‘My Favourite Hotel’ review: LUX* Grand Gaube, Mauritius

Today, our ‘My Favourite Hotel’ review is the LUX* Grand Gaube resort in Mauritius.

We are currently running this reader-written feature to provide some positivity and inspiration to Head for Points.  You can find all of the ‘My Favourite Hotel’ reviews so far by clicking here.  This was scheduled to be a series of about 25 hotels, but a good response from readers means that we have commissioned another batch and are continuing the series.

Today’s hotel is the LUX* Grand Gaube, a mid-range resort in Mauritius.  It’s reader Alicia’s favourite hotel and here is her review:

The LUX Grand Gaube hotel is really something special. We were welcomed to the Lux with open arms from the second we arrived and thanks to the abundance of green space, tranquil spots to relax in and the wide selection of choice at the buffet, we left fully relaxed and already itching to book our next trip.

For those who have not visited Mauritius, I cannot recommend it highly enough – the friendly people, incredible pan-cultural food, beautiful scenery and variety of activities make for an excellent one or two week stay with a short time difference (and therefore no jet lag!).

Overview

The LUX Grand Gaube is part of a small chain of hotels mainly represented in Mauritius and the Maldives. The hotel is situated on the very northern tip of the island of Mauritius, just over an hour from the airport. For those who haven’t been, I would highly recommend hiring a car and getting out to explore what the island has to offer.

As a family we did a two week multi centre holiday (one week in a villa further south near Mon Choisy beach and one week at the Lux). We still didn’t manage to cover the island, though if you are someone who likes to stay at the resort, there is plenty to do there too: the hotel itself has six restaurants, two beaches, two pools (one of them is adults only) and lots of facilities!

Rooms

LUX was recently redesigned by Kelly Hoppen and offers chic yet informal rooms, facing out onto the beach and the beautiful Indian Ocean. Rooms and bathrooms are spacious and come complete with fluffy dressing gowns and roll top baths.  The entry level Standard rooms are advertised as 55 square metres – which was large enough so that we never felt cramped – but other options are available if you want more space.

Here are some official hotel photos, which are a fair representation:

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Facilities and activities

One of the great things about the LUX is it offers a lot of activities free of charge, including tennis, water sports, spa access and twice-a-day glass bottom boat snorkelling trips with a very knowledgeable captain. I had a 30-minute facial at the spa which was absolutely glorious.

They also offer a kids’ club and cinema evenings out on a beanbag at the beach with complimentary snacks. Each day there was a competition to win a prize by finding a glass bottle hidden around the hotel.

There were lots of small touches that made us really appreciate how much thought had gone into every aspect of the hotel.

If you want to explore Mauritius you can book tours that the hotel offers and the reception and concierge were always on hand to give helpful tips. We drove ourselves to the hills, botanical gardens and other parts of the island, and would highly recommend taking a boat out to the Ile aux Cerfs – the beach is just stunning.

Drinking and dining

I am not ashamed to admit that as a family we love a good hotel buffet so we were very content with all the amazing options on offer at the live cooking stations for breakfast and dinner.

We also went to some great Indian restaurants in Grand Baie, and spent a lot of time at Café LUX – yes, we are coffee fiends – and the ice cream stall (unlimited toppings!).

Conclusion

The LUX may not be the most ‘exclusive’ top-of-the-range hotel in Mauritius (of which there are many incredible options if you are willing to pay for it) but for quality, service and heart it is second to none.

It is currently pricing at around €300 to €350 per night for November and December 2020, which I think is excellent value for what you got, especially as many activities are included.

I would return time and time again for the friendliness of the staff, attention to detail and the little touches which make your trip special. It was a hard last day making our wish at the wishing tree and saying goodbye to the staff. We hope to return soon.

If you want to find out more, the hotel’s website is here.  It re-opens next week after a coronavirus-related closure.

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