Constance Prince Maurice

Dinner at Constance Prince Maurice, near Poste de Flacq on the east coast of Mauritius, can be eaten on a timber platform floating in a sheltered inlet, with fish moving in the water below the deck. The hotel opened in 1998 on a private estate bounded by the sea, a long beach and a mangrove-lined lagoon, and it was planned from the start as a quieter, smaller house than the resorts along the coast.

History

The hotel takes its name from Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange, in whose honour Dutch sailors named the island Mauritius when they landed in 1598. It was built by the Mauritian group Constance Hotels, which already ran the larger Belle Mare Plage a little way down the coast, and it was conceived as a house of suites only. It has been refurbished several times since opening, keeping the original layout.

Architecture and design

Low buildings of stone, timber and thatch spread across the estate, with the main pavilion open to the sea breeze and looking straight out over the lagoon. The design is plain and warm: polished wood, natural fabrics, open terraces and very little decoration. The inlet beside the hotel is a barachois, the Mauritian name for an enclosed coastal lagoon traditionally used to raise fish, and it is kept as a protected area within the grounds, fringed by mangroves.

Rooms and suites

Every unit is a suite. Some stand on stilts over the lagoon, others open onto the beach or the gardens, and the largest have private pools. Each has a terrace, and many look directly onto the water.

Dining

Le Barachois is the hotel's best-known room: a restaurant of floating pontoons moored in the inlet and reached by a wooden walkway, serving seafood and grilled fish. Archipel, the main restaurant, sits above the pool with a view out to sea. The wine cellar is large by island standards and is used for tastings and private dinners.

Wellness

The spa occupies a quiet corner of the grounds, with treatment rooms and a fitness centre. Guests can also play the two championship golf courses, the Legend and the Links, at Constance Belle Mare Plage nearby, and the lagoon suits kayaking, snorkelling and sailing.

Weddings and events

The hotel hosts weddings on the beach, in the gardens and on the lagoon, as well as private dinners for small groups. Meetings are possible, but the scale suits retreats and incentive groups rather than conferences.

Location

Poste de Flacq lies on the east coast, near Belle Mare, a quieter part of Mauritius than the north, with long beaches and an outer reef that keeps the lagoon calm. In the southern winter the east coast catches the trade winds, which keep it cooler than the west, while the summer months bring warmer water and the chance of cyclones between January and March.

Île aux Cerfs, reached by boat from Trou d'Eau Douce to the south, is the usual day trip, and the Bras d'Eau National Park, a protected coastal forest, lies a little to the north. Centre de Flacq, the market town inland, holds one of the busiest open-air markets on the island. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport is about 45 minutes away by car. Mahébourg and the south-east coast are within reach for a day, as are the tea plantations and crater lakes of the central plateau. As a luxury resort on Mauritius, Prince Maurice is built for privacy rather than for activity.