Discovering Mauritius: A Stay at Heritage Le Telfair & Heritage Awali
As I sit here on the last day of my Mauritius holiday, I can genuinely say this trip has completely changed how I see the
island.
Before coming here, like many people, I associated Mauritius with beautiful beaches, stunning resorts and picture-perfect scenery. Of course, it has all of those things, but after spending a week exploring the island, I’ve realised there is so much more to Mauritius than simply lying beside the pool or relaxing on the beach.
You'll find golf, incredible food, wine pairing experiences, boat trips, conservation, safaris, rum tasting, mountains, culture, and some truly spectacular scenery. It is a destination where you can be as active or as relaxed as you want, and that is probably what surprised me most.
This was my first time in Mauritius, and I came wanting to properly experience it properly so that when I recommend it to clients, I’m speaking from first-hand knowledge rather than simply from a brochure.
I flew from Dublin with Turkish Airlines in Business Class via Istanbul, and from the moment I arrived in Mauritius, the trip has been packed with experiences — fabulous food, golf, beautiful scenery, warm hospitality and some very special people.
Staying at Heritage Le Telfair
I stayed at Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Wellness Resort in Bel Ombre, and I was very lucky with the beautiful room I was given.
Le Telfair has a wonderfully elegant feel to it. The rooms feel more exclusive and refined, and there is a real sense of calm throughout the property.
What I particularly loved, however, is that when you stay at Le Telfair, you can also enjoy so much of the neighbouring Heritage Awali Golf & Spa Resort. The two resorts are connected and, in reality, it gives you the best of both worlds.
Le Telfair is the more sophisticated and exclusive of the two, while Awali has a livelier atmosphere and operates on a fully inclusive basis. We found ourselves eating and spending time there almost every day.
I think clients will absolutely love that flexibility. You can have the elegance and quieter feel of Le Telfair, but still walk across and enjoy the atmosphere, restaurants and facilities at Awali.
A real highlight: the food
The food has been a huge part of this trip. I feel as though I have eaten my way around Bel Ombre!
We enjoyed dinner at Le Château de Bel Ombre, which is such a truly special setting, as well as Gin’Ja, Annabella’s, and Le Palmier. We also had breakfast at both of the golf clubs, which is a lovely way to start the day before heading out onto the course.
But one of my absolute highlights of the entire week was dinner in the wine cellar at Heritage Awali.
It was intimate, atmospheric and completely different from a normal hotel dining experience. Sitting surrounded by bottles of wine, enjoying a specially prepared dinner and wine pairing, was one of those experiences that you remember long after a trip has finished.
The people behind the experience
The staff throughout both properties have also been exceptional.
What stands out to me is not just the service, but the genuine warmth of the people here. Nothing ever seemed like too much trouble.
It was fantastic to meet and spend time with some of the management team from the Heritage group. Meeting Jérôme Poché, Brand Ambassador for Heritage Resorts and Golf, and Jérôme Carlier, General Manager of Heritage Awali, and hearing more about the properties gives you a much better understanding of what they are trying to create for guests.
For me, this is one of the real benefits of travelling to a destination personally. You get the opportunity to meet the people behind the resorts and understand the experience they are trying to deliver, rather than simply reading about it.
Mauritius and golf
For me, another enormous part of Mauritius has been the golf.
I played both Le Château Golf Course and La Réserve Golf Links, and they are two very different experiences.
La Réserve, in particular, is spectacular, with incredible views towards the Indian Ocean and a dramatic landscape. It feels like far more than simply a round of golf.
Le Château is beautiful in a completely different way, surrounded by the natural landscape of the estate. For golfers travelling to Mauritius, I think this part of the island is very hard to beat.
And there was so much more beyond the golf courses. I also played tennis on the two tennis courts, played padel and Pickleball, and got to experience the beautiful gym. Unfortunately, I didn’t get time to experience the large spa that they have here, so I’ll just have to come back!
Experiencing more of Mauritius
Our itinerary included a 4×4 safari, conservation experiences, rum tasting, a visit to Chamarel and a sunset catamaran trip from Black River.
These experiences let us experience the landscape and culture of Mauritius, rather than simply staying by the pool.
That is probably what has surprised me most.
Mauritius is obviously famous for its beaches, but it offers so much more — golf, nature, fabulous restaurants, activities, mountains, history and a really impressive level of hospitality.
It feels like a destination where you can do as much or as little as you want, depending on the type of holiday you are looking for.
The Travel Suite in Mauritius
I also have to smile at how much The Travel Suite has travelled around Mauritius with me this week! My Travel Suite bottle has appeared at breakfast, on the golf course, around the hotels and even on our sunset catamaran — exactly where a luxury travel brand should be!
It has been a lovely reminder of why I love what we do at The Travel Suite.
Why first-hand experience matters
This is why I still believe so strongly in travelling and experiencing destinations myself. You notice the things that aren’t always written in the brochure — which restaurant you would choose for a special dinner, where the atmosphere is livelier, which golf course you prefer, how the rooms feel, how far everything is from each other, and most importantly, how the staff make you feel.
Those are the details that can make such a big difference when helping a client choose the right holiday.
And Mauritius has certainly made me feel very welcome.
Would I come back?
Without question.
I leave Heritage Le Telfair and Heritage Awali with a much better understanding of Mauritius and with huge confidence in recommending it to our clients at The Travel Suite.
A special thank you
A special thank you to Ben Batty, Director of Sales, who helped make the trip so enjoyable. Ben accompanied us on the entire trip and was also my golf buddy, which made the experience even more enjoyable.
Many thanks also go to Jérôme Poché, Jérôme Carlier, Caroline Tija, and all of the wonderful staff who have looked after us so incredibly well throughout our stay.
Mauritius, you have been very special.
Comments