Unveiling Paradise: A Lavish Retreat at The Oberoi Mauritius - A Luxury Hotel Review
Step into a world where luxury meets paradise: welcome to The Oberoi Mauritius, where opulence, serenity, and unparalleled hospitality converge amidst the stunning vistas of this tropical haven.
Welcome to my review of The Oberoi Mauritius; a stunning 5-star hotel located in the north-east of Mauritius, about an hour away from the airport at Port Louis. It was in a wonderful location, the resort itself was vast and quite low occupancy during our time there (less than 50%) which lent itself to a very relaxing stay. Having said that though, with over 80,000 sq/mt of beachfront space, even at full capacity (there are only 71 pavilions and suites) this resort would never feel full I don’t think.
The Oberoi Mauritius Premier Villa with Ocean View Pool
We decided to visit Mauritius, as (maybe bizarrely) an alternative to Mozambique. You might immediately be thinking the only similarity is the letter M to start, but Mauritius is actually somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit, we just seemed to have opted for other locations in the Indian Ocean, often multiple times, for alternatives - like the Seychelles, Maldives, or Madagascar in the past. We came from Zanzibar (two-centre - Stone Town then Dongwe), spending a week over Christmas as The Oberoi Mauritius, before flying on to (direct) Johannesburg for New Year at the Four Seasons Johannesburg, The Westcliff.
In this review of The Oberoi Mauritius Hotel, I’ll detail our experience of the location, local activities, hotel dining, and of course the accommodation and facilities at the hotel itself. Read below to find out everything you need to know before your next trip to Mauritius.
The Oberoi Mauritius Beach
Why Book with Classic Travel and The Private Traveller
By booking through my affiliation with Classic Travel, I was able to secure a number of additional VIP benefits with their Virtuoso rates. These included:
Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
Daily full breakfast for two guests per bedroom (inclusive in hotel's rates), served in restaurant
Complimentary lunch or dinner for two people/room, once during stay, excluding alcohol, taxes and gratuities (minimum 3-courses & value of $100USD)
Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
Complimentary Wi-Fi
The Oberoi Mauritius Welcome Pavilion & Reception
Fast Facts for The Oberoi Mauritius
Address - Turtle Bay, Pointe aux Piments, Mauritius
Website - https://www.oberoihotels.com/hotels-in-mauritius/
Group website - https://www.oberoihotels.com
TripAdvisor ranking - #1 of 8 in Balaclava
Contact - reservations.mauritius@oberoihotels.com
Instagram - @theoberoimauritius @oberoihotels
Nearest airport - Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) - 58 km or 36 miles (about a 1 hour drive, traffic dependent)
Opened - 2001
Number of pavilions / villas - 71 (48 pavilions, 23 villas)
Number of floors - Single level
Bars - 1 (The Bar)
Restaurants - 4 (On The Rocks, The Restaurant, The Gunpowder Room, and The Herb Trail)
Wellbeing - Two pools, fitness centre, tennis courts, and a full-service spa
Visited - December 2023 (Christmas)
The Oberoi Mauritius Aerial View by The Private Traveller
The Oberoi Mauritius at Night
Hotel Accommodation: Traditional thatched roofs, breathtaking vistas and sunken marble bathrooms
With only 71 pavilions and villas in total (split 48/23), spread out across such a vast area, each accommodation (luxury pavilion garden view or ocean view or luxury villa with private garden, private garden with pool, or premier ocean view villa with private pool are basically the same footprint). On top of this choice, there is also a two-bedroom (family) luxury villa with private pool, Presidential ocean view villas (one or two bedroom option) plus a one or three-bedroom option of the premium Royal ocean view villa with private pool.
I had initially booked a luxury villa with a private garden, having (as a Virtuoso benefit booking through Classic Travel), an upgrade on arrival subject to availability. Checking out availability just before arrival, it looked like the resort had a lot of availability in most categories, so it was a bit surprising to be told that nothing was available, but that a pool villa may be an option in a few days. It was also quite disappointing that the in-villa check-in seemed to be focussed more on a check-out, as in securing payment in full on arrival, as well as securing a pre-authorisation for the stay. I’ve absolutely no objection to this, albeit having paid a substantial deposit and the hotel being of the ultimate standard it is, it was unusual to feel that this should be the primary focus of the welcome. The rate I paid at the time of booking, was also now well in excess of their current price, and was more akin to the premier view villa current price anyway so it would have been nice to have been given the comparable category.
