Beachcomber

Set in the azure beauty of the Indian Ocean, just eight hours flight from Perth or twelve hours from Melbourne, is this tiny island paradise with crystal clear lagoons, exquisite beaches, acres of sugar cane, tropical gardens, exciting markets, a plethora of history. It is also home to some of the world’s best beach resorts.

Encapsulated by one of the largest unbroken coral reefs, the tranquil island of Mauritius is situated slightly north of the Tropic of Capricorn. One of the Mascarene Islands, which also include Rodrigues and Reunion Island, this volcanic island has a surface area of 1860 square kilometres and is inhabited by over 1.2 million people.

Since it’s discovery, Mauritius has developed into one of the strongest economies in the Indian Ocean region with the island’s main sources of income including sugar cane, the textile industry, tourism and new sectors such as a free trade zone, off-shore financial services and the exciting new cyber island projects.

The island’s cultural variety made up of European, Indian, Chinese, Creole, African and Malagasy has become the island’s pride. The unique mix of cultures and history create many fascinating areas of interest while the friendly Mauritian people, with their warm, welcoming smiles and friendly approach, make visitors feel right at home. Communication is rarely a problem with English being the official language, although the locals are more likely to converse in French and the local dialect, Creole.

Mauritius offers more than just a beach holiday, with spectacular scenery, historical monuments and vibrant villages complementing the spectacular resorts. The city of Port Louis is a must visit as is the chic seaside village of Grand Baie with their boutiques, markets and cultural views of everyday Mauritian lifestyle. Other places of interest include Pamplemousses Gardens, Casela Bird Park, Chamarel, Domaine du Chasseur, Black River Gorges, Eureka colonial mansion and the Bois Cheri tea factory.

For those wanting to experience Mauritius in style, Beachcomber’s eight luxurious beach resorts cater to your every need. Mauritian owned and run, the resorts offer an authentic Mauritian experience with the highest standards. Sun lovers can bask in the endless summer; fun lovers can revel in the range of sports and activities; lovers of food and wine can have all their epicurean fantasies fulfilled while lovers of luxury will delight in the sybaritic choice of rooms, apartments, villas and beach bungalows.

Your Mauritian dream holiday can be combined with other great destinations such as Africa, the Seychelles, Reunion Island and even Malaysia and Dubai.

One of the most frequently asked questions about Mauritius is “What is the weather going to be like during my holiday?

We all know that one of the most important aspects of your holiday that is, unfortunately, beyond our control is the weather. Luckily, Mauritius is a year round holiday destination and, by staying on the holiday friendly west coast, you will maximise your chances of the best weather on the island.

Mauritius sits just above the tropic of Capricorn, which means it does not suffer from extreme temperatures. Like all sub-tropical islands around the world, there is a chance of a cyclone in the hotter and popular months between December and March. As Mauritius is a small island the effects are short-lived.

The east coast and south-east coast tend to suffer most from the annual south-east trade winds, especially from April to October. The east coast can be quite cool during these months due to the strong winds. Lagoons along the east may also be less inviting for water activities.

With the central plateau and mountain ranges offering protection from the winds, the north and west coasts tend to provide more year round holiday friendly weather, calmer, warmer lagoons and spectacular sunsets.

West Is Best – YOU be the judge!
We all agree Mauritius is a fantastic year-round destination, however choosing the right location, especially between April to October makes all the difference.

Mauritius, ``located in the southern hemisphere just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, has many different weather patterns throughout the year due largely to the prevailing south east trade winds.

The island’s history is proof that the West side of Mauritius offers more protection than the East. In the early 1700’s, the French landed on the island’s south east coast but quickly moved the harbour to the protected west coast and established Port Louis.

West Is Best – for better weather
During the summer months from November to March, the island is a sun lover’s paradise. However between the months of April to October, the eastern side of the island tends to suffer from the trade winds with cooler weather and higher rainfall, making the west side the best side of the island.

It’s no myth, it’s a fact. Below are the average monthly figures for rainfall, temperature and hours of daylight as supplied by the Mauritian department of Meteorology. http://metservice.intnet.mu/

 

As you can see, the WEST coast has LESS rainfall, WARMER temperatures and MORE sunlight hours than the east coast.

Many restaurants at our west coast hotels are open air style and located near the water taking advantage of the warm west coast climate. And our free water activities occur year round at the resorts due to the calmer warmer lagoons on the west coast.

