After flying from Dallas to Frankfurt and then Frankfurt to Mauritius, it was time to make our way to the first of three hotels we’d be staying at on the island – the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa.
Now that our time in Mauritius has come to an end, we’ve been able to compare the three hotels we stayed at and this Hilton was hands down our favorite of the three. While there are a few minor ways that they could improve things, overall it’s a wonderful hotel and if we were to ever return to Mauritius I imagine that we’d spend at least some time back at the Hilton.
Here’s a review of our six night stay at the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa. There are more than 100 photos included in the review because a) it’s a beautiful resort and b) I wanted to make sure you have a great idea of what to expect if you’re thinking of booking a stay there.
How To Get To The Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport that you’ll be flying into is on the eastern side of the island, while the Hilton is in Flic-en-Flac on the western side. Due to the distance (it’s about an hour’s drive depending on traffic), the Hilton doesn’t offer a shuttle service.
That gives you three main ways to get there – bus, rental car and taxi. I would recommend against the bus; it looks like it would take at least two hours and I’m not sure if it would be air conditioned. That leaves a rental car and taxi.
We knew we wanted to explore the island a little, but figured we’d do that later in the trip and so we took a taxi. We asked about getting a taxi at the official information desk in the airport and she directed us to an employee who had a pricing sheet displaying the cost to get to various hotels, destinations, etc. on Mauritius. The price from the airport to the Hilton was either 2,500 or 2,600 Mauritian Rupees which was about $60 at the time of our visit. Not cheap, but when I’d researched the bus it looked like that would’ve been ~$20 per person. That meant we would’ve paid $40 for the two of us, so paying an extra $20 on top of that for a private taxi that would be faster seemed a much more worthwhile investment.
Check-In
Although we landed in Mauritius at 7am, by the time we’d gotten through immigration, collected our bags, etc. it was about 8:30am. The drive then took another 1.5 hours or so because we hit quite a lot of morning traffic along the way.
As a result, we arrived at the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa at about 10am. I didn’t notice when we first got there because we were heading inside, but if you turn around there’s a beautiful view of mountains in the distance framed by the hotel’s covered entryway.
Someone immediately took our bags and we were led to the lobby by an employee. As we entered, he hit a gong to welcome us which was a fun touch.
Rather than standing at the front desk to check in, we were directed to sit in the comfortable chairs at one of a number of tables in the lobby.
They then brought us cold towels (very much appreciated) as well as a bag of surprisingly good macarons.
That was swiftly followed by a welcome non-alcoholic cocktail containing lemongrass, ginger and honey. I’m not normally a big fan of lemongrass and ginger, but the flavors weren’t powerful and it was nice and refreshing.
While we sipped on the mocktails, one of the front desk employees took our details and passports to check us in while we relaxed. The official check-in time was 2pm, so we knew we might not get lucky with being able to check in as early as 10am. We figured if that wasn’t possible we’d just ask them to look after our bags while we went to have something to eat and drink or relaxed by the pool. It turned out that wasn’t an issue though – they checked us in straight away.
Before heading to our room, we were given a sheet containing information of the restaurants and bars on one side…
…and a map of the hotel on the other side.
When booking our stay, we’d booked a standard room on points which was a King Deluxe. At check-in they advised that they’d upgraded us to a King Grand Deluxe room with an ocean view thanks to my Hilton Diamond status (you can get Diamond status by having the Hilton Aspire credit card). Judging by photos on their website, it looks like the King Grand Deluxe has a dining table and bench, is more spacious and perhaps has a slightly nicer bathroom than the King Deluxe.
Hotel Information – Useful Link
We were assigned room 2012 which made it easy enough to remember our room number. The front desk employee who’d checked us in walked us to our room, continuing to share information about the resort. They’d already shared a bunch of information while checking in and this was even more info, so it was a lot to take in.
The great thing is that the sheet of paper they’d given us had a QR code on it. That linked to a Google Drive folder with all the information we needed for our stay – you can find that here. There are a number of files in there providing information about the hotel, as well as subfolders containing details about entertainment and activities, restaurant and bar menus, spa treatment menu and pricing, etc.
All that was extremely useful to have; that’s why I’ve also provided a link to it above so that if you’re planning a stay there you can get a head start looking at how much food, drink, spa treatments, etc. might cost so that you can budget accordingly.
