Veranda Grand Baie Hotel and Spa

As someone who has visited Mauritius since being a small child I can genuinely highly recommend Veranda Granda Baie hotel which is in an excellent location at Grand Baie, the nearest to a resort on the island of Mauritius where you will find shops and many good restaurants and good connections to the rest of the island. This hotel has been recently refurbished in a tasteful creole/Mauritan style. We were in a standard apartment which is very comfortable. If you would like a smaller, more intimate boutique hotel where staff genuinely welcome you and make you at home and you feel you are in Mauritius rather than some bland, multinational hotel this is the place to come. It is also reasonably priced compared to many on the island. Food is good. If you have Mobility issues or use a wheelchair then a ground floor apartment are especially accommodating. Everything is on the level apart from the step down to the beach. The staff are amazing especially Ajay coconut who deserved a medal and is a major asset to this hotel. The entertainment is really beautiful too . A singer last night sang Louie Armstrong songs and it was as if Louis was resurrected. Anyone travelling on their own would feel safe and at ease….. It should be noted there are too of the most beautiful public beaches nearby - La Cuvette and Pereybere although the hotel also has its own beach which is lovely.

A lovely boutique hotel not over crowded which is why we chose here. We stayed 10 nights on half board so we could sample local cuisine outside of hotel but if we were to choose again I would just do bed and breakfast as most local restaurants only open evenings so we ended up going out for dinner instead. Staff are pleasant but 1 particular waiter was outstanding Ajay. Who was very friendly attentive and cheerful all the time, always knew when we needed drinks by the pool. Few negatives I’d like to point out: we ordered drinks at dinner that seemed to be watered down, first I’d put it down to ice melting and watered coke down but my husband also said beer was same and we have been drinking the local beer elsewhere for comparison. I’ve heard this happening with all inclusive in some hotels but certainly didn’t expect anything like that here especially when we pay for our drinks not being inclusive. Also I’d ordered a tequila sunrise what arrived was tequila and watered down juice no sign or the sunrise ie no grenadine. So I queried the waiter who said they must have run out of red syrup? But then he proceeded to bring the next table what looks like a proper tequila sunrise. Annoyed I asked the waiter how come you have tequila sunrise for next table he said oh no they’re mocktails sweet sunrise. So mocktails takes precedence over proper cocktails that costs more? When I asked the waiter if he could change it now that they do have grenadine to which he replied “well they’ve made it now” By this point I was getting angry and demanded he at least add some grenadine to my drink, reluctantly he took my drink and said I’ll make you another 1. Our room which was close to pool was great but unfortunately after dinner the music blaring from pool/beach till nearly midnight most nights was not great if you’d like to get an early night sleep.

A truly beautiful hotel with wonderful friendly staff, especially Ajay in the restaurant/bar, he was hard working, attentive and nothing was too much trouble. We did, however, have a few issues on arrival, room not ready, previous occupants drinks still in fridge, and a few necessary items missing like hairdryer, cutlery, iron. Despite highlighting this it took the holiday reps involvement to totally sort. Food was good the one night we ate there but if you are looking for a cocktail pic for social media you will be sadly disappointed, as when they finally arrived they looked and tasted like a ‘fruit shoot’ in a plastic glass, unacceptable for all inclusive and especially so for us who we’re paying almost £10 for each. We sent them back. The hotel was newly refurbished and mainly beautiful but there were a few area, especially around our block, that were obviously unfinished. Overall we had a wonderful holiday in a beautiful setting with lovely people.