Tuesday 20 December 2016

VIPs at St Regis

Now for the picturesque St Regis on the south western tip of Mauritius with a long sandy beach and a backdrop of Le Morne mountain.

The beach is one of the big attractions of St Regis Mauritius. The resort also has a very elegant plantation style with attractive accommodations and good food at a choice of restaurants.

On our last night on our recent trip to Mauritius I had a great dinner with two cool men:
 
Frederic Chretien,  the Resort Manager, and my lovely husband

Fresh foie gras
We saw some lovely accommodations...

A massage bench in the suite

Lovely management



The beach was romantic in the evening light…




One of the reasons our customers get special VIP treatment at St Regis Mauritius is the tireless efforts of resort manager Frederic and Director of Sales Davina. After our trip - we met Davina again at ILTM to discuss our even better cooperation in the future.

Davina Seeboo-Galuppi Director of Sales at St Regis Mauritius also attired in red






Thursday 15 December 2016

Nostalgic!

Nostalgically back to my favourite spot…enjoying lunch at Blue Marlin on my recent trip to Mauritius.

This restaurant is at the lovable family hotel Paradis on Le Morne peninsula. Next door is sister hotel Dinarobin, another favourite that has pleased our elite clients for over 20 years. Between them they share eight restaurants and great facilities..



Watching the boats and waterskiing at Paradis:




Paradis is such an active hotel and has such stunning sunsets. Will always love it! 



Now for some news…

The newly renovated rooms at Paradis are very spacious with big terraces




At  Dinarobin lunch on the beach is a must...



So is a visit to the spa – a must!





 Later we dined divinely at Umami. Great food. Japanese/Asian crossover.





Finally, there is always time for tennis...

Deepak is the best trainer - he has been at Paradis for more than 15 years



Wednesday 7 December 2016

Indian Ocean charm

Continuing my catch-up visit to subtropical Mauritius. As warm and hospitable as ever…

Shanti Maurice lies on the south east coast of the island, an unspoilt area within reach of hills and rainforests. The resort has a curve of golden beach and a calm pastel lagoon, but there is also a stretch where the Indian Ocean thunders on the reef.

Shanti's golden beach


At the Presidential Villa you get the best of both worlds – the sound of the waves and total pampering at home in the villa.


View from the Presidential Villa

Lunch with a view in your own gazebo
Table all set

At the Fish Shack, there is a rustic, barefoot ambience, the sound of waves, and the aroma of barbecue. At the Rum Shed taste the Creole flavours of Mauritius...

Rum shed for authentic local flavours

 The organic garden is part of the secret of the cuisine…

Shanti organic garden

And the people are the secret of the hospitality...

The happy management


Our favourite waitress

Tuesday 29 November 2016

Delightful Anahita

Four Seasons Mauritius at Anahita is one of the favourites of Select Collection customers for its poised perfection and style. The pool villa product is really exclusive, while food & beverage, spa and all sporting facilities are excellent – with a special mention for the scenic championship golf course, against the backdrop of the Bambou Mountains.

On my catch-up trip to Mauritius, we visited Four Seasons Anahita for lunch and a hotel inspection.


Here are a few snaps of that useful and enjoyable occasion….

Our host was Bernard Ramen, Director of Sales and Marketing
All villas have sparkling private pools and a feeling of exclusivity, whether tucked away in a private tropical garden, facing the natural lagoonside mangroves or one of the manicured beaches.

A double sunbed for dreaming by the sparkling private pool of your villa

Bathroom opening out into your secluded back garden with outdoor shower
Now for lunch...

We were not the only visitors to lunch
And enjoyed a fabulous meal....



Wednesday 23 November 2016

In paradise with St Geran

Mauritius is my second tropical home. We at Select Collection were the first in Sweden to invest in sending elite clients to that beautiful Indian Ocean island. Ever since then I have kept up to date with the charms of  our Mauritian hotels and am in Mauritius now to catch up.

One&Only Le St Géran is just what you expect in a tropical paradise. Thousands of palm trees, and a sandy beach washed by crystal sea. On top of that it is imbued with class, fun and great food & beverage.



