I have just returned from a wonderful 2 week holiday at the Silver Beach Hotel, on the East Coast of Mauritius. It's a 3 * hotel, with 5 * service.

We arrived at Silver Beach early afternoon, tired from a 12 hour flight. We were given a warm welcome by the staff and had a lovely refreshing cocktail, whilst we filled in our registration card. Our first impression was that the hotel was a little plain and could do with a coat of paint - but that was just the corridors and the exterior of the building. The bedrooms were bright and very clean. The bed sheets and towels were changed every day and the man who cleaned our room made us smile with his swans and lilies that he made out of our towels. Our room was clean and spacious. We had a huge bed which we were grateful for - its nice to have space in bed when its so hot, no matter how much you love you partner! The bathroom was clean and big. We had air conditioning - wonderful. A balcony with table and chairs and a sea view. Every room has a mini bar which is stocked daily and is included in the All Inclusive.

There is a large restaurant, a bar, swimming pool, sunbathing area and sea, games room and reception. The boys in the beach hut keep the pool and the beach area clean and ensure everyone has a parasol and sunbed. They provide beach towels. They organise trips at a fraction of the cost of the tour reps and are very helpful. The beach is fantastic. The water is clear and calm, due to the reef. We enjoy snorkelling and there were plenty of fish to see, especially to the left of the hotel. Pedaloes are available and so is windsurfing.

The restaurant is open from 7.30am-10am for a buffet breakfast. There was so much choice - cereals, fruits, yoghurts, full breakfast, omelettes, and pancakes. Lunch was also a buffet from 12.30pm-2.30pm. There were salads and about 3 hot dishes and then dessert. During the afternoon, there was a snack menu and afternoon tea was available. Dinner was served from 7.30pm - 10pm. 5 nights a week it was a set menu, with a choice of 2 main courses. But if you didn't like what was available, they'd happily cook you an alternative. On Wednesday and Saturday's was a huge buffet. So much food. And the desserts were to die for! I am now dieting!

I can't write anymore about this wonderful hotel without mentioning the staff. They were fantastic. They are the reason people return year after year. They are so friendly. They pull your chair out in the restaurant and won't even let you pour your own water. At the bar they remember what you drink and anticipate if you want / need another. But they also chat to their customers and are encouraged to do so. In some hotels staff haven't time and are discouraged from chatting to customers. But that's not the case here. They love English football, so would discuss results, teams and players. We especially liked Dan the Restaurant Manager, Vishal, Vicky and Ryan. They just stick in my mind, but they were all very good.

We used our tour rep for one trip - a submarine trip. This was very expensive and there weren't that many fish. But it was still a nice morning out. We organised our other trips ourselves. We got a taxi for the day to the capital Port Lewis. It cost us £36 for the day and he showed us loads of sights. Another day we jumped on the local bus and went to Flak a local town. It had a few shops and a busy market. The boys in the beach hut organise several boat trips. We went across to Ile Aux Cerfs on their speedboat. It leaves from the beach; they took us to a waterfall, snorkelling and to a beautiful beach. We had a lobster BBQ on the beach by Le Touessrok golf course. We also took ourselves to the local water park. It was great fun being kids again playing on the slides. But some of the pools weren't that clean - I wouldn't take young children.

Most nights there was entertainment in the restaurant after 9pm. Sometimes it was a group, or a singer. On Saturday was a disco - but he was limited on his songs. One night there was a Sega show - when some dancers show you the national dance and invite you to join in.

We went All Inclusive, but some stay half board. It was certainly better to be AL. All your meals were included, the mini bar, most bar drinks - including named brands and the use of water sports. The food is better than in any other AL I have ever been in. We certainly got value for money. We paid £1095 per person, which is very good for Mauritius, and with 2 over night flights we were away for 16 days. The AL finishes at 2pm on the day of your departure.