West Is Best – and it’s not just the weather
It is a fact that the majority of major attractions and tourism hubs in Mauritius are on or more accessible from the west coast. Tourist attractions such as Port Louis, Grand Baie, Quatre Bornes, Botanical Gardens, horse racing, catamaran cruises,

West Is Best – for magical sunsets
Finally, we all know that the sun sets in the west, and what better place to view a spectacular sunset than from one of our beach resorts. What better way to end the day than relaxing by the pool or on the beach with tropical cocktails watching a magical sunset on the horizon – only possible on the west coast.

West Is Best - You be the judge
Is the West side of Mauritius the best side to be located?

We think so and as experts to the island, we know you will enjoy the holiday friendly weather of our west coast hotels, especially in the cooler months from April to October.

It stands to reason, West Is Best.

 

Important dates in the history of Beachcomber Hotels:

• 1952
Purchase and opening of Le Park Hotel in Curepipe by Mauritius Hotels Ltd.

• 1962
Opening of Le Chaland in the south-east of the island and of Le Morne Plage on the south-west coast.

• 1964
Incorporation of New Mauritius Hotels Ltd. (NMH), company which played a significant role in the development of tourism industry in Mauritius. The first investments included Le Park Hotel, Le Morne Plage and Le Chaland.

• 1967
Construction of Le Brabant - 28 rooms.

• 1968
Addition of 36 rooms at Le Brabant.

• 1970
Dinarobin Inns and Motels Ltd. (DIM) was launched to construct and operate Trou Aux Biches Village Hotel in the north and Dinarobin Pierre Desmarais Hotel next to Le Morne Plage. Construction of Plaisance Catering Unit.

• 1971
Opening of Trou Aux Biches Village Hotel. Additional 24 rooms were built at Le Chaland.

• 1972
Opening of Dinarobin Pierre Desmarais Hotel at Le Morne. Extension of Trou Aux Biches Village Hotel with the construction of 10 additional villas.

• 1974
Extension of Dinarobin Pierre Desmarais Hotel with 48 extra rooms and of Plaisance Catering Unit.

• 1981
Splitting up of NMH and DIM into property, operating and management companies. Thus, four companies were created, of which three, namely, Le Chaland Ltd, Trou Aux Biches Ltd and Les Hôtels du Morne Ltd, called "operating companies", took aver the hotel operations and one, Beachcomber Ltd., called "management company" took over the management of NMH and DIM - which became known as the "property companies" - as well as the management and marketing of the newly formed operating companies.

• 1985
NMH, DIM and Beachcomber Ltd. invested, by means of a new company called Grand Baie Hotel Ltd., in a prestigious hotel project called the Royal Palm. With increasing competition, a substantial programme was carried out to extend and renovate the other hotels.

• 1987
Extension of the Royal Palm with 20 additional rooms.

• 1988
Extension of the Paradis with 30 additional Superior rooms and 24 additional Superior rooms at Trou Aux Biches.

• 1990
Construction of Shandrani Hotel started as the old Le Chaland was closed down. Major works were carried out on Le Morne golf course which became an international 18-hole course and the Paradis Hotel was further upgraded.

• 1991
Opening of the new Shandrani.

• 1992
New Mauritius Hotels Ltd. participated in the acquisition of ex-Pullman in Grand Baie (in receivership) and the hotel is known today as Le Mauricia.

• 1993
Amalgamation of Les Hôtels du Morne Ltd., Trou Aux Biches Ltd. and Dinarobin Inns and Motels Ltd.

. 1994
Acquisition and completion of the ex-Mariya project in Pointe Aux Piments (in liquidation), today known as Le Victoria.

• 1995
Listing of Grand Baie Hotel Limited. Opening of Beachcomber Tours in Australia.

• 1996
In order to upgrade and increase the size of the Paradis Complex, the old Brabant Hotel was demolished to be replaced by 104 Deluxe rooms, 12 Deluxe villas and 1 Presidential Villa.
Merger between DIM, Shandrani and NMH and listing on the Stock Exchange

• 1997
NMH made the acquisition of Le Canonnier hotel. Trou Aux Biches hotel was closed for extension and upgrading works.

• 1998
Le Canonnier hotel closed to allow a major renovation and extension program to be carried out. The hotel was transformed in a 248-room resort fully refurbished and remodelled. During that same year, the Royal Palm was closed for five months due to major renovation works.

• 1999
Shandrani hotel was closed at the end of April to carry out a general uplifting of its public areas and the construction of new guest rooms and restaurants. With its 327 rooms, Shandrani became the country's largest resort hotel.

• 2000
The construction of Dinarobin hotel at Le Morne started in May.

