Lux Belle Mare, Mauritius ... Celebrating 60 Years of Life With the Family

I’m currently sat on the flight back from what was absolute paradise. Usually by the end of a holiday, we’re all ready to come home but something was different this time. This was the first time we’ve been away for longer than 7 nights, 9 nights in total and even then, we didn’t feel ready to come home. Perhaps it was having uninterrupted quality time with the whole family … all 9 of us. Perhaps it was mother nature’s infinity pool that boasted miles of crystal clear still waters. Perhaps it was the hospitality of the resort where we were so warmly welcomed. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was, but I wish every holiday felt this way. Finding a holiday during half term was a pain to say the least – I’m definitely not cut out for the extortionate prices you pay for over packed hotels. We searched low and high for hotels to ensure we had the right balance of the hotel being family friendly but also luxurious. We wanted it to be extra special given we were going away to celebrate my mum’s upcoming 60th birthday. The Lux Belle Mare seemed to fit the bill for what we were after. Prior to our arrival, I liaised with Sheila to discuss our needs and she put me in touch with Jennifer and Elvis to ensure we had a pleasant stay and my mother’s celebrations were perfect. Upon our arrival, we were welcomed with lots of warm genuine smiles – it was just what we needed after a long travel time. We were greeted by Sheila, Hema, Sueena and a few other members of staff who were quick to offer us a cold towel and a refreshing Mauritian drink while checking us in. Check in is a pretty relaxed process where you sit in the lobby as opposed to queuing in a formal reception type sitting. The gorgeous high ceilings, stylish thatched roofs with open air sides with the gorgeous backdrop of the pool and ocean scream paradise. The contemporary décor of the hotel was really refreshing.

As well as the usual process of check in, we were also met by a member of staff from the Kids Club, Play, who gifted the boys a white sack which included crayons, juice and a note pad and the Kids club schedule. The lady kindly explained how Kids club worked. We were also greeted by Jennifer, the events coordinator at the hotel. We had discussed via email that we’d plan a surprise beach dinner for my mum so I met with her several times during our stay to discuss the finer details. Jennifer was more than just an events planner for us – she also took care of a few other things outside of her remit such as arranging late check out for us on our departure. In addition, Sheila had arranged for Sous Chef Randir to meet us on our arrival knowing our dietary requirements (vegetarian). Randir got to know our likes and dislikes so he could suggest meals for us throughout our stay to ensure we were catered for. It was a really nice way to be welcomed – we literally had no questions unanswered by the end of our check in. Their check in process most definitely made us feel extra special! All three rooms were booked as junior suites and we were kindly located a stone’s throw from the swimming pool and a few metres away from the beach which was fantastic. We resided in rooms 1008, 1009 and 3008. The rooms are decorated with a bit of a Santorini feel with refreshing white and light shades of grey and a splash of orange. Upon first impressions, the rooms weren’t as spacious as we’d assumed they’d be though they were sufficient. The bedroom/lounge area was probably one of the smallest suites we’ve stayed in and with four of us, it didn’t feel like we had much room to store all our belongings. There is a walk in wardrobe area however there wasn’t enough storage for all of our clothes.

The bathroom has a bath tub, a double sink and a large wet room style shower. It’s super spacious and the shower was without a doubt the best shower I’ve had in my life!! The power was amazing! The cot, stool and bath jug were all in our room on arrival for the boys. They’d also tailored the room to include two kids bath robes and a small toiletries pack for the boys which was a lovely attentive bit of detail.

Though the room is perfectly located for the pool and beach, pre warning, the evening entertainment which goes on from 9-11pm is quite loud if staying in these rooms but we would pick these rooms again purely based on ease of location.

