Our Maurice!

Let me tell you a story about an unforgettable #adventure…. As always, we were looking for a place where we could do plenty of snorkeling and water sports and Maurice offered us so much more!

We decided to stay in a relatively new resort in #Balaclava on the north-west coast of the island (Turtle Bay). Tucked away between sea and the Citron river and amongst vibrant and lush gardens you can find the first of its kind all Inclusive resort - The #RavenalaAttitude.

We chose this resort because of their approach to Mauritian art de vivre. We were not disappointed as the extremely helpful staff and the setting which was a mix of colonial heritage and contemporary and tropical accents created a truly unforgettable and relaxing atmosphere. We loved our spacious and #chic looking room and we loved all the staff we met during our stay.

The cherry on the top was of course that we were on an all-inclusive package in a property with unlimited cocktails/drinks and a “Dine Around” experience in 7 of the 10 restaurants (all #brilliant)! Not only that but we had free access to a number of activities including canoeing, glass bottom boat & #snorkeling trips, pedalos, paddle boards, water skiing, #windsurfing and #yoga. There were also other free land activities that we didn’t try but to be honest we didn’t have the time with so much water sports to do! The hotel also has a wonderful #spa and you can rent bikes or scooters if you want to explore the area.

Almost every evening we will find ourselves by the #beach bar enjoying refreshing cocktails and watching the brilliant #sunset that was slowly diving into the calm waters. We tried all of the 10 restaurants in the resort and they were all fantastic with the Beach #BBQ and Riviera, the floating restaurant, being absolutely amazing!

We also had plenty of time exploring the #island. One of the days we decided to go on a speed boat trip. That was one of the best days of our lives. We booked the holiday with a local tour operator and travelled through the island all the way to BlueBay in a car (part of the package). On the way to Blue Bay we were smitten by the magnificent lush landscape and the colorful little towns spotted throughout the journey. We were very lucky to have a great view of the dramatically perched boulder on Pieter Both Mountain. The boulder is a gigantic rock formation at the very top which resembles a human head. We didn’t have time to climb the mountain but it’s definitely on our list next time we visit the island.

When we arrived at Blue Bay Beach we were greeted by a magnificent view of turquoise crystal - clear waters and golden sandy beach. Our group was very small – about seven of us and we boarded a glass bottom boat which took us to our speed boat. At the speed boat we met our guides (the best!!!) and three other tourists. At first everyone was very cautious and reserved but the tour guides broke the ice with offering us some refreshments and playing some music while we did our first snorkel. And then we embarked on a journey that everyone on that boat will remember for the rest of our lives as one of the most #epic days we’ve ever had!

We definitely had the fastest #boat in all of #Mauritius and we speeded through the brilliant waters like we were in a James Bond movie! First stop was at a location where a historical naval battle once took place between the British and the French and where we saw some ship ruins.

From there we headed to Ile aux Fouquets #Lighthouse and on the way there we saw bottlenose dolphins! Everyone was ecstatic and the adrenalin was high not only because of the speed we were #travelling with but also because at this point the tour guides were pouring us glasses of local #rum and other refreshments. We got at the Lighthouse and enjoyed the unbelievable views and took loads of photos. Then we headed to another snorkeling spot to sober up a little bit. Next stop was at another island where we had a mouthwatering BBQ lunch – fresh seafood, tasty salad, grilled chicken and soft bread and of course loads of rum. We also explored that island and managed to do some more snorkeling. We then headed to the Grand River to see the Eau Bleu Waterfall. That was also a lot of fun and more opportunity to get some fun photos and overtake some of the other speedboats.

In the late afternoon we headed to Ile aux Cerfs island one of the most idyllic islands in Mauritius. This chic island has some restaurants, a market, a watersports center and even a luxury hotel and an exceptional golf course. We spent our time swimming in the lagoon and laying in the shallow clear gin-like water in the strait. At about 4pm we reluctantly headed back to our transfers and the sun was so low and bright and massive over the water. The music was playing the rum was pouring – we were all friends now as we knew that days like that don’t come often. If you do one thing in Mauritius do that trip!

It took us some time to come back to reality at our resort – we enjoyed sunbathing and snorkeling and even more unbelievable sunsets and special dinners at the Mauritian restaurant and at the Japanese fusion Lime restaurant. One of the nights there was a #Cinema night and we enjoyed watching a #movie with other guests under the stars next to the beach bar. We also enjoyed immensely the ‘Otentik’ weekly party put together for all the guests by the management, that was a really special night with tropical #cocktails for everyone, Creole dancers and ending with a big dance party by the #pool.

One of the days we also went to explore the Balaclava #Ruins, tucked away in the beautiful estate of the Maritim Resort on the other side of the Citron River (make sure you call #Maritim Resort in advance and also use plenty of mosquito spray). The Balaclava Ruins are so mysterious and are thought to be named after black lava rocks left behind after volcanic activity millions of years ago. The place is soaked with #history and is bearing the marks of various colonizers including the Dutch, French, and British. On a small hill nearby you can also see the colonial-style mansion of the ‘Chateau Mon Desir’ restaurant which was where the original ‘Mon Desir’ home built by Pierre Adolphe Wiehé stood.

For the next couple of days, we continued enjoying #sunbathing, water sports and exploring the amazing area around the resort. Every night there was live music in the main bar and we always felt attended to.

We also decided to book another trip this time on a #catamaran and on the west coast of Mauritius. The trip was wonderful and we saw some spinner dolphins at Tamarin bay. After some snorkeling we headed to the famous Crystal rock which stands out in the middle of the #lagoon. We enjoyed lovely food and drinks on the catamaran and headed to Benitiers Island for some relaxation on its #sandybeaches. There is a #market on the island and from that beach, there is a beautiful view of Le Morne mountain, which is a World Heritage Site.

We went back to the hotel and feasted in the Bistrot restaurant which offered some amazing martini cocktails (of course all part of our all inclusive package). We then danced the night away by the main pool bar.

It was time to go #home the next morning but we were full of unforgettable #memories and much love for the people of Maurice and this magical island- Our Maurice!

You can see the full photo album here.

You can also see a video of the speed boat trip here and here.