LUX* Grand Gaube Resort & Villas

You are looking at a five-star resort made for a proper holiday rather than a bed between excursions. LUX* Grand Gaube sits on the north coast of Mauritius, with a retro-chic design by British interior designer Kelly Hoppen and rooms, suites and villas arranged around tropical greenery, two coves and the Indian Ocean. The English- and French-speaking hotel team means you will be understood easily from the first conversation at reception to the last request over dinner. The website also caters for German, Russian, Arabic and Chinese-speaking guests, although that refers to the languages of the site rather than the team on the ground.

This is a place where the non-diving half of a couple has plenty to do without being handed a plastic wristband and pointed towards a timetable. You can take the day slowly by the water, book time at LUX* ME Spa, choose between several restaurants, or simply retreat to a balcony with a cold drink and no particular plan. Families are welcome too, with the PLAY kids club, Studio 17 teens club, family suites and children’s menus across the restaurants.

The address is Grand Gaube, on a peninsula at the northern end of Mauritius. You have direct access to a white-sand beach, a calm lagoon and two coves, with loungers, parasols and a beach bar already on the seafront. Grand Gaube Beach is about 0.7 miles away, while Butte a l’Herbe Beach is roughly 1.7 miles by road or 1.1 miles on foot. The resort’s own beach is the practical choice when your legs have done enough for one day.

Grand Baie is around a 20-minute drive away, putting shops, restaurants and the busier northern resort scene within reach without making them part of your daily soundtrack. Matapan I natural park is about 3 miles away, and Château de Labourdonnais is around 7 miles away. The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport is about 42 miles from the resort, with the journey taking roughly 51 minutes by car.

The setting gives you a self-contained stay, but not an isolated one. A concierge can arrange local outings, island tours and helicopter flights, while car hire is available through the resort’s services.

The room choice matters here because the difference is not merely a larger sofa. A Superior Room or Junior Suite suits a couple or a small family who want a comfortable base with air conditioning, a furnished balcony, panoramic views in selected accommodation and free Wi-Fi. The large beds are extra-large doubles, which is useful when the day has involved early starts, salt, sun and the general business of carrying too much kit.

For a couple who want more of the sea in the room, the Ocean Junior Suite and Ocean Villa are the obvious step up. The Ocean Villa adds a private pool, private sunbeds, a dining area and butler service, with two bedrooms for a small group. At the top end, the LUX* Villa is a genuine private setup rather than a room with grander curtains: two bedrooms, its own peninsula, private beach, private pool, outdoor bath and shower, gazebo and dining area. It accommodates up to six adults.

Several rooms and villas include kitchenettes or private pools, depending on the accommodation chosen. Daily housekeeping, room service, soundproof rooms, balconies, tea and coffee-making facilities, bathrobes and hairdryers cover the less glamorous but useful parts of the night. Two Superior Rooms are wheelchair accessible, and cots can be requested for younger children; extra beds are not available.

This is not a resort where dinner means choosing between yesterday’s buffet and today’s buffet. The all-inclusive formula gives you a broad run of dining venues, beginning with The Palm Court for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and Café LUX* for coffee and breakfast. Breakfast is served as a buffet, while The Palm Court takes a street-market approach to international food, letting you move around different styles of cooking without leaving the building.

INTI is the distinctive booking decision: the island’s first Peruvian restaurant, serving dinner with ceviche and Peruvian-Argentinian influences. Beach Rouge puts Mediterranean food on the beach for lunch and dinner. Bodrum Blue works by the water with Turkish mezze, pide, grilled octopus, raki and baklava, while Creole Smokehouse serves smoky Creole cooking beneath a century-old banyan tree. For something less ceremonial, BB’s handles burgers from a small outdoor shack, and ICI Ice Cream Bar brings artisan ice cream into the equation. Vegetarians and vegans have options across the restaurants through the Keen on Green concept.

The drinks have their own itinerary. The G&T 100 Club focuses on gin and tonic, Bee Honest Bar on cocktails, The Palm Court Bar on drinks and live music, and Rum Treehouse on rum in a distinctly tropical setting. Restaurants apply smart-casual dress by day and an elegant dress code in the evening and at night, with shirts and trousers required for gentlemen.

Two swimming pools keep the afternoon simple: one is heated, while The Banyan pool is reserved for adults and comes with its own cove and restaurants. The beach adds the usual invitation to stop moving, with loungers, parasols and a calm lagoon in front of you. If you prefer a little propulsion, the Boathouse covers kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, water-skiing, wakeboarding, pedal boats, aqua gym and glass-bottom boat trips. Snorkelling is also available.

LUX* ME Spa is the place for the more deliberate recovery plan, offering massages, facials, skin treatments and sound bath therapy with singing bowls and breathing exercises. Villa guests can also arrange wellness services in their villa. The fitness side includes a gym, yoga, meditation, Tai Chi, core training, HIIT, Stretch & Release, jogging and outdoor training beneath the filaos trees. There is even a mindfulness maze for anyone who would like relaxation to involve a little navigation.

Away from the water, you can play tennis, padel, table tennis, bocce ball, baby-foot or golf at a course within 3 miles. Evening options include live music, stargazing at Beach Rouge and outdoor cinema screenings under the stars. Craft workshops, cinema sessions, boxing and boot camps add variety, while the concierge can arrange island tours.

Check-in starts at 14:00 and check-out is by 11:00. Early arrival and late departure can be arranged on request, subject to availability, which is worth discussing if your flights do not fit neatly around those times. The front desk operates around the clock, with concierge service, luggage storage, a tour desk, currency exchange and private or express check-in and check-out available.

Airport transfers can be arranged through the concierge, either by limousine service or local taxi. You can also use the resort’s airport shuttle service, with the arrangement made directly with the hotel. Free private parking is available on site, with valet parking also offered, and Wi-Fi is free throughout the resort. A minimarket, beauty shop, laundry and dry-cleaning services cover the practical irritations that tend to appear halfway through a longer island stay.

Children of all ages are welcome. Cots are available for children aged five and under, depending on the accommodation, and family rooms, a kids’ club, a teens’ club and children’s menus make the family arrangements more workable. Pets are not allowed, and payments are made by card rather than cash.

The resort’s Keen on Green concept places vegetarian and plant-based dishes on every restaurant’s menu, giving you a straightforward way to eat more lightly without turning dinner into a lecture. The wider approach includes sustainability initiatives, while the on-site Café LUX* works with ethically sourced green coffee beans and roasts them at the resort.

That is the useful version of the subject: choices you can see on the plate and in the cup. The setting still does the rest of the persuading, with tropical greenery, coves and a calm lagoon outside the door.