The initial villa we had been allocated, opposite the spa, was good; but moving (as we did the next day in fact) to villa 111, a premier view villa with ocean views and the private pool, all of a sudden the stay became so much better. Although the footprint of the villa itself was the same (indeed as are the pavilions themselves, with a slight change in the angle of the bathrooms) and an additional entrance whereas the villas have a small office/vanity area in the hall instead) the whole ambience and impression was totally different. The garden size was the same, albeit a lot of it was taken up with the excellent pool (decent size for swimming and perfect temperature) - the difference really was the openness (though still private) as you could see the extensive lawn going down to the beach and ocean. There was also a very useful gate exit at the front, as well as the prime entrance on the other side) so that we could quickly get to the main restaurant, bar or beach.
“The Oberoi Beach Resort, Mauritius is the best hotel in Mauritius; directly located on the pristine white beach of Turtle Bay, a natural marine park. Spread over 80,937 square metres of lush, sub tropical gardens, our 5 star hotel in Mauritius offers views of breathtaking sunsets and night skies bursting with stars. Magnificent accommodation with traditional thatched roofs. Unique restaurants serving authentic Creole and international cuisines. And a Touching Senses programme of daily cultural and mindfulness activities.”
Facilities & Service at The Oberoi Mauritius
The resort was such a wonderful blend of having so much to do, if you wanted, or to do the least possible. Other than the initial in-villa ‘check-in’ which was disappointing and seemed solely focussed on extracting full payment, service throughout was wonderful. Attentive and efficient, yet relaxed and friendly. A very unusual concept (for us from the UK, and normally everywhere but in Japan) the hotel had a policy of not only not adding a service charge to everything, but also not encouraging individual tipping. Of course, if there was someone you wanted to particularly call out (Raj, the excellent limo driver) you could do this through reception and leaving a hotel gratuity.
It certainly wasn’t a cheap hotel, and you paid a premium for everything but it was nice to then not have a mandatory service charge over and above this when already paying quite extensively.
I’ve broken down the key facilities and services and shared my opinion on them below:
Rooms/suites
Most one-bedrooms (either villa or pavilion) were pretty much identical, but would take on a very different feel based on whether the accommodation was surrounded by an open front terrace (pavilions) or a garden, with or without a pool (villas). The pavilions were in blocks of three, located more to the right hand side of the resort, around the two pools; villas more to the left hand side (looking from the water), the north side.
There was a high-ceilinged bedroom/living area, with a large (and high) king-size four-poster bed - super comfortable, with an extensive pillow choice which they checked with you in advance of arrival (as well as robe and slipper sizes). A large white/cream sofa and separate armchair combined with a very large coffee table created a really nice relaxing living space, and there was a good LCD TV (not ginormous) above a recessed tea/coffee/minibar station. I wasn’t aware of it in the first villa, but we were there for just the one night) but our pool villa had Netflix already integrated into the TV which was great for getting films and TV series to watch during our stay. Wifi was also available, and decent speed, pretty much throughout the entire resort - pool, beach, restaurant, and bar areas included.
Going through towards the rear of the villa, which would be the front for the pavilions, there was a decent sized dressing area on one side with lots of hanging and storage space (and safe); and on the other the expansive bathroom, more on this later.
Levels of Comfort
The villa would be serviced twice a day, they would usually time it just right when we were at breakfast so that we would return to a perfectly made up villa. There were three wooden shapes left in the villa, which could be hung on the outer doorway for either privacy (a turtle), service (a dodo, the traditional bird of Mauritius), or an alligator for laundry. Linens and towels were changed frequently, the air conditioning was very efficient, and it was always lovely to come into such a pristine, luxurious villa.
Bathroom
As much as I like two sinks in a hotel bathroom, I’d say this was the only (very slight) negative here. Not modern by any sense, but perfectly in keeping with the resort ambience and very beautifully presented and maintained. You do need to be careful though as the sunken marble inset tub is a bit of a drop edge.
The bathroom was a really good size with a large vanity unit and (the one) sink with lots of storage underneath which was very helpful. There was a walk-in shower (glass walled on three sides) with a door out to an enclosed garden area, which really was just purely decorative, and allowing for lots of natural light to flood in without compromising privacy in any way.
