we spent 14 nights at the Taj in early December. Loved the villa, the plunge pool and the outdoor sitting area. All aspects of the accommodation were without fault. The communal pool was lovely and there were always available loungers either at the pool or on the beach.

The one element that spoiled our stay was the food and beverage side. The wine choice was expensive (although we appreciate that Mauritius is an expensive island generally) and it did feel as if we were paying through the nose.

We had a disastrous meal at Cilantro spoilt more by the way it was handled by the management than the incident. itself. We had both ordered the tuna main course which we found to be inedible. We sent it back and just ate the side dishes we had ordered. At no point did anybody come over to ask about the problem. A shame as our first course was really good.

After finishing our meal and not being approached by anybody we called into reception and reported the incident to the Duty Manager. He was very apologetic and offered to get a buggy to drop us back at our room. We didn't eat at Cilantro again although after a further few days we were then asked by various members of staff to re-hash the incident and ultimately a chef came to our table although it seemed he was keen to stress that it was down to our palate rather than the kitchen despite being told by another member of staff that the same dish had been returned by other diners in the past. He sent us a complimentary pudding thast evening as an apology but it all felt like too little too late.

Another gripe was breakfast. Every morning we were repeatedly asked by two if not three members of staff for our villa number and most mornings there would be some small but annoying problem with our order. We would have expected in a relatively small hotel and of this quality that the main greeter would have known this information at least after the first week. The staff were at all times very attentive and pleasant though but it did seem rather directionless.

The gym is very well equipped although the service was inconsistent. Some days I was given a bottle of water when I started and other times I wasn't. Not a huge problem but on my final visit there was no chilled water available from either the water dispenser in the cardio room or the weights room and I had to find someone to get a bottle of water . There was only one occasion when the gym was busy so ample opportunity to use all the high quality equipment available.

Other than faults above we had a lovely time and enjoyed our stay. We ate twice at the HIlton along the beach which was very good if you want a relatively close alternative.

We are returning guests in Taj Exotica Mauritius and this year has been our best experience ever.

First I suggest you book the airport-hotel helicopter transfer. Air Mauritius staff wait for you after the baggage claim and take you on a 15 minutes flight over the valleys, mountains and coasts of Mauritius. Taj has an helipad so it is very convenient and the experience is unforgettable (see my pictures). On the way back to the airport we took the hotel limousine transfer and we were very pleased about it : it was pouring rain but we were very comfortably seated in our leather seats and really felt secured.

About the Taj, we noticed a big change in the outlook.
The garden has changed a lot : the grass is greener and there are plants everywhere, thus improving the atmosphere of the resort. It is a real pleasure to walk by and admire the trees and flowers.
The beach & pool side now looks like a decoration magazine cover (see my pictures) and most of all the water is heated (like the spa pool and the presidential villas pools - although, at this time of year even if the pool is not heated, the water temperature is nice).

What to say about our villa : staying at Presidential villa is the ultimate experience ever ! The pool is huge and heated, directly facing the blue lagoon and the white sand, two bedroms with a separate dressing room, bathroom/toilet and indoor/outdoor showers, private kitchen withe fridge, oven, tea/coffee/icecube machines, and dedicated buttler, the decoration is classical, trendy and chic, plasma TV screen, BOSE music players (for inside and outside!), the overall atmosphere is easy, sweet and mellow, you really feel at home on holiday, taking time to relax and take car of yourself.

Every morning, after taking your shower in your private garden (water falling on you like a cascade), breakfast is served on your terrace in front of the beach. You can order from a vast list from healthy food to high standard international cuisine (oeufs benedicte or hollandaise), some days we even tried the indian breakfast ! Milkshakes, Vanilla ice tea, coconut milk, ...

There is a fully equipped gym divided into 2 areas (cardio training / fitnes) but we did not spend much time there ! We preferred the ayurvedic spa. In the mornning you can start by a yoga session for free. Upon your arrival you will be greated by the Indian ayurvedic doctor of Taj who will ask you questions about your way of life to determine the oil that suits you best. He will also explain the 4 ayurvedic treatments you can have. They have beautiful treatment rooms, some with private sauna, some for couples with a jacuzzi and private garden. The spa was awarded, no wonder we had such a wonderful time there.

For those who have children, there is a kids club and we saw private nannies from the hotel taking care of the children.