King Grand Deluxe Room
Bedroom
When entering our King Grand Deluxe room, the bathroom was to the right, a long, large closet on the left and the bedroom was straight ahead.
The bedroom area had a king bed that was very comfortable. The windows and balcony doors had sliding shutters that did a better job of keeping the room dark than I originally gave them credit for when we arrived.
On the bed were a couple of fedoras, a really cute beach bag with a Hilton Mauritus logo on it and ‘Welcome’ written in little leaves. There were tables on each side of the bed with a couple of power outlets – one EU and one UK – so you’ll want to bring an adapter with you if traveling from the US. Those tables also had several light switches that were clearly labeled as to which switch turned on which light in the room.
Overhead was a ceiling fan which was appreciated as we needed it. The room had air conditioning, but it seemed to struggle with keeping it as cool as the thermostat setting, so the fan helped ensure it was a reasonable temperature.
Opposite the bed was a dresser with a TV on top. I’m not sure what the channel selection was like because I don’t think we turned it on during the stay.
In the dresser cupboard on the left was a mini fridge/mini bar.
The mini bar inside was the saddest looking mini bar I’ve ever seen. It consisted of two beers, a soda, two shots, a juice carton and a Kit-Kat. To be honest though, I was fine with that as it meant there was plenty of room inside to store bottles of water.
Here’s the mini bar pricing in case you did want to partake of its sparseness.
If you want to order room service breakfast, here’s the pricing. For reference, 1 USD = ~40 Mauritian Rupees
In the right side of the dresser was a drawer with an electric kettle, instant coffee and tea bags.
On the drawer below were some mugs, drinking glasses and a couple of mini bar snacks.
To the right of the dresser was a table and bench which could double up as a dining table with seating or a workplace. There was a bottle of water on top; I think we had another bottle of water in the room somewhere and they provided two new bottles each day.
Back by the entrance to the room was an area to store your luggage with a couple of long drawers below.
To the right of that was a large closet with four doors.
In the left half was a railing with a couple of bath robes, slippers and an umbrella. The umbrella was potentially useful as Mauritius can get sudden showers or downpours that last days, so it was nice that they provided that. I also liked that they provided two bath robes because for some reason quite a few hotels only provide one.
The right side of the closet featured a safe, an iron and ironing board, as well as more drawers. In one of the drawers there was a hairdryer. As you can see, there’s no shortage of storage space in a King Grand Deluxe room!
From what I could tell, every room at the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa has a balcony with a couple of chairs and a table. We liked being on the second floor as it gave us a better view of the ocean, but rooms on the first floor (ground floor for UK readers) have the benefit of having a balcony above theirs which provides some much-needed shade during the day.
Shae and I were fortunate during our stay as we had gorgeous weather almost the entire time.
Our bedroom door had a hanger on it which had two different sides. One was Do Not Disturb, the other was to ask for housekeeping.
Something like 15-30 minutes after we arrived in our room, there was a knock at the door. It was an employee dropping off what I’m assuming was a Diamond status welcome gift which was a tray of fruit.
Bathroom
The bathroom was a decent size and had a deep bathtub. There was a large window between the bedroom and bathroom with a blind to provide privacy.
There was also a walk-in shower which had both a rainfall showerhead and handheld showerhead. The shower had good water pressure and the design of the walk-in shower ensured water didn’t leak everywhere which wasn’t the case at the hotel we stayed at after this.
Rather than having large wall-mounted bottles of toiletries, the Hilton had smaller bottles of Crabtree & Evelyn shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion.
Beach
Normally with my hotel reviews the next section is breakfast, but I’m pushing that back a little because one of the things I’m sure you’re wondering about is what the beach is like.
Overall, it’s great. There’s beautiful sand, plentiful sun loungers and a good amount of shade.
Something I found amusing is that the hotel has a rule that you can’t go out and reserve a lounger early in the morning, only to not use it for several hours. The reason I thought this was funny is because Mauritius is a popular holiday destination for Germans and Germans are notorious – with us Brits at least – for getting up at 5am and running down to the pool and/or beach to reserve every available sun lounger. So much so that there was an ad for Carling Black Label back in the day that was based on this stereotype.