Now it will take a new forward leap with refurbishments of all rooms, to be reduced in number from 163 to 143. The ocean suites are real havens in the flawless style of sister hotel One&Only The Palm with the tropical mood of muted white.  There will be 35 of these each with living room and beautiful wooden terrace. 

On my short stay at beloved Le St Geran I saw a new sample room and all the impressive plans.

New room look - with a huge walk in closet between elegant bedroom and gorgeous bathroom




Ocean suite. Lovely wooden terraces furnished for outdoor living

All the restaurants will have major renovations,  Our clients who love pool villa living will be delighted with another new opportunity – 48 villas to be ready 2019 on the old 9 hole golf course. At present they have one gorgeous 2 bedroom pool villa.

The hotel will close from February for almost the whole of next year to launch the totally made-over Le Saint Géran in time for Christmas.

Here are some more of my snaps. The tropical ambience....

Palms and calm lagoon

New grass is being put in


The  delicious cuisine...




The fine dining restaurant is Prime - what a welcome

The Chef of Prime

Fresh foie gras

Tuna & apple tartar

Vahlrona chocolate surprise





Friday 5 August 2016

Personal service in paradise

One of my favourites among the paradise island resorts of the Maldives is The Residence.  I stayed in a lovely 2-bedroom beach villa there a few years back.  The resort is not just fresh and picturesque but they indulge you with very nice personal service.

This week I had my pleasure reflected by one of our customers, whose trip was booked at our Stavanger office in Norway.
My professional travel advisors make a point of asking clients for feedback after travels, and then pass it on to me. This is important information which assists us in advising clients and in helping us and our hotels to maintain perfection.

The Residence Maldives - great feedback.
Island 1 km long with rainforest, white sand and turquoise lagoon. And great staff.


I think this account of our client’s stay at The Residence is worth sharing on my blog too….

The Maldives turned out to be another FIRST for me. I have never been on an island holiday where the only thing to do is relax with so many nice people helping you to do just that!! No shops, no tours, no planning for the next day events and (within the out of season period) just a few people with no crowds or queue's!! It's really was a holiday where relaxation was at the top of the list for us with the help of the staff and we all loved it.

The villa was, of course, a real plus with its spacious pool and passing sharks (small) sting rays and all kinds of smaller fish.
Water villa - ringside seats for fish passing by
When the storm came in one night it was another new experience, winds making strange noises as it whistled across the sea and through the gaps in the sea villa. It could have been a little frightening if, as an Engineer, I had not noticed the concrete covered steel legged foundations. As it was, we all enjoyed the experience with the knowledge that if we did not get to sleep till late we could easily recover during the next day of total relaxation.


We all thought it would be difficult to beat our resort in the Bahama's but unlike that resort this place had really, really nice staff and no sand flies, horse flies or mosquitoes to bite you. The food was another bonus that put the edge on this place as a front runner. Just one day that got a little boring, that was when the storm ran into a second day and although it was expected we were not compensated until the evening when we went fine dining to a lovely sunset.


Rest of his mail is (humerously) about Singapore …


Raffles was a new experience for us and we enjoyed every minute of it. You do pay a heavy price for the name however and with the cost of living in Singapore on the rise, since our last visit, it was a good idea to try for a mortgage before using the mini bar in the room (joke.

Our client then moved on to Four Seasons Langkawi, staying in the Royal Villa, which got this great review in a new mail…


It seems that in the Four Seasons Resort Langkawi we found a luxury resort all to ourselves in the Royal Villa. We enjoyed a massive private pool, an incredible private beach, a massive lounge area with everything you want, a fantastic separate master bedroom suite, an impressive secondary bedroom suite, fantastic jungle areas with flora and fauna in many forms and masses of peace and quiet. There were many things to do outside of our mini resort but what we had inside held the magic of tranquility and peace and when you did decide to venture out, wine and canopies arrived in time to slow your departure and make you think of staying home. It was seen as a good sign of things to come as this was only the first day!!!!!!

Royal Villa at Four Seasons Langkawi
Many thanks to this client for his permission to publish his feedback. His expert travel advisor was Laila Ånestad in our Stavanger office. Or as our client insists; his Expert Holiday Dream Maker

For more about the Residence click HERE.


Four Seasons Langkawi click HERE.