not playing in the same category as its competitors, because the resort is in need of a renovation to restore its reputation as the Grand Dame of Mauritius, and because the other Mauritius luxury hotels offer villa accommodation as compared to One&Only’s rather modest rooms.

COMPARISON OF MAURITIUS WITH OTHER INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS

Mauritius, the Maldives and Seychelles are the 3 top island destinations in the warm Indian Ocean. While Mauritius is undeniably scenic, it is not in the same league of the stunningly beautiful and tropically exotic Seychelles and the Maldives. The latter islands have truly the most beautiful, powdery white sand beaches of the world, and are covered by a dense, jungle-like vegetation (with lots of palm trees), while I found the beaches at Mauritius nothing to write home about, and the island vegetation rather sparse (except for the imported palm trees at the hotels you will stay at). The only exception is the ‘Le Morne’ area of the island where the St Regis is located, as the latter really offers a tropical idyll and comes close to absolute paradise.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

During the Mauritian summer months (November to April) the days are long, hot and humid. This is also cyclone season with January to March being the wettest months – so if you do go on a holiday to Mauritius at that time you should be prepared for some heavy rain. Since it never really gets cold on the island in winter (May to October) the average temperature simply drops from sticky to balmy. So in general, the best time to visit Mauritius for cooler, drier weather is from May to December. That said, if you’re planning to stay on the east coast, I recommend to avoid the months of July and August as this is when the wind is at its strongest on this side of the island.

HOW TO GET THERE

The resort is located a 45-minute drive from the airport, and you can book a private transfer through the hotel, or prebook a much cheaper taxi. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (SRU) is served by many airlines (click here for a direct link to their websites):

From/via Oceania: Air Mauritius (via Perth)
From/via Asia : Air Mauritius (via Bejing, Bangalore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Singapore)
From/via Middle East: Emirates (via Dubai)
From/via Europe: Air France (via Paris), Corsair (via Paris), British Airways (via London), Thompson Airways (via London), Condor (via Frankfurt), Edelweiss Air (via Zurich), Meridiana (via Rome or Milan), Transaero Airlines (via Moscow), Air Mauritius (via London or Paris)
From/via Africa : South African Airways (via Johannesburg or Cape Town), Air Madagascar (via Antananarivo), Comair (via Johannesburg), Air Austral (via Reunion Island)