The hotel has a cordoned swimming area in the ocean, but you’re not confined to that. You’re allowed to swim well beyond there; the ocean floor is pretty shallow, so you can get far out and touch the bottom if needed, although there is a coral reef and so standing up further out isn’t ideal. The hotel has snorkels you can borrow for free and you’ll often see people out snorkeling beyond that line of buoys as that’s where the fish and coral are.
With Flic-en-Flac – the town where the Hilton is located – being on the west side of the island, we were treated to some beautiful sunsets.
Amenities & Activities
One of the great things about staying at this hotel is that you can do as much or as little as you like. Want to sit by the beach or pool? Plenty of space to do that. Want to be more active and/or entertained? There’s lots you can do.
Let’s start with the pools. There are two swimming pools at the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa. One is a family pool and the other is an adults-only pool. The family pool is a good size and has a lazy river feel to it given its shape without it actually being a lazy river.
In the middle of the family pool (well, just above it in the middle) is a whirlpool. The family pool also has a smaller splash area for smaller children to play in – you can see that in the photo below behind the whirlpool.
The adults-only pool was an infinity pool looking out at the ocean, so you’ll often see people chilling in the pool at the far end looking out. It was a long enough pool to be able to do laps if you want to get some proper swimming in. Next to this infinity pool was the Hibiscus bar; more about the bars later.
If you’d like to do any kind of water-based activities during your stay, the Hilton can hook you up. In addition to the snorkeling I mentioned earlier, you can borrow pedalos, kayaks and paddle boards, all of which are complimentary. The hotel also offers Hobie Cat (I think that’s a catamaran), Laser sailing and windsurfing; I’ve a feeling those are paid-for activities, but we didn’t look into those and so I’m not certain.
Shae went out on what was meant to be a kayak tour one day while I was working. She ended up being the only one though, so she just got to do her own thing.
In addition to watersports, there are numerous other sports and games you can play. There are two tennis courts that were either meticulously maintained or, more likely, got resurfaced during COVID. The tennis courts are open from 8am-10pm each day and you can reserve them at the towel cabana.
On the less physically demanding side of things, there’s an oversized chess board and table tennis table by the beach.
On the beach itself was a net that could double up as being for badminton or beach volleyball.
On the second floor of the hotel near the lobby is a pool table. That’s set in a library area with what seemed like books you could borrow to read during your stay. A downside for us was that every single book seemed to be in German and it’s been almost 30 years since I took German at school (which makes me feel super old).
Putting the active back in activities, the hotel has a fitness room. The fitness room itself isn’t as big as I would’ve expected given the size of the hotel overall. Having said that, it was well-equipped with a couple of treadmills, a couple of ellipticals, several bikes and other cardio equipment, as well as weights.
The fitness room is hidden away on the top floor of the spa.
Treatments at the spa are paid-for, but there’s both a steam room and sauna that are complimentary for all guests to use. We didn’t use either and I felt a little awkward asking if I could take photos of them, so you get this lovely photo of information about them instead.
For younger children the hotel provides a kids club and play area. There didn’t seem to be many kids while we were there though, presumably because it was mid-January and so most families that might visit Mauritius had kids in school.
If all those activities weren’t enough, the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa has plenty of other activities planned throughout the day every day of the week. There are sporting events like badminton, table tennis and bocce ball tournaments, treasure hunts for families, stand up paddle board tours, aqua aerobics in the morning, yoga and tai chi sessions and much, much more.
Something worth noting is that the activities might change from week to week. If you arrive on, say, a Thursday like we did, looking at what’ll be on Monday-Wednesday might not be accurate as I think the activities planner gets updated on Monday mornings.
If you thought we were done with the hotel’s amenities and activities, you’d be wrong! One night they had a traditional Mauritian Sega dancing display.
Every night at about 7:15pm there’s a Torch Saga Ceremony where employees go around literally lighting up the resort. You’ll know when it’s happening as you’ll hear Adiemus’s Adiemus blasting out.
It lasts about five minutes. I recorded it the first time I watched it, but haven’t bothered uploading it to YouTube as the ceremony is a little anticlimactic compared to the booming epic music that accompanies it. Having said that, it’s great that it happens every night because the resort looks beautiful after dark with all the torches lit.
On our second night at the resort there was a proper fire show which was much more impressive.
