On a crescent of sand overlooking a blue lagoon on Mauritius’ north coast, Lux Grand Baie is the newest luxury resort on the island. Its photoshoot-worthy pool bar on the roof (with swing), snazzily striped beach club and elegant pan-Asian restaurant and sake bar riff on glamour.

The hotel belts out assured sophistication with Kelly Hoppen-dressed suites, residences and duplex villas – the latter with private pools and butler service. Throw in rooftop fitness training and Olympic-grade running tracks, cycling and wellness studios and a three-storey spa, plus a kids and teens club, and there’s something to keep everyone happy.

Pools

Pools at Lux Grand Baie are a pick ’n’ mix of altitude and inclination, from rooftop Bisou, a child-free zone where you can graze at in-pool tables or sip cocktails on submerged loungers, to surfside dips at all-day restaurant Beach Rouge, via the lounger-lined, family-friendly main pool. The main pool at Lux Grand Baie is divided into two areas, with a shallow family-friendly pool, supervised by lifeguards during the day.

Spa

The three-storey Lux Me spa has a relaxation garden and outdoor pool, a hair salon and barbers, and eight treatment rooms including two double suites. A modest fitness studio is set aside for Pilates, yoga and private classes; there’s also a dedicated cycling studio. The lower ground floor is reserved entirely for hydrotherapy: it features a hammam, tepidarium, sauna and steam rooms; a water path of mists, jets and waterfalls is equal parts soothing and surprising. An open-air fitness centre on the roof is open first thing and late afternoon for running on its Olympic-grade tracks or endurance training on its 12-station fitness frame.

Kids Club

With indoor and outdoor areas, ‘Play’ is the hotel’s club for three- to 11-year olds, open 9am–10pm. Activities from art to gardening, talent shows to storytelling, are split into three age groups. Studio 17 for teens offers free water sports including Hobi Cat sailing, stand-up paddleboarding, snorkelling and windsurfing; Scuba, kitesurfing and water skiing can be arranged at extra cost. Back at base, a chill-out zone is equipped with DJ decks, PS5s, vintage arcade games and a movie pod.

Restaurants

Rooftop restaurant Bisou has shaded tables in the pool, where you can graze on small plates of international tapas such as ceviche, salads, lobster rolls, kebabs and empanadas, accompanied by cocktails and panoramic sea views. Beach Rouge is an all-day restaurant beside the sea that has beach-club vibes and a similarly casual approach to dining with light bites, sandwiches, salads and seafood and an excellent rep for brunch.

Asian restaurant Ai Kisu is the spot for dim sum, noodles and dishes such as pepper-spiced snapper, teriyaki tuna, soft shell crab and braised pork belly. In the high-ceilinged lobby with squishy low sofas and stools at the bar, Maison Lux opens for breakfast at 7:30, serving coffee and pastries and stays open all day, switching barista for bartender in time for sundowners and canapés with sea views. When all you want is an ice-cream, head to Ici, for small-batch, handmade gelato and sorbet.

Food Lab is the hotel’s development kitchen, featuring an ingredients library, fermentation section and photography studio. Keen gastronomists should explore opportunities to dine at chef’s table, tasting dishes before they’re even on the menu.

Fitness/Water sports

Lux Grand Baie has all your fitness needs covered: running on the rooftop track, using its rooftop fitness station, joining a group cycle, yoga or Pilates class or a session at the gym can all be accommodated. Water sports such as windsurfing, pedal boat, kayak, aqua gym, mini sails, snorkelling, water skiing, stand-up paddle and hobby cat are all free of charge. Additional fees: speedboat ride, scuba–diving, big–game fishing, kite surfing (nearby), catamaran sailing, private water-skiing.

Outside the resort

If you fancy doing something off-site, it’s easy to arrange golf, catamaran cruises or deep-sea fishing (marlin season runs October to April) for tuna, wahoo, sailfish, bonito and shark. LUX Grand Baie can arrange an excursion to the Labourdonnais Estate, one of the few remaining sugar estates of that era. It was one of the most grandiose estates of its time, and boasts one of the largest fruit orchards on the island, and a Distillery. A stroll through the ruins of the old sugar factory and the orchards gives you a glimpse of the history of the estate and the island’s complex history.

Further afield, some of the highlights of the island include the dormant volcano ‘Trous aux Cerfs’ or the Black River Gorges, famous for waterfalls, vistas and hiking. An amazing natural sight in the south is the Seven Coloured Earths, a unique geological phenomenon with unusual rainbow coloured sands.

Adults would enjoy a visit to the Rhumerie de Chamarel to learn the secret of rum production and taste some locally produced rums from the distillery. Kids will love the Vanilla Crocodile Park which is a lush jungle park/zoo filled with monkeys, giant tortoises, bats and of course crocodiles.

The SSR Botanic Gardens is one of the world’s best botanic gardens after Kew, with the highlight being its giant water lilies and abundant birdlife and there are around a dozen Aldabra giant tortoises living there too.

For history and culture buffs, Eureka is a perfectly preserved Creole mansion built in the 1830s— today it’s a museum and veritable time machine providing incredible insight into the island’s vibrant plantation past.

One fun family activity to try is the Blue Safari Submarine (departing from Trous aux Biches in the north of the island), a real submarine taking 5-10 guests 30 metres underwater. For even more up-close sea-life interactions, the same company also offers sub-scooters which are literally like little underwater vespas for scooting around underwater, with a lid containing an air-bubble so you can breathe normally.