• 2001
The existing Paradis hotel closed for extensive renovation from end of April to mid December, after which its rooms and suites were all sea facing and of very high standard.

Dinarobin Hotel Golf & Spa started to operate in July 2001, bringing 172 additional suites to the Group's hotel capacity.

Construction work started in August on Sainte Anne island in the Seychelles for a beach resort comprising of 87 villas.

Paradis Hotel reopened mid December with a completely renovated golf course.

• 2002
Sainte Anne Resort & Spa opened in the Seychelles on 01 November, offering accommodation in 87 luxury private villas including a sumptuous Royal Villa and a tropical spa. The establishment of Sainte Anne Resort & Spa is the initial venture into the Seychelles by New Mauritius Hotels Limited. Investments for this ambitious resort project include the setting up of a complete infrastructure for training of staff to ensure the highest standards of service set by the Beachcomber label are maintained at Sainte Anne. Sainte Anne Resort & Spa, the only resort set on this unique and private island, is surrounded by the Sainte Anne Marine National Park, which offers some of spectacular diving and snorkelling experiences.

The rebuilding of Le Victoria gives way to the creation of more space, light and comfort at the hotel. The hotel re-opened on 23 December, proudly boasting its revamped image: the reception, restaurants and bar lead to expansive terraces which edge onto the large pool. Added features at the restaurants are La Table du Chef, a private area with in Le Superbe restaurant as well as a special miniclub restaurant created for the younger guests. A big attraction is L’Horizon restaurant, accommodating 60 guests, with tables set right in the sand. The conference room has been modernised while the spacious rooms have been toned to the elegant and decorative marine atmosphere of the hotel.

• 2003
The Royal Palm was closed on 2nd June and reopened on 21st July 2003 with renewed splendour. A six-week renovation and redecoration program was undertaken including Le Bar Terrasse, the pool, Le Bar Plage restaurant and ultimately, the Royal Suite, which has been redesigned with the ultimate in luxury and style and features a sumptuous pool with its wooden deck and gazebo. The changes were made without altering the soul of the legendary hotel. Interior decor, furniture and specialist lighting effects by world-renowned light engineer Anthony Corbett, were completed by the beginning of November.

• 2004
Trou aux Biches closed for extensive renovation and redecoration from 28th June to 16th July 2004. The 194 rooms were redecorated to the soft and gentle shades of tropical nature to enhance the elegant style of the rooms interiors. Public areas were refurbished and redecorated to natural tones. A new beach restaurant, L’Espadon, was created to offer more choice while paying tribute to Mauritian lifestyle. L’Espadon seats 30 guests and serves traditional seafood specialities right on the beach. L’Oasis, with its new wooden deck, overlooks the ocean and the colonial-styled La Caravelle restaurants have also been renovated. A special children’s buffet seating 60 children has been created for the younger guests at La Caravelle. Last but not the least, the health centre, Le Lotus, has been redecorated, featuring two additional massage rooms, each equipped with outside showers.

At Le Maurica, the creation of 6 new family apartments was made in December.

• 2005
Le Canonnier was closed in May and re-opened with the most successful renovation in October. All rooms were modified and redecorated to new standards. Restaurants were upgraded with new kitchens and decking area to increase size. Family Apartments were added to the resort plus an exotic Wellness Centre set in the bicentennial banyan tree.

4 Villas at Paradis were renovated and upgraded to Executive Villas. Wooden floors, new décor and furniture and LCD screens were added.

The Wellness Centre at Paradis was upgraded to a Spa using Clarins products.

The Wellness Centre at Shandrani was upgrade to a Spa using Decleor products.

Beachcomber Tours Australia celebrates 10 years in Australia with a special function including guest speaker, Ricky Ponting.

• 2006

Time Difference
Mauritius is 6 hours* behind AEST and 4 hours* behind WA (*Differs during daylight saving periods).

Electricity
220-240V European adaptors required.

Insurance
Travel and Medical Insurance is strongly recommended. This should cover loss of baggage, personal effects, medical expenses and loss of deposit or tour fare through cancellation. Please check policies carefully and be aware that most do NOT cover airline schedule changes or delays. Expenses incurred for these must be paid by the person travelling.

Passports and Visas
Mauritian Immigration requires a passport with a minimum 6 months validity and a return air ticket. Currently, Australian passport holders visiting Mauritius do not require visas.

Health and Safety
We recommend you consult your doctor regarding travel health issues. For up-to-date information on both health and safety, access the government website at
www.smartraveller.gov.au or call 1300 139 281.