The Residence

Rooms

The 163 rooms and suites are spacious, luxurious and stylish, and each has private butler service.

Set in three-story buildings, the rooms are furnished in cool, calming tones and have a large balcony or terrace, shuttered windows, air conditioning, television, DVD player and minibar.

Please note the Colonial Ocean Front Suites have balustrades on the balconies, which are below the EU regulation height. If you are concerned about this please ask your Audley specialist to secure you a ground floor room.

Location

The Residence sits on the east coast on a lovely, white sand beach, a long stretch of soft sand that extends over 1.6 km (1 mile).

In general this area is less developed than the busier north of the island and the location feels relatively secluded with just a scattering of other resorts, and a few local shops and restaurants within a short drive. Central Flacq, a small market town with a few shops and a weekend market, is just 15 minutes' drive away.

Food and drink

The Residence rightly prides itself on its cuisine and guests have a choice of three restaurants.

The Dining Room restaurant, overlooking the pool, is open for breakfast and dinner serving buffet meals and set menus that offer a choice of Mauritian or Western dishes.

The Verandah serves lunches around the pool and is the perfect place for a light snack, salad, sandwich or pizza.

Finally, The Plantation, a planter's house by the beach, has an à la carte menu offering a wide range of seafood and a selection of dishes cooked with local herbs and spices. The food here is particularly good and it's popular with both locals as well as hotel residents. The Plantation isn't included in the half board or all inclusive meal plans, however guests who wish to dine here will receive a credit toward the cost of their meal.

In addition to the restaurants there is a spacious bar, whose walls are hung with a fine collection of engravings of scenes from Mauritius's history. This is a great place to enjoy a late breakfast, cup of tea or cocktail in the evening with the live music that is provided until 11.30pm.

The hotel's dress code for dinner is smart-casual; closed shoes are required for men and sleeveless shirts, T-shirts, shorts, sandals and flip-flops are not allowed.

Families

The Residence is a great choice for families with plenty of facilities and activities.

The Planters Kids' Club is set inside a spacious building inspired by a sugar-cane plantation house with a playground and surrounding gardens. Children from 3 to 12 years can enjoy a range of activities, including treasure hunts, snorkeling lessons, sports competitions, body painting, hikes and picnics, glass-bottom boat tours, theme days, pony rides and more.

The kids’ club also offers evening entertainment such as fashion shows, plays and films. For an extra charge children can eat in the kids' club which offers a wide assortment of dishes and even has pizza making in the small baking ovens.

A day nursery as well as babysitting service is also available for a local charge.

Families will always be accommodated on ground-floor rooms, as some of the upper level rooms do not have balconies suitable for children.

Facilities and activities

There is a large swimming pool with Jacuzzi as well as a smaller children's pool and a wide range of activities available at the resort.

On land there are three floodlit tennis courts, volleyball, a gym, aerobics lessons, steam room and sauna as well as a golf course nearby.

On the water there is a wide range of complimentary water sports, including waterskiing, windsurfing, sailing, stand-up paddleboards and kayaks. Complimentary snorkeling is also available at the coral reef just a few minutes by boat from the beach.

The Residence has a beautiful spa, The Sanctuary, located in the tropical gardens overlooking the lagoon with ten treatment rooms offering a range of pampering treatments.

There is a dive facility located at the yacht club on the hotel grounds. Dive packages can also be booked for three, five or ten dives and night dives are also possible. PADI courses are done at the dive center at the Belle Mare Plage hotel, 15 minutes away.

Local excursions

A few miles away in Poste de Flacq, the pretty Hindu temple of Shir Sagar Mandir is well worth a visit. The resort will be happy to help you arrange a day trip to Île aux Cerfs where you can find some of the best snorkeling in the area or head inland to discover the island’s natural beauty in Black River Gorges National Park.

The hotel can also arrange fishing and catamaran cruises.