I’ve been excited about sharing this post with you guys all week because I literally had the best time at the Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Spa Resort in Mauritius last week. Despite lots of rain, the resort and entire staff made the trip so special and unforgettable. Before I get into all the things I loved about the hotel, I wanted to share a bit of background info, as the Heritage Resorts are located on Domaine de Bel Ombre, which is different from lots of other hotels.

The Domaine de Bel Ombre is set at the southern part of the island between green hills and the turquoise ocean. It used to be a sugar plantation (sugar cane is very common on Mauritius and used to be the biggest export of the island) and was first mentioned as early as the late 18th century by the French writer Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. In 1816, the agricultural activities were developed by Charles Edward Telfair from Ireland with what he called “the little Eden of Bel Ombre”, including vast orchards and vegetable gardens. Hence the name Heritage Le Telfair of the hotel we stayed at.

Today, the Domaine spans some 2,500 hectares and when the sugar production ceased in 1999, the area was gradually developed into an integrated tourist destination that maintained the original vibes of the area. Aside from the Le Telfair, Heritage Resorts is also home to the Awali, a second 5-star hotel which is great for families, a world class golf course, a natural reserve, beach club and private villas which can be rented through the hotel aswell.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE HOTEL:

• The colonial style of the hotel was simply beautiful and so fitting for the island. I love the fact that the French and British Colonies are not only something that you hear about in the history of Mauritius, but also get to see through the architecture.

• The decor was great and I immediately felt at home. The light color scheme of the rooms is perfect for the tropical destination (and Instagram), and the spacious bathroom was everything I could have wished for. The hotel actually offered to upgrade me to a junior suite from my deluxe room, but I was so happy with my room that I kindly declined.

• Due to the fact that the Heritage Resorts is more than just one hotel, the dining options are more or less endless. With 12 restaurants and 8 bars, there really is something for everyone. We had one vegan girl part of our group and I’ve never been to a more accommodating hotel before. Also, Kathi mentioned that she is lactose intolerant, so before every meal they made sure to tell her exactly which meals included dairy.

• The hotel offers an all inclusive concept with is called “gourmet bliss”. In all honesty, I am not a fan of all inclusive at all, but this was SO different. None of the restaurants (except for breakfast at Annabella’s) were the typical buffet-style. The a la carte food was so delicious and the quality as well as the presentation just like you’d see in any nice restaurant. My personal highlights were fresh coconut shavings at breakfast, the most amazing salad for lunch at the C Beach Club and our dinner at the Chateau on the last evening, which included king prawns and the most delicious chocolate dessert ever. Not to mention the burger at Le Palmier, which is literally among the best I’ve ever had!

• The people’s motto of Mauritius is “Love all, serve all – help ever, hurt never” and it is something that clearly transported to everyone we met during the trip, especially the hotel staff. Every single person was so friendly and helpful, explained interesting facts about the island to us or helped us find our way.

• Sometimes, when hotels feel like they need to do it all (beach club, golf course, spa, fine dining, …) none of it is done right. Definitely not the case at Heritage Resorts! The whole experience was spot on and every aspect was done just as you’d wish.

• The beach was very well kept and one of the most pleasant surprises to me was that there were always sun bed available at the beach and pool, no matter what time of the day it was. Also, all of the rooms had their own porch or balcony, which was great for doing some work while still being outside but private.

• Last but not least: The hair dryer was so powerful! I love it! You guys know that is always my pet peeve, and even though I didn’t blow-dry my hair once during the trip, I just want to highlight that it would have been there.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

• In all honesty, the only thing that I could possibly think of was the rain, which clearly has nothing at all to do with the hotel. Huge props to them for making our trip enjoyable despite the lack of sunshine.

• One thing I want to mention, since some people are picky about this, is to please be aware that it is a tropical island. There will be occasional mosquitos, geccos or even cockroaches. If you leave the doors or windows open, they may find their way into the room. However, in general it shouldn’t be a problem. I had one little visitor in my room by the staff showed up SO quick to help me out.

*a huge “thank you” to Heritage Resorts for the incredible stay!