About a quarter of the bathroom area was a soaking tub sunk into the floor, lined in the same marble as the walls and floor. It wasn’t something we actually used, but I guess it’s a nice feature to have if you’re into soaking tubs as this was large and definitely suited for two people.
As well as lots of pristine white fluffy towels and two sets of (different) robes and slippers, there was every conceivable toiletry you could need for a stay. Always beautifully cleaned and presented in the twice-daily housekeeping service.
Breakfast
Although we could have had a continental breakfast served in the villa (there was actually an outside but shaded dining pavilion which we actually never used), we went the very short walk to the main restaurant daily. With the expansive grounds, no hot food would be served for breakfast outwith the restaurant. Here, there was both a large buffet selection daily (fruits, various yoghurts and bircher muesli, breads and pastries, juices, toast, savoury items) and also a very extensive menu of teas, coffees, and hot foods to order. Like the dinner menu too, this changed once during the week so it was the same Monday through Wednesday, then a slightly different variation Thursday through Sunday. One of my absolute breakfast highlights was the (latter part of the week) avocado toast. Some of the other hot foods were quite sweet focused, with sauces and cream, but the avocado toast (on sourdough) was absolutely delicious. This was served with cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, lavender marinated feta, orange slices, herbs, and pumpkin seeds.
We did in fact for our last day arrange a room service breakfast with us having a very early start to the airport for our onward flight to Johannesburg. There was an in-room menu which you just had to complete and leave in the wooden tube on your villa door before 10pm. While it was very easy to select the options, and we had to pick an even earlier start time that was normally available, it was do disappointing. The service was great and it came on time, as was presentation good, but both of our teas were literally stone cold, the toast completely inedible as it was beyond chewy, and the butter dish had welded itself together such that we had to try and open it up like a clam shell with a knife.
Restaurant & Bars
More on each of the options later, but we tended to enjoy the ‘On The Rocks’ option (available for either lunch or dinner) rather than The (main) Restaurant which was breakfast and dinner; though we did have dinner there a couple of nights too to mix it up. Having a drink in The Bar was also an excellent option where there was always some (low key) form of entertainment. This is something we’d normally run a mile from and don’t normally choose ‘entertainment based’ hotels or resorts, but here there was live music a few nights and a magician another. All very subtle and low key, which was great.
Spa & Wellness
There is yoga, T’Ai Chi and various wellness classes at different times of each day, from breathing exercises, to toning, evening walks, meditation, morning jog etc. as well as outdoor flood light tennis courts. The Fitness Centre was well fitted out with all Life Fitness equipment and free weights. As well as a separate hair/beauty pavilion, within each of the mens and womens changing areas (spacious, with lockers and part open air showers and WC’s) there was a steam bath (gender specific), open-air treatment areas, indoor (high clerestory windows) treatment suites, and an outdoor relaxation area.
Design & Architecture
When I had been trying to decide where to stay in Mauritius, the choice was between the Four Seasons and The Oberoi. The Oberoi originally opened in 2001 and FS (Anahita) 2008. It seemed like, from reviews, that the Four Seasons was more modern, with a refresh in 2020/21 and the Oberoi not since 2016. Having stayed at a number of Oberoi hotels before, primarily in India, I knew the standard of service and facilities would be excellent.
There was a traditional feel here, but the whole resort has been so meticulously maintained (the hotel says Mr Oberoi, the owner, allows for very extensive maintenance budgets) and indeed during our stay there was a fair amount of maintenance evident, though not disruptive in any way. Arriving at night, we didn’t get the full arrival ‘wow’ experience from the welcome area which is like a scene from Jurassic Park. There’s an aqueduct built over entrance archways from which water cascades at great height, adjacent to a high domed platform that reminded me of some of the spectacular buildings at Nihi on the island of Sumba, Indonesia.
Throughout the resort there are warm yellow/orange pathways to great contrast with the green jungle foliage; the gardens, like everything, were so well maintained which only added to the ‘Jurassic’ feeling. Most of the buildings were thatched, like all of the central restaurant, bar, villas and all of the little structures around the pool, beach etc. for lights, beach towels, and water stations. It’s been so well designed, constructed and maintained; such a lovely environment.
What about the Pamplemousses District, North-West Mauritius location?
