~~Maritim Hotel, Mauritius~~
~Why this hotel:
In 2007 my partner and I were invited to our best friends wedding in Mauritius, it was something we definitely did not want to miss or something we did not date miss because my partner was the best man.
We did have the option to pick our own hotel ... Read review
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: The service is exceptional Disadvantages: May seem expensive to some people but worth saving for in my opinion
~~Maritim Hotel, Mauritius~~
~Why this hotel: In 2007 my partner and I were invited to our best friends wedding in Mauritius, it was something we definitely did not want to miss or something we did not date miss because my partner was the best man.
We did have the option to pick our own hotel but we decided the best choice would be for us to stay in the same all-inclusive hotel with our friends.
Our holiday ... ...& Jarvis and it cost us £1,800 each for 2 weeks. You may think the cost was a little bit on the expensive side, but I hope my review will help to explain why.
I am not reviewing Mauritius itself - just the 4 star hotel.
~First impressions: When we arrived at the airport we were greeted exceptionally well by the locals, the ladies received flowers and the men received a necklace of exotic flowers. We quickly ... more
~~Maritim Hotel, Mauritius~~
~Why this hotel: In 2007 my partner and I were invited to our best friends wedding in Mauritius, it was something we definitely did not want to miss or something we did not date miss because my partner was the best man.
We did have the option to pick our own hotel but we decided the best choice would be for us to stay in the same all-inclusive hotel with our friends.
Our holiday was for the first 2 weeks in May with Hayes & Jarvis and it cost us £1,800 each for 2 weeks. You may think the cost was a little bit on the expensive side, but I hope my review will help to explain why.
I am not reviewing Mauritius itself - just the 4 star hotel.
~First impressions: When we arrived at the airport we were greeted exceptionally well by the locals, the ladies received flowers and the men received a necklace of exotic flowers. We quickly made our way through the airport checks and outside to our private air-conditioned mini bus.
We arrived around 10 in the morning and it was already very warm outside so the air conditioned coach was a luxury we loved. The journey to the hotel was around 30 minutes and we were the only people on the mini bus so the journey was nice and quick (there was 12 of us traveling together).
The drive to the hotel was an eye opening experience because a lot of the areas we passed were very run down but we had done our researching before we went so we were aware of poverty in some of the shanty towns.
As we arrived at the hotel we first noticed the huge grand gates were surprisingly manned by a smartly dressed hotel guard. Pleasantries were exchanged between the guard and the driver before the gates were opened for us.
The drive through the luscious green gardens with an array of colourful flowers and palm trees was very eyecatching, but it was nothing compared to the beautiful hotel we pulled up in front of.
Our bags were taken inside by the hotel staff as we wandered inside the hotel straight into the open reception and foyer. As soon as were inside we were greeted with drinks and ushered to the lovely comfy couches conveniently placed with a view of the spectacular scenery and hotel. If there is one think I will always remember it will be the view from the reception!
After being introduced to the receptionist we were checked in and given details of our all-inclusive package from the comfort of our seats.
~The rooms: The hotel has 3 floors and the accommodation is situated at either side of reception. The walk to our rooms was only a few seconds and we had the chance to have a nosy around as we walked through the foyer of the hotels shops.
Our room was on the second floor, exactly as we requested so we were really pleased. The room itself was one of the biggest rooms I have ever seen! We were shown around our room and then left to our own devices.
I always check the bathroom first, so I headed in for a sneak peak hoping the bathroom would not be too small to compensate for the huge living room ... thankfully I can say it wasn't. The bath was your standard size with the most amazing power shower (honestly I could have stayed there all day!).
The toilet was well situated with ample space for us to move around even when we both in there fighting to get ready. With a lot of rooms I generally find that there never is enough mirrors or wardrobe space but this was not the case.
We later found that we always had hot water (a must) and a lovely set of snuggly dressing gowns!
Premium Rooms also included terrace or balcony, air-conditioning, satellite TV, telephone, Internet access, hairdryer, in-room safe, mini-bar and tea & coffee making facilities as standard.
~All-inclusive package: The brochure informed us the basics:
. Breakfast, lunch and dinner (Belle Vue Restaurant) daily. Credit towards dining in the speciality restaurant (Seafood on the beach & A La Carte).
. Local beers, spirits, house wines and soft drinks by the glass (excluding drinks from the mini-bar). Selected international-branded drinks locally bottled.
. Water skiing, hobie cats, canoes, snorkelling and a glass bottom boat trip. Tennis, volleyball, golf (excluding club hire), archery and use of spa (all treatments are at an extra charge, payable locally).
