Hilton Mauritius

Our next stop is at our hotel- the Hilton Mauritius, one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was (mostly) a relaxing & restful place after non-stop trekking in Africa.

The hotel itself was beautiful! I really loved all the architecture & decor around the grounds, which wound around little ponds, streams and waterfalls. Below is the breakfast buffet and evening buffet area. Breakfast was included for us, but we were usually joined by dozens of birds that were pretty darn aggressive to steal stuff of your plate.



I thought the woodwork in the hallways was beautiful. I did mind the tile floor though- it was very loud when people were walking late at night or early in the morning.



There's a nice bar area upstairs, where you get complimentary drinks upon checking in & there is a so-so happy hour each evening. Great views of the ocean at sunset though.



There were tons of huge koi swimming around these ponds & that is the beach/pool bar in the background.



The entrance from the front down into the main part of the hotel is a neat staircase surrounded by waterfalls. It's lit up beautiful at night with some torches.



The upstairs bar & downstairs buffet areas. My favorite thing about this hotel was the impeccable service. I've never seen a staff more eager or friendly to accommodate us with any need.



The pool area was very nicely designed- great shapes & architecture made it feel very organic and blended into the beautiful landscaping.



We sat down one evening & enjoyed drinks as we watched the sunset into the ocean. There is also pretty good service at the numerous chairs/umbrella/table setups along the beach & a decent "snack" menu to order from.



And here's why everybody comes here! The beautiful clear blue water was mesmerizing to watch with the mountains in the background.



It was a little chilly for swimming (for us at least in the beginning of June), but it was refreshing to cool off your legs after laying out on the beach for a while. On the West side of the island, there is a coral reef way off-shore (see where the waves break?). There weren't too many waves that made it to the shore & the area is supposedly nice for snorkeling.



Another shot of the pool.



So serene & tranquil.



There was a French (I think??) restaurant & this Sushi place on the property, in addition to the buffet, but the food was VERY expensive. I think the buffet for dinner was like $50pp or something pretty pricey. It was good enough, but I'm not thrilled to pay that for a buffet. (In their defense, food was generally pretty expensive at most placed on the island.)



Because I was a Diamond member, Hilton upgraded me to this awesome suite. We had a separate living room & bedroom, which was very nice as H was working really late some night on the computer & making phone calls back to the office. That far sliding door goes out on to a lovely little balcony.



In the living area, there was a desk, full couch, 2 chairs, a full bathroom, minibar and a nice TV. When we checked in, we discovered a fresh fruit bowl & a dessert tray awaiting us in the room.



Our bedroom was super pimp too! We had his & hers closets with a walk through bathroom. We had a room attendant that would check on us several times a day to tidy up the room, refresh the minibar or see if we needed anything. They even offered to unpack our clothes!



We had a huge TV in our room & a lounge chair, plus a great view out towards the water.



We were greeted with a beautiful decorated bathroom & offered to have specialty baths drawn up for us (for a price ;).



Here is the view from our porch- I really enjoyed sitting out there & chilling out.



One other rave I have is the spa. I've never been to a *fancy* spa & we decided to indulge and get a few spa treatments. It was surprisingly really well priced- probably cheaper than US prices. The massages were great & I really enjoyed them.



They have the full dressing room & locker room area where you can take a shower & hang out in the steam room before going to the relaxing area prior to your treatment.

All in all 5 out of 5 stars for the Hilton

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Not too much good news here. It's been a rough 2 days....our computer hard drive died with some really important information I hadn't backed up (it was only 2 years old!), Zoe threw up about 46 gallons last night & we scrubbed carpets at 2AM. I took her to the vet & they are keeping her for a few days in IV & antibiotics because her liver proteins are high. Finally- my allergies have been kicking my rear the past 2 weeks. I can't get any relief no matter what drugs I take & I just can't keep living feeling like a walking sinus affliction. I went to the allergist today & hopefully am on the way to getting some relief.