For us this was a perfect location, not only the island of Mauritius itself, but the location of the Oberoi. Only about an hour from the airport, there was zero airport noise and enough to do on site if you wanted, or indeed things to do nearby as well. We were happy to stay mainly in the resort and relax, take walks and use the spa; but with an extensive water front, there was an abundance of watersports available from the hotel at no cost. If walking on a beach is your thing, just note that while you walk for quite an extensive way in one direction from the hotel, going the other way isn’t accessible. Adjacent resorts probably have more extensive (natural) beach fronts, the Oberoi does have quite a few beach areas but most of them are man made.
Some of the top activities I’d recommend doing at The Oberoi Mauritius are:
The Oberoi Spa
I’ll write a full spa review, but there was a great selection of treatments and therapies here with everything from massage, sensory experiences, Indian essentials, body, face, hands feet & hair, as well as Oberoi Experiences.
During our stay I tried first the Indian Essential Foot & Leg Massage (60 mins MRU 6,550; £117; $150) which was excellent. Way more than just reflexology. Second, on another day, and for a longer treatment I opted for the 90 minute Baobab Pindas (MRU 8,150; £145; $185). 60 min was also available at MRU 6,550. Such a relaxing but also tension-releasing deep full body massage, with warm oil interspersed by the heated pindas (like a rice ball, but these were filled with baobab seeds).
Watersports
Although we didn’t actually do anything in this regard, the watersports centre at the beach looked like it had everything you could possibly want. There were canoes, pedalos, snorkelling, laser sailing, Hobie Cat, windsurfing, stand up paddle boards etc. All were complementary and there were also organised specific times for some group activities.
Daily Activities
Each day there would be at least one or two organised activities, just annoying for ‘Mrs’ The Private Traveller about not being able to do sculpting. Other things included stargazing, rum tasting, an art class, nature walk, wine tasting, henna painting, Hindu ceremony, or a cooking class.
Grand Bay / Baie
Was probably only a 20 minute drive or so from the resort, and while not like the ‘must-do’ activity on the island, compared to some of the local shopping areas we’ve gone to on a vacation (which we always like to try and do at least one, anywhere) this was probably one of the better visits. We went first to the local market but didn’t really buy anything, mainly copies of luxury brands for clothing, handbags, jewellery, hats, swimwear etc. There was a nice waterfront too with a decent selection of shops and cafés/bars, we made the short walk to the ‘Super You’ supermarket which was also surrounded by a selection of outlets. Again, nothing of particular note, other than the supermarket was huge and would have anything you might need to buy, and a highlight was the genuine ‘Paul’ French patisserie concession where we had a nice casual lunch. We didn’t need to buy much, but Raj did indicate that there were other, more ‘international’ malls nearby, had we needed to visit.
Food and Drink at The Oberoi Mauritius
The Oberoi Mauritius had a really good choice of restaurant and bar locations, as well as including private in pavilion or villa dining.
The Restaurant
Daily breakfast, part buffet and part served. Nice selection of food, and a good idea changing the menu mid-week for a bit of variety if, like us, you were there for a week or more. L-shaped, thatched roof but open-sided, it was a nice place to sit - just watch out for the pecking ducks from the adjacent pond.
The Restaurant
Daily breakfast, part buffet and part served. Nice selection of food, and a good idea changing the menu mid-week for a bit of variety if, like us, you were there for a week or more. L-shaped, thatched roof but open-sided, it was a nice place to sit - just watch out for the pecking ducks from the adjacent pond.
The Bar
Located at the centre of the beachfront and adjacent to the main restaurant, this luxuriously appointed open-sided thatched roofed building was great for either a drink during the day, or towards sunset before dinner. As well as the excellent selection of gins, there was a full spirits menu, cocktail and mocktail list too. Great service and delicious banana/plantain chips served too.
On The Rocks
As you’d expect, this was a small(ish) terrace restaurant and bar located adjacent to the (main) lagoon pool. Lunch was served with a great selection of everything from burgers to pizza, sandwiches to pastas and salads. Although at night the menu was more BBQ based and not so great for a vegetarian, albeit there were a lot of great salads and one night I just went for delicious mashed potato and sides of greens, they were so accommodating to also serve anything that had been on the lunch menu too.
The Herb Trail
Not something we tried, this was a shared outdoor dining experience, I think only available at weekends, located in the herb garden itself near the restaurant and shop.
The Gunpowder Room
Again not something we tried, this seemed to be a traditional Creole set menu served in what was an original gunpowder room dating back to 18th century French colonial Mauritius.
Highlights of our stay
There were so many highlights of the stay at the but here are just a few of the key points, which I hope you find a useful summary.
