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Dear All
Well we flew into Mauritius on 11th November in low cloud and heavy rain. Barry and I looked at each and thought well the glorious weather really couldn't last for the whole of the trip and perhaps we might get the odd day of sunshine here!
We were met by Raj our driver who said 'no worries' as you travel to the north of the island the weather will improve........we were not so sure. Raj chatted away for the next hour praising the UK and especially London where he spent 9 months with relatives a while ago. As we travelled over the mountains and dropped down to the north 'hey presto' sunshine just as Raj had predicted! Of course because Mauritius is south of the Equator they get better weather in the north than the south.
We finally arrived at Cap Malheureux and the Paradise Cove Hotel. It truly is Paradise set in a small cove, the boutique hotel is for adults only and therefore very peaceful! On one side of the cove is the hotel with the accommodation, one of the swimming pools and very sheltered beach. Then as you walk round to the other side which is set on the headland there are love nests dotted around which are thatched roof shelters with 2 sun beds and a double bean bag all very private. There is also an infinity pool on this side. This hotel is fantastic for honeymooners which is a bit lost on us having been married for 44 years but it was still very romantic! Barry enjoyed watching the sugar daddies with their young ladies!
On the headland there is also a monument and shrine to the founder of Paradise Cove Jean-Pierre Halen. Every day for the past 14 years fresh flowers are laid in the shrine by the hotel staff.
The staff are very attentive and when we have been sunbathing on the beach they come round with cold cucumber slices for your eyes and spray to clean your sunglasses. There are 3 restaurants, the main dining room along with a seafood restaurant and Asian dining. One evening we were invited for cocktails by the pool followed by a romantic dinner for two on the beach and the temperature was a very nice 28 degs. As some of you probably know on Mauritius they grow sugar beet and their local rum is extremely good both dark and white, therefore Louise you will be pleased to know we drank cuba libres most days!
We had decided due to all the travelling we had done in Africa that our week in Mauritius was to totally relax and Paradise Cove was the ideal spot to chill out. Unfortunately Anthony we didn't get to explore the centre of the island so no sightings of the Aberystwyth students!
Due to the French occupation at one stage the food on Mauritius is excellent and due to the British occupation their bureaucratic systems still prevail!
Our flight back to Dubai was fine but as the flight arrived a few minutes late we only had a short time to go through transfer for our flight back to Manchester. Anyone who has been to Emirates terminal 3 at Dubai will know how big the building is and we had to walk for miles to find our gate but managed to arrive just as they were calling the passengers to board the plane.
As we come to the end of our trip we would like to highlight some favourite moments. Capetown was amazing and the penguins at Boulders Beach fantastic. The Rovos rail is as it says "the best luxury train in the world" and certainly lives up to its slogan and a special mention to Shaun our steam locomotive. For Mary the game parks were superb and then to find zebra and giraffe wandering around the hotel grounds was fantastic. We were very impressed with South African Airways and the way the captain kept us fully informed when we circled the thunderstorms on our approach to Johannesburg. The amusing border crossings and Barry's tip is never queue with the locals but head straight to the desk marked Diplomats when entering the border control, and that look saying 'don't you know who I am?' .......a pocket full of dollars helps too!
Finally, as always, a very big thank you to Clair at Travelbag for organising this wonderful trip and once again for choosing the best hotels for us along the way. A bit of advanced warning Clair no doubt we will be coming to see you in April with ideas for our next big adventure in 2018 wherever that might be!
We hope you have enjoyed the blogs and photos along the way and many thanks for all your messages.
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2017.
With love
Mary & Barry xxx
- comments
Christine and Ken Hi Mary and Barry, we have so enjoyed your account of your fabulous holiday, you have managed to enuthuse Ken and I for future adventures. We loved the photos of the wildlife especially the penguins and elephants and the train journey sounded fantastic. Looking forward to seeing you soon and hearing about your plans for the next big trip. Love Christine and Ken.