Towards the end of it one of the entertainers swirled a couple of torches which made for an awesome photo.
Final couple of things for this section. Next to the lobby there’s a business center.
Then opposite the lobby there’s a small store. It doesn’t have the widest selection of items, but there are a few toiletries, snacks, postcards, clothing items, etc. for sale.
Something that the hotel was missing was an ATM. That initially seemed strange as the nearest one was in Flic-en-Flac, but there wasn’t an ATM at any of the three hotels we stayed at in Mauritius and so maybe there are rules regarding where they can be placed in Mauritius.
The hotel has a concierge desk where you can book activities and excursions around the island. They can provide one-way costs, or you can book a round trip with a two hour stop at whatever destination you’re going to. You can spend longer out and about too, you just pay an extra 100 Mauritian Rupees (~$2.50) per hour which is nothing. Some excursions can take in a number of sites which is what we did on one of those days.
Dining
OK, now it’s time to move on to all the dining options at the hotel. Something worth mentioning before getting to all the restaurant options is that if you’re booking a paid stay, the Hilton offers a number of different rates. There’s a bed & breakfast rate, a half-board rate which includes breakfast and dinner (when having a later and large breakfast, we didn’t need lunch) and an all-inclusive rate.
We booked with points and a free night certificate (more about that later), so we didn’t end up with any of those rates, although my Hilton Honors status meant we got complimentary breakfast. If you’re trying to decide which is the best package, that’ll partly depend on if you’re willing and able to venture off the property for dinner. We didn’t do that at the Hilton as we didn’t have a car and downtown Flic-en-Flac was a bit of a walk which meant we ate on-site for our entire stay. If that’s likely to be you, it might be worth going for half-board; I don’t know what the surcharge is if you’re booking with points/free night certificates.
The all-inclusive package would only be worth paying for if you’ll make the most of your money drinking throughout the day. The hotel offers half-price cocktails for four hours every day in the afternoon/early evening, so that too can make an all-inclusive package less worthwhile compared to just paying for drinks depending on how much that package would be.
Something else that’s important to be aware of – if you want to have dinner at the French, Thai or Indian restaurants, you need to book in the day before. We got lucky with the Thai restaurant that we were able to make a reservation early that morning by being flexible with what time we ate, but it’s best to play safe by booking the day before. However, there’s no reservation needed for the international buffet dinner.
Anyway, on to the food.
Breakfast – La Pomme D’Amour
Like I mentioned above, it sounded like breakfast was included for pretty much all guests as part of their package. It wasn’t for us as we booked with points, but if you have Hilton Gold or Diamond status you can get free breakfast as one of your benefits.
Breakfast is served from 7am-10:30am in La Pomme D’Amour. There’s an extensive buffet breakfast; it was always busy when we went for breakfast and so I didn’t take photos of everything, but there was helpfully a sheet at the entrance displaying everything that’s offered at breakfast.
As you can see, there were plenty of western options, along with other things like potato curry and faratha (a type of flat bread) that I had every morning as they were delicious. Having fresh passionfruit and lychees every morning was great too.
There was even a wide selection of jams and spreads for croissants, toast, etc. Interestingly, there was banana jam which I’d never seen before and was surprisingly tasty, as was their pineapple jam.
Although I didn’t take photos of the buffet sections itself, here are some photos of our breakfast plates. Ignore the fact that some of the stacked plates might not look appetizing – it was all very tasty.
Outside of La Pomme D’Amour there’s a koi pond. Without fail, every morning there’d be a 65+ year old man leaning over the pond, feeding the fish and looking like he’d be about to fall in. Not the same man every morning – a different person every day. It’s like koi carp are sirens calling to older men from the deep.
Lunch & Dinner – Les Coquillages
Les Coquillages is a French-themed restaurant that serves lunch from 12pm-3pm and dinner from 6:30pm-10pm each day. In fact, it’s the only restaurant that serves lunch at the hotel. It seems to be a looser definition of French though as it’s not all baguettes and cheese washed down with a glass of Bordeaux.
We didn’t eat there for dinner as we wanted to have non-Western dining options in the evening. We did have lunch there on the day we arrived and then again the next day as we were up early in the morning and so were hungry enough for lunch. The rest of our time at the resort we slept in and had a later breakfast which meant we weren’t hungry until dinner time other than having a few snacks early afternoon that we’d brought with us.
