Posts
After a short 2 night stop-over in Paris that mostly involved laundry and shopping for some warm weather clothes - I once again took off on another adventure, this time to the island of Mauritius.
Why Mauritius, you ask? Well for one, after the cold in Russia, I was craving some beach time. Secondly, there are lots of cheap charter flights to Mauritius, or Isle Maurice as the French call it, out of Paris. Lastly - I had recalled seeing on a family tree my aunt had put together, that some ancestors of mine had lived on Mauritius in the early 19th century for two generations. For this reason alone I was extremely curious to find out more about this tiny little island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
The 13 hour flight was not fun. It was a jam-packed charter without any in-flight entertainment and I was stuck beside a very sick mother-daughter duo. But arriving in the warm weather made it all worthwhile.
I grabbed a taxi on arrival and made my way to my hotel - Hotel Tamarina - on the western side of the island. I had booked a last minute stay online knowing very little about what I should expect. But who could resist a hotel that offered an all inclusive package that covered off food, drinks and spa! Yep...one free treatment per day. Heaven.
The hotel itself was incredible. On a stunning, quiet stretch of beach and the sight of the most beautiful sunsets each night. The staff were so lovely to me - especially when I became incredibly ill (no doubt thanks to the mother-daughter duo on the plane). I was brought food in my room when I was too sick to get out of bed, and was made fresh ginger lemon tea at the bar to soothe my persistent cough. They also helped me get to a pharmacy to get some much needed medicine.
Despite being extremely sick for pretty much my entire visit I tried to make the best of the situation. I took a day trip out to sea to swim and snorkel with the local dolphins. Literally, we just jumped in the ocean with hundreds of dolphins. Afterwards, we had a beautiful picnic on an island where I got to practice my French skills with my fellow travelers.
I tried to spend some time at the pool in the day when I felt up to it, but I was truly too sick to enjoy the amazing cuisine and the spa treatments.
Some highlights of the trip: for starters the absolutely delicious Mauritian beer, Phoenix Fresh. Also, the very sweet Mauritian people who look Indian, speak French and are so welcoming. But my favourite part of the trip was an island tour I did on my final day. Before heading to the airport I booked a taxi driver for a 4 hour visit along the coast-line. Hearing about my family history, my driver took me to the oldest graveyard on the island where all the French settlers, who immigrated here when Mauritius was a stop on the Spice Route, were buried. While I have no idea of my family members journey and adventure in Mauritius, it was fun to wander amongst the ancient gravestones, smoothed away by years of sea salt and monsoons.
Mauritius was exotic, beautiful and friendly - but I was now headed to my last and final stop on my adventure - Cape Town, South Africa!
Why Mauritius, you ask? Well for one, after the cold in Russia, I was craving some beach time. Secondly, there are lots of cheap charter flights to Mauritius, or Isle Maurice as the French call it, out of Paris. Lastly - I had recalled seeing on a family tree my aunt had put together, that some ancestors of mine had lived on Mauritius in the early 19th century for two generations. For this reason alone I was extremely curious to find out more about this tiny little island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
The 13 hour flight was not fun. It was a jam-packed charter without any in-flight entertainment and I was stuck beside a very sick mother-daughter duo. But arriving in the warm weather made it all worthwhile.
I grabbed a taxi on arrival and made my way to my hotel - Hotel Tamarina - on the western side of the island. I had booked a last minute stay online knowing very little about what I should expect. But who could resist a hotel that offered an all inclusive package that covered off food, drinks and spa! Yep...one free treatment per day. Heaven.
The hotel itself was incredible. On a stunning, quiet stretch of beach and the sight of the most beautiful sunsets each night. The staff were so lovely to me - especially when I became incredibly ill (no doubt thanks to the mother-daughter duo on the plane). I was brought food in my room when I was too sick to get out of bed, and was made fresh ginger lemon tea at the bar to soothe my persistent cough. They also helped me get to a pharmacy to get some much needed medicine.
Despite being extremely sick for pretty much my entire visit I tried to make the best of the situation. I took a day trip out to sea to swim and snorkel with the local dolphins. Literally, we just jumped in the ocean with hundreds of dolphins. Afterwards, we had a beautiful picnic on an island where I got to practice my French skills with my fellow travelers.
I tried to spend some time at the pool in the day when I felt up to it, but I was truly too sick to enjoy the amazing cuisine and the spa treatments.
Some highlights of the trip: for starters the absolutely delicious Mauritian beer, Phoenix Fresh. Also, the very sweet Mauritian people who look Indian, speak French and are so welcoming. But my favourite part of the trip was an island tour I did on my final day. Before heading to the airport I booked a taxi driver for a 4 hour visit along the coast-line. Hearing about my family history, my driver took me to the oldest graveyard on the island where all the French settlers, who immigrated here when Mauritius was a stop on the Spice Route, were buried. While I have no idea of my family members journey and adventure in Mauritius, it was fun to wander amongst the ancient gravestones, smoothed away by years of sea salt and monsoons.
Mauritius was exotic, beautiful and friendly - but I was now headed to my last and final stop on my adventure - Cape Town, South Africa!
1 comments:
This is truly a great read for me. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work!. mauritius golf
Post a Comment