. Children's club for ages 3-11 years, open daily.
On arrival we were each handed a plastic card which we must show whenever we used the all-inclusive facilities.
During the day most of the men spent a lot of time using the water sports facilities and women tended to stick to the snorkeling which was all included in the price. The facilities used were excellent and we never once felt like were not getting what we paid for.
My partner also paid to use the scuba diving facilities which were he thought was excellent, which is definitely a compliment as he is an experienced diver.
I would also recommend a trip on the glass bottom boat, it was lovely to see how clear the water was and get a bit of local knowledge by the guide.
The pool was like something out of a film, it was just the right temperature to swim in and it was cleaned every morning every the very least. There were ample sun beds and umbrellas available around the pool or in the luscious gardens. There was even some hammocks for the adventurous!
The hotel had its one portion of the beach was perfect, but we never stayed here that long because it got very hot on the beach. There were several people selling people near the beach but they were very courteous and never mithered us.
As we were normally dined in a big group the bar staff (thank god) did not ask each of us to show our card for each drink or meal we had, and by the end of the week they remembered us anyway!
Everything we ate and drink was of a very high standard and not once were we told that we could only have a certain quota (like some all-inclusive hotels). There was always somewhere open to eat and get a drink and the service times were advertised in obvious places as well on the little envelope provided with our all-inclusive card.
We dined in the Belle Vue restaurant most nights, not because it was all-inclusive but because the food was fantastic. Some nights we had a 3 course meal and on other nights we were treated to a hot buffet with a selection of delectable treats. I especially loved the Chinese buffet and BBQ extravagance.
Even as a large group we never had a problem finding a table together at the most we waited 10 minutes for one to be sorted and then we sat back and enjoyed the colourful decorations that where changed for each theme night. The only thing I would point out is that men need to wear long trousers to eat, no shorts or 3/4 lengths ones are allowed in the restaurants, however this is not the case in the bars.
We only occasionally saw the night time entertainment which was a mix of singers, dancers and discos, but that was because were enjoying stuffing our faces!
But we were regulars at the pool bar in an evening which is where everyone spent their nights which created a friendly and enjoyable atmosphere.
We did dine in the a la carte restaurant and the amazing seafood restaurant on the beach (which were not all-inclusive), again a good selection of food for a very decent price.
The only thing I would say to watch out for is using your mini bar. The drinks are definitely the same ones you are given in the pool/snack bar (even the brand names) yet you will pay for the ones in use in your mini bar.
I also had a few instances in the first few days were the mini bar list was wrong but I explained this to reception and they never questioned a thing.
The only other thing we were asked to pay for were the fresh cakes on sale in the pool bar each afternoon.
Other facilities included:
. 3 Restaurants . 3 Bars . Swimming pool with children's pool, whirlpool and swim up bar . Health & beauty centre . Gym . 9-hole golf course designed by Graham Marsh . 3 Floodlit tennis courts . Complimentary water sports including water-skiing, sailing, canoeing, glass-bottom boat trips, snorkelling & pedal boats . Dive centre . Horse riding . Deep-sea fishing . Bicycle hire . Playground ' Babysitting service . Shopping arcade with boutiques . Regular evening entertainment.
~Service and cleanliness: I cannot fault anything about the service we received at this hotel from the moment we set foot in the hotel to the second we left we were treated with the utmost respect by everyone from the gardener to the manger of the hotel.
We never once felt intimated to give the staff tips we were very happy to do so, and even when we did not tip (mainly because we had no change) the staff continued to treat us in exactly the same way.
Tables would be cleaned as soon as we had eaten, new coasters would be brought with every drink and ashtrays would be cleaned every time they seemed full.
At first we felt quite embarrassed because it was strange to have people falling all over you and we did wonder if they just wanted our money but this was not the case. They were actually the loveliest people I have met, and that says a lot seeing as I travel quite a lot.
As you can imagine with my experiences so far, the cleaning was also perfect, we received towels every day in our rooms and fresh ones at the pool or beach each day (we could even change them through the day if we needed to).
You can always tell how clean a hotel is when you see the cleaners throughout the day.
~Wedding: Im not going to comment too much on this side because It was not my wedding but as a guest, the occasion was amazing and I think the hotel did a spectacular job at making the wedding the best day of their lives.
The service I did personally experience is the beauty salon, we paid for our hair to be done which cost around £30, we spent a couple of hours being spoilt rotten and pampered which was perfect, money well spent.
~~~Summary~~~ To date the best hotel I have ever visited.
Top quality service and facilities which made the price we paid seem a bargain. It was a pleasure to visit this accommodation and to recommend it to you. 10/10