On our first day I ordered the Mauritian chicken curry with rice. It was very flavorful, but the curry wasn’t spicy in a heat sense. There was some kind of accompaniment that I think, based on what I saw at other meals, were pickled gourds that were very spicy. Mixing those in added heat to the dish which, paired with the flavor, made it even more tasty.
Shae had their calamari with Mauritan rougaille & saffron rice which she very much enjoyed too.
The next day I had their Mauritian fish wrap which had a good-sized serving of fish inside.
Shae continued the fish theme by having their catch of the day with a butter sauce that she thought was delicious.
Dinner – Ginger Thai
Ginger Thai is, as the name suggests, a restaurant serving Thai food. It’s only open for dinner in the evenings and only on some days of the week, so check with the front desk if you’re only there for a few days to ensure you can get a reservation. As you can see in the photo below, it’s an outdoor restaurant with limited seating, although there are time slots throughout the evening – I think ours was 8:30pm.
We started off by sharing some prawn spring rolls with plum sauce. They kindly split the portion of four spring rolls on to two separate plates to make it easier for us to share. The spring rolls were very good and Shae would’ve gladly consumed a gallon of their plum sauce if she could – she loved it!
For Shae’s entree she went with the prawn tamarind with crispy onion & garlic and liked that too.
Rather than having an entree, I ordered two appetizers for my main course. Shae and I lived in Thailand for almost 6 months many years ago and I’d eat som tum – spicy papaya salad – several times a week. It was like crack – I was addicted to the stuff. Even better, it only cost $1 from a street vendor outside our apartment building.
I rarely have it nowadays, so it’s pretty much what I always order when we have Thai food. Som tum seems to come in two forms overseas though – spicy and non spicy. I didn’t see any kind of chili mentioned on the menu, so I asked them to make it spicy which they did to perfection. And by perfection, I mean not quite as spicy as I used to have it in Thailand as my taste buds probably couldn’t handle that level of heat anymore.
I like having some kind of protein with it though, so I also ordered a serving of the chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce. The chicken satay wasn’t bad, but I’ve had better. That said, the chicken wasn’t pink inside like some chicken satay I’ve had elsewhere before, so two thumbs up at least for not giving me food poisoning 😉
Dinner – The Pavilion
The other restaurant for which you need to make a reservation the day before is The Pavilion which is an Indian restaurant. It’s important to note that The Pavilion isn’t open every day of the week, so plan your meals accordingly as this is a restaurant you’ll want to eat at if you like Indian food.
We had a hard time finding it at the resort as its location wasn’t clear on the map, so we had to ask one of the employees. Rather than being a standalone restaurant like Ginger Thai and Les Coquillages, The Pavilion is attached to La Pomme D’Amour. When entering La Pomme D’Amour, just walk straight ahead to the back and that’s where it is.
Given the Indian influence in Mauritius, I was hopeful for a good curry at The Pavilion, but I didn’t expect it to be as amazing as it was. It started with poppadoms and mango chutney which is always a winner with us and even more so this particular time as it feels like it’s been years since we had those.
For my entrée, I ordered their lamb rogan josh.
Shae meanwhile ordered their chicken kadai.
We each got basmati rice to go with our curries and also had a garlic naan to share. We weren’t sure if one garlic naan between the two of us would be enough as we both love that, but it was a large portion and so there was plenty for us.
Both of our curries were simply amazing. I’m originally from the UK and Indian food is incredibly popular there, so I’ve eaten my fair share of them. These curries might well have been the best ones I’ve ever had. My lamb rogan josh had tender meat which isn’t always easy with lamb. Without wanting to sound too Food Network-y, the depth of flavor was incredible.
I tried a little of Shae’s curry too and hers was just as good. Spicy without being too hot, extremely flavorful and rich. The steamed rice was cooked perfectly and the garlic naan was delicious too. If you’re planning on staying at the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa for only one or two nights, I’d highly recommend making La Pavilion a priority for one of your dinners.
Dinner – La Pomme D’Amour
The final place you can have dinner at the resort is La Pomme D’Amour which is also where breakfast is served. Unlike the other restaurants serving dinner, La Pomme D’Amour doesn’t require reservations. That’s because it’s a much bigger restaurant area and is a self-serve buffet. It cost something like 2,200 Mauritian Rupees (~$50) per person for the evening buffet which is steep for what it is, although at least there’s a good selection of food.
