By Tabitha Wakeman

For many people the tropical island of Mauritius off the east coast of Africa conjures up images of swaying palm trees, crystal-clear turquoise seas and couples walking hand-in-hand across pale golden beaches but in reality, it also offers a lot more to visitors.

Leaving behind the grey-leaden skies of England for a holiday in the sun, I was dubious yet curious to find out whether a single woman would feel like a pariah in a destination so popular with couples.

But it turned out I didn’t as there were many women holidaying together as well as families with young children.

I had chosen to fly with Air Mauritius and stay in two hotels owned by Mauritian company Naide Resorts.

The national airline has direct flights from Heathrow and it is comparatively cheaper than other operators.

Naide's 4-star Tamassa Hotel

First stay was a week at Naide’s 4-star Tamassa on the undeveloped south-west of the island. This is a great rural location if you just want to fly and flop, but for those wishing to splash the cash it might be deemed a bit too remote as there is nothing but small villages nearby.

The hotel, the latest addition to the firm’s growing portfolio, is an affordable but stylish and contemporary resort set in lush, landscaped gardens, and after a 12-hour flight, I was welcomed by smiling staff who handed me a refreshing fruit cocktail and ice-cold towel prior to checking me in.

Pulling up the window blinds on the first morning, my eyes were drawn from the terrace and the green lawn stretching before me to the palm trees and the polished abalone shell-coloured lagoon less than one hundred feet away.

The sea was so stunning, it looked like it had been photo-shopped, and since the majority of the island is surrounded by reefs there was a constant sound in the distance of waves crashing over the coral.

With the resort’s verdant backdrop of sugarcane fields spanning the hillside to the mountains beyond, the location was the perfect setting for a relaxing break.

The hotel’s 214 rooms all face the sea and are housed in sets of villas arranged in three arcs, two around large infinity swimming pools and the third on the seafront.

There are two more swimming pools – one overlooked by one of the hotel’s two restaurants and bars where evening entertainment took place and the other in the hotel’s Senses spa which also contains a sauna, steam room, whirlpool and 16 beauty therapy rooms.

Fun on the beach in Mauritius

Try a Mauritian massage – a vigorous treatment where bamboo sticks are used in addition to the forearms to the beat of Sega, the traditional music of Mauritius.

The resort, and its friendly staff, is so tuned to the needs and desires of its guests that prying yourself away from its sanctuary to explore the island, especially after having dined each night on the hotel’s delicious array of globally-inspired cuisine, is hard, but I am glad I did.

I was surprised and impressed at just how much the island had to offer visitors and thankful that the coastal breeze prevented the heat from zapping our energy.

For nature-lovers and green-fingered enthusiasts, a trip to the botanical Pamplemousses Gardens – home to talipot palms, which flower just once every 60 years before dying, and giant water lilies – is well worth a visit.

There are also waterfalls, innumerable gorges, animal and bird parks to visit as well as trips to Chamarel where years of weathering has transformed the soil into an unusual strata of seven colours.

Both hotels on my trip included complimentary water-skiing, kayaking, pedal boats and glass-bottomed boat trips.

Golfers are spoilt for choice too as Mauritius has a number of challenging courses. A visit to the capital of Port Louis is also a must to experience a real slice of Mauritius.

Although English is the official language, French and Creole are commonly used and of course most locals who deal with tourists speak a host of
European languages as was much in evidence when I entered the bustling market in the centre of the city.

Despite being a market for locals, with mounds of succulent fruits and misshapen vegetables spilling out of crates stacked high on tabletops, it is also a haven for tourists looking for a gift.

If anyone holidaying in Mauritius had yet to realise the link between the island and the tragic history of the flightless dodo which was hunted to extinction within 200 years of Europeans landing, the evidence is in the trinkets and other souvenirs on sale.

Armed with a few essential purchases from the market, including a bag decorated with a polished coconut shell in the shape of a dodo, I headed over to the east coast for a six-night stay at the Naide resort’s 5-star flagship hotel, Beau Rivage.

As we drove past scarlet flame trees bursting with colour, rusty corrugated iron shacks, palatial French-Mauritian homes and roadside Hindu shrines, my taxi driver, Mohammed explained the chequered past of his country. The nation’s rich but diverse history is reflected in its inhabitants, for Mauritius is a real melting pot of cultures. Chinese and Muslim traders were attracted to the island and when slavery was abolished the newly-freed African slaves refused to work in the plantations so indentured labourers were brought in from India.

Beau Rivage Hotel

It was a fascinating history lesson and all too soon we arrived at the Beau Rivage.

With its mix of colonial elegance, thatched roofs and exotic eastern-inspired architecture, the hotel is an oasis of luxurious tranquility. Large, airy suites combine mahogany furniture and plantation shutters with sofas and bedding in rich opulent shades of russet and gold with either spacious balconies or terraces looking out onto beautifully manicured lawns bordering the ocean or the pool.

The hotel’s four restaurants offer an eclectic mix of cuisine to suit all palates and pockets but for people on half-board, the alcohol – and even the bottled water – at meal times put a severe dent in holiday funds.

Friendly and discreet but attentive service from staff on the beach, by the pool and in the gardens was exemplary.

Each afternoon the gardens were fumigated to keep insects at bay so we were never bothered with bugs, which was appreciated since one of our evening pleasures was reclining on a sun bed and marvelling at the clear skies and the brilliance of the stars.

Most of the island is protected by reefs which make it safe for swimming and snorkelling. However, a trip in a glass-bottomed boat was a harsh reminder that the beauty of the sea above the surface bears little resemblance to what lies beneath.

With more countries realising how lucrative eco-tourism can be, maybe more will be done by the Mauritian government to help capitalise on the tourists who flock here from all corners of the globe?

After all, an island where diverse religions can live side by side in harmony has already set a great example.

Fact Box

• Tabitha Wakeman travelled with Air Mauritius where return flights cost from £335 plus taxes. For details, contact Air Mauritius Reservation on 0207 434 4375 or at www.airmauritius.com.
• A seven-night all inclusive stay in a standard room at Tamassa between May and September (excluding June 30 to July 18) with return Air Mauritius flights, airport taxes and private transfers cost from £1,215 p/p – includes a 10 per cent discount and two free nights (saving £575 per couple).
• A seven-night half-board stay in a junior suite at Beau Rivage between May and September (excluding June 30 to July 18) with return Air Mauritius flights, airport taxes and private transfers costs from £1,259 p/p – includes a 10 per cent discount and two free nights. Contact LuxuryHolidaysDirect.com – or call 020 8774 7299.