Travel: Mauritius

Four hundred years ago the ill-fated birds were happily evolving on their as yet unnamed idyllic island home of Mauritius, not a whiff of bother, then bam! In less than a century, thanks to their trusting nature and stumpy wings, they were herded out of existence. The jury is still out with regards to what happened to the birds. Seventeenth-century records show that the dodo was one of the least tasty things on the island, so historians now think it is more likely they were wiped out by pigs rather than humans.

Today, the dodo may be off the menu, but there is plenty to scoff on Mauritius thanks to a wealth of culinary riches brought to the table by the diversity of cultures on the island. Situated in the south-west Indian Ocean, 900km east of Madagascar, the population of Mauritius is mainly Indian, with many inhabitants of African, European and Chinese descent, which of course makes for a wealth of delicious influences. Whether it's the top-notch fare elegantly prepared at the top hotels or the street food sold from glass cabinets perched on motorcycle handlebars by vendors in the markets, this is surely the epitome of "fusion cuisine".

Our hotel, Les Pavillons, on the south-western tip of the island, nestling at the base of the 56-metre Le Morne Brabant mountain, a Unesco World Heritage Site, provides the perfect introduction to the beauty and hospitality of Mauritius. If indulgence and relaxation are what you're after, Les Pavillons can't be bettered. Reclining on a sun lounger under gently undulating palms, you are never further than ten paces from an icy beverage or canap as hotel staff are discreetly on hand to furnish you with refreshment. My room is just 20 paces from the beach and has its very own outdoor double bed on which to lie gazing at the Milky Way when the sun abruptly sets which, it turns out, is the most relaxing and bliss-inducing way to prepare for a good night's rest.

Maybe it's the five-course dinner we enjoy at Nipa, the hotel's Thai restaurant, which sends me off to a 5-star sleep. From our beachside table we sample the hotel's finest: a starter of scallop and green papaya steamed in banana leaves, followed by melt-in-the-mouth duck liver in satay sauce, dorado in crushed peppers with winter vegetables and coconut milk consomm, and roasted duck breast with daikon in a pineapple and red curry sauce. Dessert is a surprising and refreshing chilled honeydew sago soup with red berries and lemongrass foam.

The following day we travel to the east coast of the island and the Beau Rivage hotel. The journey offers a glimpse of what makes the island tick economically - acres and acres of sugar cane planting, peppered here and there with small towns lush with tropical greenery, and colourful Hindu temples in varying states of completion. The Dutch introduced sugar cane to the island at the beginning of the 18th century, deforesting much of the terrain to do so. After the French took control in 1715 they developed a thriving sugar rum industry, building a port from which to launch their valuable export.

The French and British also brought tea to the island and today Mauritians are still fond of a cuppa; after all, what good would paradise be if you couldn't get a decent cup of tea? There are now six estates cultivating tea. The main manufacturer, Bois Cheri, is the local favourite and die-hard tea jennies can take a tour of the plantation starting at the Domaine des Aubineaux, the original plantation owners' colonial home, now a museum, surrounded by lush, tropical gardens including camphor trees, planted to keep the mosquitos at bay. The tour takes in a visit to a tea factory where visitors can watch the entire process from picking, to shredding, drying and sorting the leaves, and culminates in a tea-tasting session overlooking Bois Cheri Lake, the volcanic crater where the tea is grown.

Close to the plantation is Grand Bassin, which in 1998 was declared a sacred Hindu site. Local Hindus make a yearly pilgrimage to Grand Bassin to honour the Indian god Shiva, and an impressive 108ft statue of the deity by the side of the road is guaranteed to make your jaw drop, whatever your spiritual inclination.

Back at the hotel, we're in for yet another foodie treat. The Beau Rivage offers guests the opportunity to try their hand at cooking up some Creole fare under the tutelage of their chefs. Of course fish features highly in the island's cuisine, both salted and fresh. We prepare an intensely flavoured "salted fish rougaille", using local favourite snoek, and a fresh-tasting fish vindaille, along with crunchy pickled vegetables and sauted pumpkin. We roll up the ingredients inside flaky chapatis, and enjoy them on the restaurant's shady veranda overlooking the sea.

Whereas the south-west of the island offers perfect tranquillity, the east coast hotel's private beach is more geared to action, albeit of a very laid-back kind. While younger clientele may opt for a game of volleyball, more mature guests can be seen enjoying a game of petanque. Speedboats buzz back and forth, towing water-skiers or snorkellers in a hurry to check out the coral reefs, and glass-bottomed crafts offer those who don't like to get their heads wet a glimpse of ocean life. One of the guides takes me out to a prime spot and waits while I snorkel for an hour, immersing myself in the alien-looking underwater landscape, catching glimpses of poisonous scorpion fish and terrifying-looking water snakes, among all the friendlier sea creatures. It's the highlight of my trip.

That afternoon, I peel myself away from the beach to sample something the Beau Rivage does exceptionally well - a pampering treatment at the hotel spa. My therapist bathes my feet in a bowl of scented water and flower petals, before oiling me up and rubbing me down until I doze on the massage table. The effect is slightly undone when the masseur asks me somewhat out of the blue if I like Prison Break.

"Um, not particularly. Why?"

He nods at my tattoos, smiling. I think he thinks I got them in jail.

As well as a top-notch spa the hotel also has a resident tai chi master. In the early evening I take the opportunity to join a class on the beach as the sun sets and the stars appear. Listening to the roar of the ocean and our teacher's gentle instruction is the perfect way to round up a trip filled with so much indulgence and I know some of that serenity will come in handy on the long flight back home.

THE FACTS

Flights with Air Mauritius start at 758 (www.airmauritius.com). Seven nights at Les Pavillons on a half-board basis costs from 1,915pp. Seven nights at Beau Rivage on a half- board basis costs from 1,985pp, (www.naiade.com)

This article was first published in The Scotsman, Saturday August 14, 2010