The buffet has a different themed menu every day of the week. One day it might be Asian, another it might be seafood, another might be Italian, while another might be a vague ‘International’.
We ate at the evening buffet two or three times during our stay. There was always a wide range of dishes available and the food was always good. Not as good as Ginger Thai and The Pavilion, but that’s to be expected seeing as it’s a buffet. The least impressive part of the buffet was the dessert station. There were always about eight cakey options as well as several fruit selections, but the cake-type desserts tended to be somewhat bland.
Here are a few photos of just some of the options available one night.
Bars
The final element of the eating and drinking side of things are the hotel’s bars. There are three bars at the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa – Hibiscus, Aqua and Vista.
Vista Bar
Vista Bar is on the second floor just off the lobby, so its name is due to the ocean views you get. It’s a particularly nice place to have a drink in the evening to watch the sunset. There’s usually some kind of musician or band playing there in the evening who have different levels of quality.
Hibiscus Bar
Hibiscus Bar is next to the adults-only infinity pool. It’s a smaller bar with what appeared to be a more limited cocktail menu, but it might be that you can ask them for other cocktails.
Aqua Bar
Aqua Bar is next to the family swimming pool, although it’s not a swim-up bar. There’s tall seating at the bar in the hut, along with more comfortable seating around the outside which could be particularly useful for parents wanting a drink as it means you can keep an eye on your kids in the pool.
Happy Hour
A great feature of the resort is that they have a rolling Happy Hour. Rather than just having a one hour period where you get discounted cocktails at any of the hotel’s bars, you get a total of four hours of half-price cocktails.
Here’s what I mean by a rolling Happy Hour. From 4pm-5pm you get half-price cocktails at Aqua. From 5pm-6pm it’s the same setup at Hibiscus. There’s then a 30 minute gap for some reason, before Happy Hour continues at Vista. Vista has Happy Hours though because it lasts from 6:30pm-8:30pm. That’s therefore a total of four hours where you can get half-price cocktails which means they only cost ~$5 each. That 30 minute gap between Hibiscus and Vista needn’t be a problem though; just order a cocktail just before 6pm at Hibiscus and nurse it through to 6:30pm 😉
When we first arrived at the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa we noticed a sign at Aqua bar listing their cocktail of the day. We thought that perhaps it was only the cocktail of the day that was half-price, but that’s not the case – all cocktails only cost 50% during Happy Hour. That was great as it meant we got to try out a number of their cocktails during our stay. That included their Coquille Bonheur which is coconut rum, blue curacao, grenadine syrup, pineapple and lychee juice which was very nice.
Free Cocktails
The Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa doesn’t have an Executive Lounge. I have Diamond status with Hilton which ordinarily gets us access to lounges, so for Diamond guests they provide an alternative. Every day of our stay we got a voucher for one free cocktail per person plus canapes which could be used at any of the hotel’s bars. You get this voucher from the front desk each day.
The only restriction on the voucher was that it couldn’t be used during a bar’s Happy Hour, presumably because they get much busier during that time. That worked out great for us though; we got to enjoy half-price cocktails during Happy Hour, as well as a free cocktail before or after that. It’s only during any given bar’s Happy Hour that you can’t redeem the free cocktails voucher though. For example, we could use the voucher at Aqua at 5:30pm even though that’s when Happy Hour is at Hibiscus.
As with Happy Hour, you can choose any cocktail on the menu with the voucher for a free one.
As for the canapes, on our first day the bar was apologetic as they weren’t able to provide what they normally offer, but they did give us what seemed to be some kind of fried bread sticks to snack on.
Most other days we got a good-sized serving of spring rolls with sweet chili sauce and a small side salad. This was perfect when making use of our vouchers in the afternoon as it helped see us through to dinner on nights when we were eating at ~8pm.
Manager’s Reception
On what happened to be our final night at the resort, we received an invitation to a manager’s reception. I’m not sure what gets you invited to this, but I suspect it’s for people with Diamond – and perhaps Gold – status.
There were a couple of other couples we’d met during our stay who’d also been invited, so it was nice to have people to chat to who were already familiar faces. That said, Shae is an extrovert and so it likely wouldn’t have been a problem meeting anyone else there either!
