Constance Prince Maurice

On the north-east coast of Mauritius, Constance Prince Maurice gives you a polished base for a diving holiday with rather more going on once the wetsuit is hung up. The resort sits between a sheltered lagoon, mangroves and a white-sand beach, with suites and villas designed around the water rather than a car park. English, French, German and Italian are spoken by the hotel team, so you can sort out the practical details without resorting to hand signals before breakfast.

The mood is discreet and grown-up, with plenty for couples who want a proper dinner, a good glass of wine and somewhere to disappear for an hour or two. Families are catered for as well, with the Coconut Tribe kids' club for children aged 4 to 11, but the setting is not built around noisy entertainment. Think tropical gardens, water views and service that leaves you to get on with your holiday.

Your address is Poste de Flacq, Mauritius, directly on the coast beside a tranquil lagoon. The beach is white sand, and the resort's position among mangroves gives the shoreline a more enclosed, natural character than a conventional open beachfront hotel. You can walk straight from the property to the sea; the main view is water, not traffic.

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport is 29 miles away, with roughly 1 hour 15 minutes by car to reach the resort. The surrounding area gives you a few alternatives when you fancy leaving the grounds: Bras d'Eau Public Beach is about 3.5 miles away by road, Lerique natural park is about 2.5 miles away, and Port Louis is within a drive of around an hour. Nearby public transport is not part of the picture, so a hotel transfer or hired car makes the day simpler.

The accommodation is built for space and recovery rather than simply somewhere to drop a bag. Air conditioning matters when you return warm, salty and slightly over-optimistic about how much energy remains in your legs. Your suite or villa also has a furnished terrace overlooking the water, a living area with satellite television, a minibar and free WiFi, with soundproof rooms helping to keep the night properly quiet.

For two, the Junior Suite BeachFront puts the shoreline closest to the room, while the Junior Suite on Stilts gives you the more unusual experience of being above the water. The larger villas add room to spread out and, in some categories, a private pool. Family accommodation is available too, including a Family Suite and a family beach villa, so you can travel with children without turning every evening into a logistical exercise.

The private bathrooms have double vanities, useful when two people are preparing for dinner at the same time and neither wishes to discuss whose turn it is. Daily housekeeping, room service around the clock and a terrace with outdoor furniture complete the practical side of the stay. It is a comfortable setup for a couple who wants the room to work as a place to rest, not merely a place to sleep.

Three restaurants give you a choice beyond the reliable post-dive sandwich. Archipel covers breakfast, lunch and dinner, with international, local and Mauritian cooking served with views towards the beach or infinity pool. Breakfast is a buffet. At dinner, the kitchen brings French and Mauritian influences together with fresh ingredients and local spices, while vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices are available across the resort's dining options.

Asian is open for lunch and dinner, with sushi, Japanese dishes and Chinese dim sum. Then there is Le Barachois, reached along a lantern-lit pontoon through the mangroves. This floating seafood restaurant sits over five decks beside a natural fish reserve, serving Indian Ocean flavours for dinner. It is the sort of place worth keeping for an evening when you are happy to trade dive-log talk for seafood and a view of the mountains.

You have four named drinking spots, including Laguna Bar beside the pool and beach, Lotus Lounge Bar for an aperitif or nightcap with piano and jazz performances, and the Floating Bar for sunset drinks over the water. The Wine Cellar holds more than 25,000 bottles from the Old and New Worlds. Smart casual dress applies in the evening, and the restaurant rules are practical rather than mysterious: beachwear, sports shoes and several forms of casual beach clothing stay out of dinner.

The beach is the obvious place to let the day slow down, with sun loungers, umbrellas and beach towels available. If floating is preferable to walking, you can take out a kayak, paddleboard, Hobie Cat, Laser boat or pedal boat, or try windsurfing and sailing. Snorkelling, glass-bottom boat trips and other boat excursions give you ways to look beneath the surface without putting a cylinder on your back.

For firmer ground, there is tennis, cycling, archery, cooking classes and access to two nearby 18-hole golf courses through a free shuttle. The tour desk can arrange trail walks, cultural excursions, wildlife observation and scenic helicopter trips. Live music, evening entertainment and the piano and jazz programme at Lotus Lounge Bar keep the evening from ending with an accidental early bedtime.

Constance Spa is the serious recovery option. You can book massages, facials, body treatments, manicures, pedicures and signature rituals, with Sisley Phyto-Aromatic and Brice Nicham Collection treatments available. The facilities include a sauna, steam room, cold plunge pool, thermal pool and relaxation areas, with treatment rooms for couples and a beach spa kiosk. There is also a fitness centre open around the clock, plus yoga, fitness classes and personal coaching during the day.

Check-in starts from 14:00 and check-out runs until 12:00. You should tell the hotel your expected arrival time, particularly if you are using the airport transfer. Transfers can be arranged on request, including private options, which is the sensible way to handle the journey from Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport with dive luggage in tow.

The front desk operates around the clock and can help with concierge requests, tours, currency exchange, luggage storage and private check-in or check-out. Car hire is available, and free private parking is provided on site. WiFi is free throughout the hotel, while laundry, dry cleaning, a business centre and room service cover the jobs that tend to appear when you are meant to be relaxing.

Children of all ages are welcome. Cots and extra beds can be requested, subject to the accommodation selected, and babysitting is available. The Coconut Tribe includes its own pool, outdoor play areas, cooking activities, tennis, golf and archery introductions, along with themed programmes. At the other end of the practical scale, smart casual clothing is required after 18:00 in the restaurant and main bar, so keep one respectable outfit out of the dive bag.

The resort has been designed to sit within its surroundings, with the property set among tropical vegetation, a sheltered lagoon and mangroves rather than treating nature as scenery placed behind the reception desk. The beach and water remain part of the daily experience, from the walk to Le Barachois to the small boats leaving the shore.

That approach also appears in the food programme, where local ingredients, Mauritian flavours and wellness menus sit alongside international cooking. The hotel offers options adapted to vegan, Paleo, Keto and raw diets, as well as vegetarian and gluten-free choices. For you, the practical result is simple: the resort makes a point of keeping its landscape and its table connected.