The property itself didn’t feel too large which was a positive thing for the purpose of our stay. It was quite easy to find where any member of the family was without the use of a phone as everything was really close by. We loved this about the Lux. The swimming pool is spread across two levels and is the largest pool in Mauritius. It was ok but generally it was difficult to get sunbeds (we were a party of 9 though!) and to be honest, we didn’t enjoy it as much as the sea. There were a few loose tiles in the pool which were quite quickly fixed when I alerted reception and there also wasn’t enough stretch of depth for a decent swim.

There are literally no words to describe the beach. We’d heard that Belle Mare boasted some of the most stunning beaches but we weren’t prepared for our holiday pretty much consisting of full days in the ocean. Where the Lux is located, the sea at the beach is a lagoon making it very still water with the odd super gentle wave. It was like an infinity pool where the ocean met the sky. The water was so clear – we were able to spot the beautiful white silvery fish darting around by our feet. The water was also a really good depth for the entire area – it was at the most shoulder height for me. There honestly aren’t enough words to describe how much we enjoyed our long days at the beach – building sandcastles, paddling in the water and just relaxing. We didn’t struggle to find 9 sunbeds as long as we were by the sea by about 11am after breakfast.

The view from the beach was honestly like a postcard picture. Another brilliant thing about the Lux was that they offer free water activities at the Boat House such as peddle boats and kayaking which were lots of fun! Arjun had a blast in the glass bottom kayak counting fish! The hotel also offers free hour long glass bottom boat trips on a speedboat which we had the pleasure of going on – it was fascinating to see.

There was the odd bout of jellyfish which you need to watch out for after the rain but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the sea! Our room being a stone’s throw away from the beach made it really easy for us to go for a walk after dinner. The beautiful breeze made the temperature (even at 35 degrees!) bearable. At night, you get an incredible view of the stars and the moon glistening on the still water.

There was a really lovely garden area featuring the tree of wishes. The large swing was perfect to lay on to see the fruit bats at night – another fascinating thing to watch! The Kids club is for children over the age of 3. It’s a parent free zone and offers some of the best kid’s activities I’ve seen at a kids club. For example cake baking from scratch, t shirt painting, making your own aquarium and crab hunting. Arjun didn’t end up using the kids club much as he was too absorbed and thrilled by the prospect of being on holiday with his whole family! If we were to leave Saajan at kids club, we’d need to pay for a babysitter for a block of a minimum of 3 hours. We didn’t end up needing the service. The hotel isn’t only equipped with amazing activities for children, they also offer such unique experiences for adults and families. I attended the Photo Fanatics course by Kritz which covered how to take pictures using your phone and also editing them. It’s a free course and I took up the offer one rainy morning. It was great fun and definitely something different. There is also an option to pay for a course on how to use the different features on your camera for the keen photographers! As an environmentally friendly hotel, they also offer a Junk Art experience in their studio dedicated to creating beautiful works of art using recycled items. We spent a family afternoon creating our unique pieces of art – my sister and I a photo frame, Preetam a keepsake bottle that will be housed in our living room, my mum a bag and Arjun a monster! It was a wonderful and unique experience allowing us to exercise our creativity – it was nice to do something so different.

The hotel also offers a chocolate workshop which I didn’t get the chance to attend as there simply wasn’t enough time! One of my most memorable things about this trip and probably for ever was that the spa here offers a kids massage (and facial, and manicure / pedicure!) and it meant that Arjun and I could have a mother and son afternoon. It was the cutest thing him having a massage and he enjoyed it so much that he fell asleep!! Children are massaged using chocolate oil and he had a full 60 minute massage while I had an energising massage which was equally as relaxing!

