We stayed in the Emeraude Attitude hotel from the 16th to the 30th august and what a wonderful time we had. As soon as we arrived we were met by a friendly and welcoming reception team, they brought with them a cocktail and face towels which were generously received after such a long journey (epic flight!!!) We had the package we had chosen explained to us, which was the full a la carte all inclusive, and were then taken to our room, room 209 overlooking the pool. Coco and the maintenance man (never found out his name!) then helped us to our room with our bags and left us to it.
First impressions of the room were small, but lovely, cosy and clean. All the amenities were there, fridge freezer with minibar which was replenished daily, lovely powerful shower which we could’ve spent hours in, and a nice big bed which was very comfortable. The pillows for me were not quite what I am used to, however the other half thoroughly enjoyed them! After settling in and unpacking we went for a late lunch which the staff had kept on for us despite arriving mid afternoon, this was lovely and again welcoming after a long trip.
The theme of the staff going out of their way to be helpful and welcoming continued throughout the holiday and the staff within the restaurant were truly exceptional. Cant name and remember everyone unfortunately, but a special thanks to Ravi, Jimmy, Surita, Mike, Gary the chef and all the other staff I’ve forgotten! On the second day my girlfriend didn’t really enjoy anything that the buffet had to offer, Ravi noticed this and came to the table to ask if everything was ok and asked if she’d like something cooked especially. This has never happened anywhere we’d been before and is truly one of the benefits of a small and friendly hotel. Every mealtime after this she was offered a meal cooked especially for her if she didn’t like the choices at the buffet which was happily explained before tucking in at lunch and dinner. I am quite an adventurous eater and tucked in happily to the buffet which was varied and delicious every day, the fish vindaloo being a personal highlight!! On occasion we also sampled the table d’hôte menu which was like an ala carte meal and this once again was delicious.
The food was not the only highlight of the hotel, just a 10 second stroll out of the hotel across the easily crossed road was one of the most beautiful beaches we have seen. Stunning turquoise blue waters rolled onto the beautiful white beach, always looking good for a photograph! Laying on the beach in the Mauritian winter was different to what we expected as the winds were extremely strong on most days, but there are curved sunbeds which we used as windbreaks when possible and this made the temperature more than pleasant. The sea wasn’t just nice to look at and was very pleasant to swim in, although don’t go too far as you may get a telling off!
Back in the hotel the pool itself, of which our room had a lovely view, was very nice for a dip to cool off after baking when the sun was out (about 50/50 for our two weeks) Not heated, but there was no need, and to sound like a typical Brit “it’s alright once you’re in!” Another highlight of laying by the pool was the waiter service provided by the bar. Probably around every hour the barman would come around and ask if you’d like a drink, this again was a novelty to us and made us feel like rockstars for the entire visit! It would’ve been a bit nicer though if Samy had matched Jimmy and Alvin’s customer service, yes he brought drinks regularly, but if I’m honest for the first week it was with a forced smile if at all and as soon as we’d checked out he was plain rude. This didn’t taint the holiday or the experience of the other bar staff as Alvin who worked on an evening and Jimmy during the day were smiling happy souls who went out of their way to keep you refreshed and in Alvin’s case plain drunk!!
Other pleasures of laying by the pool were the almost daily free sample massages. It was definitely worth hearing the spa staff explain the massage menu to receive five minutes of relaxation! Later in the holiday we went for a couples massage, both of us thoroughly enjoyed the experience and rub down, however the male masseuse is a bit too adventurous with his hands which lead to my girlfriend feeling uncomfortable and me feeling seen off that the lady wasn’t adventurous enough!! I would say to anyone wanting an individual massage be wary of the young lad in there, as a woman you could be made to feel uncomfortable.
The hotel provided two free trips within the a la carte option, a boat trip to the lovely island of Ile aux Cerf which provided great photo opportunities and is definitely worth a visit. We also took the glass bottom boat trip from the beach which was good as you could see all the fish that you couldn’t otherwise see. On another day we visited Casella Nature Park. This was arranged through our tour operator and it turned out that the trip itself was fairly priced but the transfer could’ve been arranged with the taxis outside the hotel for around half the cost. This didn’t affect our enjoyment of the trip and everything we experienced there from the ‘Walking with Lions’ (amazing!!) to the interaction with lion cubs, to the safari in which you see and feed zebras, ostriches and other wild animals is just fantastic, definitely worth a visit.
On an evening after dinner one day in two or three there would be entertainment on. This usually consisted of local dancers or singers and was enjoyable. On the evenings when there was nothing on though the nights could’ve dragged without Alvin’s alcoholic beverages! This is the one small gripe we could have had with this hotel and I don’t want to end on a low so I won’t and will say to anyone thinking of booking here, do not hesitate, you are treated with such respect and small things like tips not being expected made us feel like their service and kindness was completely sincere.
Thank you to all the staff for a wonderful stay!!
Almost forgot to thank our maid for the lovely towel animals, great work Aneera, cheers!!