The other impotant thing about Taj is the people who work there, smiling with their heart, really caring about you, willing to make your stay an unforgettable experience. We were touched by their generosity, the little surprises they made for us along the stay. If you say you like mango, then you will have it in the morning, if it is chocolate eclair, then you will get it for tea time ! One day breakfast is set for you directly on the beach, one night a rose petal bath is awaiting you in the villa, flowers and towel decorations different every morning (see video). From reception to restaurant, everyone is eager to please, let the Indian Chef from Cilantro introduce you to fusion cuisine between Asia and Europe : subtle food made of little portions, not too spicy, many dish and flavours but you don't feel "heavy" when leaving the table and that's the most important thing ! Or why not try the in-villa lobster barbecue at night : very romantic.

Whatever your choice is, I know you will be delighted ... as I have never seen any better place on earth.

Please have a look at my video (above on this site). I tried to find a music that would perfectly match the atmosphere of the place, I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed ourselves there.

We enjoyed 14 days honeymoon at the Taj during October 2007 and have to say our stay was excellent. This holiday was booked through Kuoni.

Having a private transfer from the airport we were warmly welcomed and driven to our villa. The complex grounds looked immaculate with beautiful gardens but as previously commented the complex is only three years old and is yet to mature.

Our villa was large, clean and well appointed. We had a small problem with the lock on the mini bar but this was in main due to a worn out mechanism and soon sorted out by the hotel staff. The BOSE radio was a nice touch but unfortunately no radio stations could be received. Lack of aerial could be the issue but can’t be sure. There was an expresso cartridge coffee machine also provided in the villa but to be quiet frank a waste of time. Taj would be better off supplying kettle, mugs, instant coffee and tea bags but I guess this would have cost impacts on house keeping being more demanding and not in keeping with the star rating requirements.

Other facilities bed, bathroom, and toilets about what I would expect and we had no issues. The main bedroom was air-conditioned. This struggled a little to keep the room cool but it done its job satisfactorily. The plunge pool was just that. Very nice to have a plunge and splash about but that’s it. The TV is good but the programs are pretty poor. You’ll get BBC World and CNN but that’s about it. Take some DVD’s if you want to watch anything. The hotel has a DVD and music library but nothing extensive.

As a whole the complex was very quiet, almost deserted, but that suited us and gave a calm atmosphere. Walking around I found it most courteous that the drivers of battery operated hotel vehicles stopped to allow us to walk on even though there was sufficient room on the road to allow you to pass. Even in the evening they would stop and switch off the vehicles lights to allow us past. Little things make a big difference.

Villa housekeeping was excellent, prompt and discreet. The plunge pool was cleaned everyday and checked for cleanliness. My wife enjoyed the afternoon appetizer which usually consisted of a small cake and served at around 1500 hrs. Hark back to the old Empire days and high tea maybe? Once the sun had past over the foreyard my afternoon gin always requires fresh ice. The ice that is refreshed each morning had melted by this time but villa service was excellent and soon bought fresh supplies. Got to the stage where the receptionist anticipated my telephone call and fresh ice was already on its way.

We ate breakfast every morning at Coast to Coast and the food was very good and the service excellent. There were on two occasions when the service did suffer in terms of speed. I could not establish why this should be but did notice that the staff members seemed to have changed so maybe this could have been the cause. I would like to mention that the tables need a good ‘scrub down’ after service. They felt sticky and I wanted to wipe down with a clean cloth. With the number of sparrows that scavenge from the tables I consider this to be essential. The service staff does an excellent job in trying to keep the birds away but I consider this need be addressed. I could not help but notice a number of guests prior to being seated either brush with their hand debris from the cloth seat or in my case bird faeces from the seat back.

We also ate on several occasions in the restaurant Cilantro. Again the service was excellent and the food fantastic. A mention must be made to the Executive Chief Ashfer Biju. Discussing with him the sichuan crusted yellow fin tuna and dal makhni I had just eaten he volunteered to print me off the recipe. I was some what skeptical that he would share with me the recipe but to my delight and great thanks upon returning home found an e-mail with the recipes for which I’m very thankful. The service team at Cilantro were fantastic. A great credit to the Taj.

The ability to have in villa dining is also available and we chose this on three occasions. The villa menu is varied and similar to that at Coast to Coast. It takes about 30 minutes for your meal to be delivered and it is served by you own waiter at a laid table. Very nice if you don’t fancy moving from your villa.