Raj, our limo driver - being met by him at the airport felt like a proper welcome, certainly not the “VIP” arrival service they had arranged.
A second one for Raj - we had booked just a taxi to take us into Grand Baie (Bay) for some shopping. This was to be MRU 1,800 return. As it turned out, the hotel limo (and Raj) was available so they provided the upgraded service at the same price as the taxi.
111 Premier Ocean View Villa with Private Pool
On The Rocks for dining - great lunches and sunset dinners.
The Spa - bit quirky with appointments/booking but great selection of treatments and execution. An inside relaxation lounge would have been good; so hot outside.
Turtle Bay adults only pool - like a lot of the resort, felt like a scene from Jurassic Park.
The resort is so well maintained, and so glad to see the new GM is getting the bizarre random patchwork crosses getting painted out of all the walls.
Sunsets - whether from The Bar, beach, On The Rocks, or the privacy of our ocean view villa these were amazing night after night.
Great selection of gins (my favourite) in bars and restaurants. Old favourites like Tanqueray, Tanqueray Ten, and Monkey 47 as well as some new and local.
Areas for improvement
Wherever we stay, I do always like to look at the positives on any property we stay in, and airlines we fly with etc. but sometimes you can’t help but notice things that (for me, but I realise this is always personal) might have made for a better stay.
Airport VIP welcome - so badly organised and not worth the money. Whether it was just because it was Christmas Eve, there seemed to be complete disinterest from the couple providing the service. Certainly not worth the money, and the worst ‘VIP” I’ve ever had of anywhere in the world.
In villa check-in was more like a check-out - only focus seemed really to be on getting payment for the whole stay up front
Advertising a sculpture class in multiple ways, even having a huge board at breakfast advising it was on that day from 11am - 1pm. When we tried to book, as ‘Mrs’ The Private Traveller really wanted to do it, we were told it wasn’t on this week. They didn’t seem to get the irony of making a special effort to advertise something that wasn’t an option.
Spa voucher - on arrival there was a 20% discount for a spa treatment, but only to be used within a day of arrival and only between 9am and 2pm. Actually felt like more of a negative than a positive, as they were being so mean and restrictive! Would suggest not even bothering offering this to guests.
Spa appointments - I tried to book for our second day, to be told the only appointment was at 6:30pm. I said I would leave it, and asked about availability the following day; they said they would phone back. They didn’t, but I did get a call later that same afternoon, to ask why I hadn’t turned up for my appointment at 2:30pm! No idea where that came from, if they had booked it for me, no one let me know!
I do always think it’s important to have a dark room to sleep in (a constant battle with ‘Mrs’ TPT to keep curtains or blinds open a crack to let in some light). The villa was great with roller blinds on all the windows which would block out the light, but there was a green neon ‘on’ light on the air conditioning control that was very bright and would illuminate the room. I had to try and cover this up a bit, as otherwise I did find it a bit distracting at night.
Room service breakfast could have been improved - tea was stone cold and toast beyond chewable. Disappointing as the service was great as it was on time, and presentation was excellent.
Would I stay here again?
Yes definitely, such a perfect location with amazing facilities. The private villas are the wow factor here (they also get much better as you go ‘up’ the categories), as are the swimming pools, not to mention a really great spa. Disappointing arrival process, but more than forgotten with a change of villa.
Beach & Indian Ocean View overlooking The Restaurant Pool
My final thoughts on The Oberoi Mauritius
A great choice of both location, Mauritius, as a holiday destination for Christmas, as well as a great choice of the Oberoi. After what could have been a better arrival experience, we both thoroughly enjoyed our week’s stay. Weather was glorious, apart from one day (our last) where it was slightly overcast, with a (very) little rain at lunchtime. This didn’t impact our day, or our stay at all.
I’ve been noticing when posting pictures from The Oberoi on Instagram, that it keeps on telling me that posts look like they should be having a ‘Paid Partnership’ label attached. I would always be clear in any review or post, whether there has been any collaboration or it is a paid partnership. There was absolutely nothing involved in this trip, nor most trips, where it was just booked at full rates through Classic Travel and Virtuoso.
Have you stayed at The Oberoi Mauritius before or any Oberoi hotel elsewhere? I’d love to hear your own thoughts and opinions on it as well as your impression of Mauritius as a holiday destination.
Comment below to share your thoughts and opinions.
Let me know which hotel I should review next!
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