Hotel guests have access to the spa facilities without having to book a spa treatment including the Jacuzzi, hammam and spa pool. As much as we had grand plans before we got to Mauritius to do several excursions, once we got there and the prospect of spending even a few hours away from the sea definitely squashed any grand plans. We literally couldn’t get enough! Belinda (Belinda’s boat tours) introduced herself on the beach and showed us a few water type excursions. She wasn’t the pushy sort and was such a happy soul. An excursion in the sea sounded like our kinda excursion! We decided to do a private speed boat tour. We set off the following day at 9am where we went on a quick 10 minute taxi drive to the speedboat location. The speedboat came with a cover which was important and they were armed with lots of water and soft drinks for us. Our hosts for the day were Jean Paul and Sebastian and honestly I don’t think I’ve met two nicer, such down to earth guys before. They were so friendly and were great at giving us highlights of the places we visited. We visited several stops including several spots in the middle of the ocean, snorkelled, visited the oldest light house in Mauritius which sits on top of a dried coral bed, met monkeys, encountered dolphins in their natural habitat, saw a gorgeous waterfall and topped it off with an authentic home cooked vegetarian Mauritian meal which was absolutely delicious! Watching Arjun snorkel for the first time and watching the joy on Saajan’s face from the excitement of the speed of the boat are memories that are forever etched in my heart. We returned back at about 4pm. It was well worth it at £450.

Being vegetarian, you never quite know what options will be available. Some countries absolutely nail it while others are lagging behind in their thought that vegetarians live off just vegetables. Chef Randir ensured our food was exquisite and made sure we had a good mix including tofu. The hotel includes several restaurants – many which are included in the half board/full board options. We didn’t end up having dinner at Amari by Vineet or at Duck Laundry (not included in our half board option) as the food at the main buffet restaurant, Mixe, served us so well. We were fortunate and super spoilt in being asked daily what we’d like for dinner the following day from stir fries to lasagne to vegetable pie! Mixe is the same restaurant where breakfast is served. At both breakfast and dinner the food selection is really good even for vegetarians – their Indian food for me in particular was absolutely delicious. Waiter Vik was really friendly especially towards the kids. Purran always ensured we had the best breakfasts from making us pronteh to masala dosas and tailoring them to my taste buds especially! There is a dedicated kids food area in the dinner buffet and the kids ate really well as there was something for them every night. We visited K Bar which has outdoor seating overlooking the ocean. It has a really lovely ambience and chilled vibe however the service was pretty slow. We didn’t eat at K Bar but did go on a few occasions for a drink. This is also where the evening entertainment takes place which is full of colour and music!

The beach truck restaurant was our favourite lunch time spot – they had such a fabulous and tasty vegetarian menu – my personal favourite was the quinoa burger and the vegetable heaven wrap. We enjoyed our lunches there most days. We found the food to be of a high standard and really tasty. Beach Rouge is an Italian restaurant also located on the beach with a refreshing vibe. We dined here for dinner and were particularly impressed with their children’s facilities – the boys were offered crayons and a colouring menu on arrival and their food arrived really fast too. We really enjoyed the creamy vegetable pasta along with the stone baked pizza with a breath-taking view of the sea.

As mentioned, we went to Mauritius to celebrate my mum’s year of birth. I worked closely with Chef Randir and Jennifer the events planner to plan my mother’s special family beach dinner. From arranging a photographer for some portraits beforehand with Kirtz to carefully selecting the menu with all my mums favourite foods to discussing how we should serve the food to discussing the little details. It truly was a magical experience and we were so grateful to Jennifer for making it so special, to Chef Randir for making the meal so exquisite and to Kritz for the beautiful family portraits he was able to capture for us.

ICE an ice cream parlour resides by the swimming pool and it was a part of our daily routine to indulge!! I was a little apprehensive about how our trip would turn out based on reviews I’d read about the resort being super busy during school holidays but we didn’t feel like it impacted our stay much at all. If you’re a couple looking for a romantic break then perhaps yes but otherwise, we’d go back in a heartbeat! The staff truly make this resort what it is, that coupled with Mother Nature – it’s a the perfect recipe for a relaxing and memorable holiday in paradise! Our belly’s have grown, our hearts are full and our tans show we made the most of the beautiful beach! Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in exchange for complimentary spa treatments, portrait images and the surprise beach dinner however all views expressed are my own.