There were free-flowing drinks of red and white wine, as well as a dragonfruit cocktail. There didn’t seem to be any restriction on how many drinks you could have, so I enjoyed several of the dragonfruit cocktails as they were delicious. They didn’t seem to have much alcohol in them, but that was fine as it was nice having something so refreshing on a very warm evening outside.
Checking Out
After six nights at the resort, it was sadly time to check out. When checking in we’d been given a pack of macarons, while at check-out we received a couple of packs of some kind of baked good. The mini muffin-type cakes weren’t all that amazing, but it was very nice that they’re generous with providing these nonetheless, especially if you want something to snack on during a ~1 hour drive to the airport if that’s where you’re heading next.
Pet Policy
This is unlikely to be of relevance for most people staying at the hotel because they probably won’t be traveling with their dog, but the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa isn’t a pet-friendly hotel.
Service
Overall, service at this resort is very good. Service could be a little slow at the non-buffet restaurants – especially when it came to getting water and other drinks – but I think that’s just because we’re used to service levels at restaurants in the US. There also didn’t seem to be a lot of spatial awareness by staff at La Pomme D’Amour because they’d just walk wherever they were going to go, even if guests with a plate of food or drinks in their hand were already walking there, so there were many times we were almost bumped into by staff. One time a staff member did actually bump into Shae when she had drinks in her hand causing her to spill them; thankfully she only had water in them.
Those are fairly minor issues though, because otherwise staff at the resort were kind, helpful and welcoming. One staff member we wanted to make mention of was Jessica. She worked at the pool/beach towel cabana and was always extremely friendly and very funny.
Another staff member worth a mention was Hemkesh who worked at the front desk (I think he might’ve been the front desk manager). He was very friendly, helpful, professional and accommodating. We interacted with him a few times during our stay, plus he was the one who checked us out. When checking out, we wanted to split the cost of the stay on two different credit cards – I’ll explain why in the ‘Cost’ section. It can sometimes be a hassle getting this done in the US, either because the front desk agent doesn’t know how to do it or they just don’t want the small amount of extra work, but Hemkesh did it without any issue.
There was another staff member whose name we didn’t get, but who also went above and beyond just before we left. Shae knew that her mom would love the Hilton beach bag we received on our bed when checking in, but wanted to keep it for our own use. When checking out, she asked a staff member in the lobby area if it would be possible to buy one for her mom. He disappeared off for a little while and we didn’t think we were going to have any luck getting one as our taxi was ready to leave. At the last moment, he appeared with a bag and said there was no charge – woohoo!
A couple of other notes on service. We’d asked if we could get a late checkout; Diamond members are eligible for late checkout if available, but it’s not a guaranteed benefit like it is with Hyatt and Marriott. Unfortunately it wasn’t available, but that was understandable as they likely want to get rooms turned over ready for other guests checking in early like we were able to do when first arriving. Although we couldn’t get a late checkout, they did offer us a shower room if we wanted. That would’ve enabled us to spend more time at the pool or beach and then freshen up, but we decided not to take them up on their offer. It’s worth being aware of those facilities though because people without status might be able to use them too.
Another great piece of service was when we went to breakfast on our final morning. We were given an envelop which had another voucher for a free cocktail each and canapes. We hadn’t expected that on our final day seeing as we were checking out, so it was lovely that they a) provided it and b) had it ready to give it to us at breakfast so that we knew it was available first thing rather than only being given it when checking out. After checking out, we asked the front desk to hold our bags for a little while so that we could take advantage of the free drinks and canapes.
Although we’d received spring rolls most other days, on our final day we got chicken tenders and fries. Those came with a few different condiments, one of which was some kind of chili paste. Word of warning – that stuff is hot, so test it out before dipping your chicken tenders in too much of it!
The bar person asked if we wanted a second cocktail each, but we declined as we wanted to get checked in at our next hotel. After learning that we were about to leave, he gave us a quick shot of something else. I’ve no idea what it was, but it was tasty as well as being lovely that he generously gave it to us for free as a parting gift.