The boathouse staff we found to be very helpful as were the poolside staff keeping us refreshed. A word must be said about the bathing area just off the beach in front of the complex. This bathing area is used by a number of boats be they rescue, fishing or pleasure craft. The craft pass very close to the shore line as they are unable to go further out to sea because of coral reefs. Most of the craft do travel at very low speeds through this bathing area but I did notice on a number of occasions speeding craft. Whilst they do appear to have lookouts on the bow of the boats I can’t help but think an accident is in the making especially when you have people snorkeling for example. We chose to bath in the infinity swimming pool and in the main had it to ourselves most of the time. Do take time for a trip in the glass bottom boat.

Outside the complex there is very little to do. Port Lois didn’t really grab our attention but then we wanted just a lazy beach holiday. The walk into Flic en Flac takes about 45 minutes but again very little to do. For those visiting from the UK and missing Marmite or PG Tips tea during their stay visit Flic en Flac as it has a Spa grocery store.

Our transfer from the hotel to the airport was at 0545 hrs. I’m pleased to say checking out was simple and correct. The transfer was on time and got us to the airport in good time.

So to finalise. Fantastic hotel and facilities. Superb team of service staff who deserve great credit. Food excellent and thanks to Ashfer Biju and his team. Highly recommended.

I stayed with my wife at this hotel in December 2006, but decided to comment right now after almost accidentally reading some bad reviews.
There are some disadvantages and I will mention them later but overall the hotel is incredible… I have stayed in some 5* around the world, so do have some information for comparison and Taj Exotica is definitely one of the best.
Villas are very nice and spacious. Private pool is great (not big enough to swim but great to chill out). And there is a great large bed besides the pool, so you can relax and enjoy the sun or evening breeze or whatever… Outdoor shower is great. Bathroom is excellent. The room – you could not wish for anything better.
Service is quite good. Frankly, I am not too demanding, but as soon as we appeared on the beach (or near the pool) somebody was there to help us with towels and take an order for drinks. Also, you have the same wonderful soft and large beds besides the large pool as well. Very comfy… The only problem – it is really easy to fall asleep.
Beach itself is great. So is the pool.
We had breakfast and dinner included and thought they were fantastic. Breakfast in particular. Pancakes, waffles, fruits… And the see view. One evening we decided to have a dinner in another restaurant (do not remember the name but it is allegedly the best restaurant on this resort) – it was good, but not much better than the restaurant where you can have you usual – included in the price – dinner. Spa was good. Massage for two was excellent. Too expensive but still good.
These are positives, which certainly do outweigh the negatives, but… One thing was definitely very annoying… We paid quite significant amount of money and dinners were included in the price, but still if we wanted a glass of water with our meals we would have to pay for it… I mean paying for wine is understandable but a glass of water… Also, if you want your breakfast in your villa – you have to pay extra for delivery. Do not remember how much, but certainly not a couple of pounds and you can only order a small selection of what is available at the restaurant. Anything else – you have to pay. Frankly, we paid quite a lot for this hotel, so a bit of extra money was not a huge problem; it was more annoying than anything else… And sort of strange and unexpected.
Spa was great. But the water in the Jacuzzi did not smell nice. Not too romantic.
Villas could be a bit more private… They are great, but they would be even better if your pool were not visible to the other people.
What else… Oh! Cocktails are really expensive. Can not comment on quality and variety - virgin pina colada is usually all I need.
And one more negative thing. The island itself. I really struggle to understand why Mauritius is so expensive. May be it is a good marketing, may be something else (like water sports – I do not like them, so could not comment) – I do not know. But there is nothing to see or to do (except for casinos, which are crowded, look sleazy and full of tobacco smoke). Port Louis is not a nice place at all. And it does not smell nice… Actually, various bad smells are pretty common around the island. We could smell sewerage right outside the hotel gates. Do not worry – nothing like that on the hotel’s territory.
So, as I said, it is difficult for me to understand how Mauritius is better than some places in Thailand (like Koh Samui), where you can get the same level of accommodation with a lot of things around to do and to see for a half (or less) of the price.
Also, the hotel looked a bit empty (I guess it was because of its huge territory) but I liked that. Sort of confirms to you how special this place is…
So, if you want to go to Mauritius – Taj is a really great choice. Just be ready to pay extras and remember that there is nothing to see or to do outside the hotel.