Mauritius

  Le Morne, Mauritius
Thursday, October 11, 2007

DAY 15 - 8TH OCTOBER

We woke up as planned at 4am and some coffee and pastries arrived shortly after. This was our last real meal in ZA and we were going to miss the friendliest country we have ever visited. We checked out of the hotel and drove the unknown drive to Hertz.  We then anticipated a bus to the airport. However 6 mins later we were waiting outside the car return drop off gates, on time and organised, so we thought .... but they were locked. A guy was in there trying to get out but there was no help to be seen. We circled the returns centre, and Rach asked a bloke strolling by where else we could drop the car off. He said, sit by the gates and hoot, the security man often falls to sleep in the cars. Slightly relieved we did, but the only people that turned up were behind us in a queue. They seemed to find our actions strange and asked why we were hooting at the closed gates and not going in. Sharp. Anyhow, eventually the man woke, the car was returned and we were checking in (after a small walk and not bus to the departure building). We flew to Durban and connected to Mauritius with no drama. We arrived in Mautitius fully customs cleared and bags in hand at around 5.45pm. We then were driven to our next hotel by a pre arranged transfer. When we got there things seemed good, we were greeted by friendly staff, and offered cold scented towels to refresh with. The pool area and reception looked nice but then things went down hill. Very long story short, we asked that night to relocate to another hotel, but they said they couldn't do anything until we spoke to our rep in the am. We didn't even know we had one since we booked online. We ate and made a couple more calls before we went to bed, gutted with the thought of our final few days being here.

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DAY 16 - 9TH OCTOBER

We woke at 8am and started planning our escape. We reserved a junior suite at a hotel a little distance away (5 star and recommended by Rach's friend at C&W) and had our hotel cab us to the new destination, at no extra cost (again a loing story and a few tears later). The new hotel is nice enough and has a range of complimentary water sports but also importanly has restaurants where you are served from a menu by waiters, not the scramble for curry we experienced at Les Pavillions. Anyway it was nice to be out, and we ate well and went to bed, after being welcomed by a face towel and drinks and some refreshing pineapple.

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DAY 17 - 10TH OCTOBER

Finally we were able to start enjoying our final few days stay in Mauritius. The sun was out in full force, and we ate a good brekkie before settling down on two sun loungers. We swam in the sea and in the afternoon swam in the pool, there's not too much else to say really as we were just relaxing and reading etc, on our first real day of being in Mauritius. We ate at the Mediterranian restaurant on site tonight, carpaccio for me and veg tian for Rach, followed by fish me and pasta Rach. Ther service is very friendly and the setting on the beach romantic but there were a few surprises in that the tian and apple crumble were served cold!!!

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Day 18 - 11TH OCTOBER and a 31st Birthday.

Rach woke first about 8.20am and Pez wanted to sleep but the chimes of happy birthday were far too much for sleep and we opened my cards together. We were then greeted on our terrace by two members of room service with our breakfast order. We dined alfresco with the aid of local wildlife in the form of many birds, and then a cat, once the cat had gone, there were several birds again .... After an excellent brekkie we booked our in house restaurant for the night, and got 2 loungers on the cusp of the beach. Pez popped to the boat house to find out exactly what was included in the package. We get waterskiing and schnorkeling and a ton of other stuff we have no interest in. They said come back at 2.30pm to schnorkel but you can waterski now. Right on! Off I went remembering my last waterski attempt on the back of the Lonsdale boat at Chasewater, Brownhills aged 12. I therefore circled the question 'Experience?' as 'Poor'. I remembered before I couldn't get stood up and when I did I fell right over, breathing in tons of exhaust fumes and dirty lake water. This time however I was up and stayed up for about 10 seconds. Then I was up and eating water after about 15 seconds, then I was away, and getting very confident as I was trauled all over the beach front, even trying to give the wife a look from the shoreline, but thought better of waving. We then caught up on our sun tan/burn and at 2.30pm we both went schnorkeling in a glass bottomed boat. Rach to watch and take pictures of me swimming. The boat took us about 10 mins away to a deeper section of water where there was a lot of coral. I was given a mask and schnorkel (with many teethmarks in) and some flippers. After 5 mins the flippers were thrown back into the boat, and I was off. The mask was a bit crap too, but the coral was awesome. The fish were ok, not as varied or interesting as the stuff we saw as kids in France but the coral was outstanding. At 3.30pm we were home, time for a swim in the pool before having a couple of birthday beers, and an update of the blog, whish is where I am now. Looking forward to dinner in the seafood restaurant for my birthday and certain that it's been a memorable one. I have also purchased a mask and schnorkel for myself so I can get out there again tomorrow without someone else's teeth marks in the mouth piece. Oh yean and I'm off waterskiing again. Happy Days.

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DAY 19 - 12TH OCTOBER

Last night - a recap. So we ate in the seafood place last night. It was good, and I ate some of the biggest shrimps I have ever had, and the calamari was also v good. Rach had a tomato soup, and had arranged champagne, plus we were given sorbets etc and an appetiser that was not on the menu. Smoked white tuna. Nice. Any how we had a great dinner, and the first birthday I have ever had whilst on hols. Normally it's autumn. Now I know how dad must feel when he has his on his hols (every year). We had a superb night, they made me a cake , and put one of those amusingly annoying candles in that relights all the time. We retired home happy and knew Pez had had a great night. We woke at 8.30am and a few mins later our breakfast was being set up on our terrace. We ate and went to the beach. Pez booked in on another waterskiing and schnorkel jaunt and Rach soaked up the early summer (blazing) sun. I managed to stay up for most of the 10 mins waterskiing today, only one fall when I was outside the boat on one of it's turns, and it was a little more choppy today than yesterday. Still loved it. We ate the leftover pastries from brekkie, before we updated the blog and checked our return lift and lunch with the Westys was still all good. Pez then went schnorkeling whilst Rach absorbed more sun. Then we chatted, sunbathed and went to the bar for a swift half, then back to the room to change for dinner.

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DAY 20 - 13TH OCTOBER - Our Last day of Honeymoon.

It's quite a heavy feeling today, not really having a hotel room to stay in but still being at the hotel. We are still really keeping to the routine, brekkie on the terrace, waterski etc, but we know that at 6.30pm (midway through Englands first half) we will be in the cab to the airport to come home. It's a slightly sad day and neither of us really want to come home, even if we do feel it's time to move on from Mauritius. The honeymoon has been superb, and it seems a long time since we checked in at Cape Heritage almost 3 weeks ago, but we know that you have to go there and come back, otherwise you can't enjoy the there part. Once again it's been awesome. Highlights being Cape Town and Gorah, but all of it being fantastic.