Tipping doesn’t seem to be as common in Mauritius as in other countries. When paying for meals and drinks, there was never a section on the check to add a tip. There is a tipping pool box by the front desk where guests can leave tips to be shared out among staff, so we contributed to that when checking out.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi at the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. Internet is free for all guests and it’s available all over the resort, but the speed didn’t seem all that fast at times.
Having said that, part of the issue might’ve been the fact that I normally use a VPN at hotels even when in the US. When turning that off, the speed seemed a bit better, although some of the sites I needed to access didn’t always accept visitors outside of the US and so for those I had to turn it back on.
Check-In & Check-Out Times
The official check-in time is 2pm, while check-out is at 12pm. As noted earlier, there seems to be far more flexibility with getting an early check-in than there is with getting a late check-out. I’m sure not everyone would agree, but I preferred having it that way round than the other because most people arriving at the hotel will have had a 10+ hour flight to get there and then a 1+ hour taxi ride, so being able to check in immediately is much more valuable.
Location
The hotel is in Flic-en-Flac on the western side of Mauritius. Other than adjacent resorts, there didn’t seem to be all that much within walking distance unless you’re willing to walk 30+ minutes to stores, restaurants and other beaches in the main part of Flic-en-Flac.
If you have a car though, or are willing to pay for a taxi or other excursion, that’s less of an issue. We did a couple of day trips during our stay including to the Chamarel Rum Distillery, Black River Gorges National Park, Grand Bassin Temple and more, all of which were within about an hour’s drive of the hotel. It’s definitely worth getting off-resort to explore more of the country, and the Hilton is in a convenient place to do that.
Parking
The Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa offers free self-parking; there’s no valet service.
Cost
We initially booked a five night stay at the hotel using Hilton Honors points. The cost was 70,000 points per night for a standard room, but Hilton also allows you to book premium rooms for additional points, although that extra cost can be a lot. If you have any kind of status with Hilton, they have a 5th night free benefit which gives you every 5th night free on award stays. That meant our five night stay only cost 280,000 points rather than 350,000 points.
At the time of our arrival there, we’d planned to spend five nights at the Hilton, two nights at the InterContinental and then eight nights at the Holiday Inn. We subsequently learned that the Holiday Inn was more of a business hotel though, so we reduced our time there to four nights. Staying at the InterContinental for more than a couple of nights would’ve cost far too many IHG points, so we decided to redeem five Marriott free night certificates (each good for up to 35,000 or 40,000 points per night) for the Le Meridien instead. That left us with one extra night to spend somewhere, so we decided to redeem a Hilton free night certificate for a sixth night at the Hilton which was a very good choice. We earned that certificate by spending $15,000 on the Hilton Business credit card.
Room rates during our stay were ~$400 per night, so we got 0.71cpp (cents per point) by redeeming points which is a decent return for Hilton points. It looks like cash prices can fluctuate depending on the day of the week and time of year, so it’s worth checking those prices as you might do better paying a cash rate rather than redeeming points.
Something else worth mentioning is that if you have the Hilton Aspire credit card, it comes with $250 of resort credits every year. The Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa is an eligible resort, so it’s a great place to make use of those. Even if you’re using points to stay there, you’ll likely have something charged to your room, whether that’s meals, spa treatments, excursions, etc.
Shae and I each have a Hilton Aspire card, so when checking out we split the cost of our room charges on those two cards. That meant we’ll each get $250 back in statement credits from American Express which covers the majority of what we spend there.
Final Thoughts
Shae and I really enjoyed our stay at the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa. It’s a beautiful resort, there are some great restaurants, service was very good and we were able to enjoy a nice, relaxing stay. While it wasn’t absolutely perfect, if we ever return to Mauritius we’ll definitely spend at least some of our time at the Hilton, especially having experienced the mediocre Le Meridien on the island.
Our Rating
Room = 4.5 / 5
Hotel Amenities = 4.8 / 5
Food = 4.6 / 5
Location = 4.4 / 5
Service = 4.2 / 5
Overall Value = 4.1 / 5
Total = 4.43 / 5
Address
Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa, Wolmar, Coastal Road MU, Flic en Flac 90503, Mauritius
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That’s the most mini mini-bar ever!
More like a mini-b
Thanks for the thorough review. You’ve put MRU on the map for me. Hope your travels home today are smooth and calm!
Thanks! Just sat down in QSuites for our DOH-MIA leg, so should be awesome!