We spent 10 days on honeymoon at this amazing hotel and could not fault it:

Location: Great; do not be put off by lack of info in guide books on Maritim or by the bumpy roads leading up to the estate entrance. Once you pass through security into the grounds of the hotel you enter another world.

Rooms: Fabulous. Well serviced, clean, great facilities, great balconies - and we were in their basic 'comfort room'.

Staff: One of the biggest selling points. Staff are falling over themselves to help, from room maids to bar staff to reception. I commented to the Duty Manager that we had waited an hour for lunch one day (to be fair a monsoon had just hit the hotel) and within 2 hours we had a tray of chocolates delivered to the room with an invitation to dine a la carte in the beach restaurant that evening courtesy of the manager.

Weather: Take care, we had rain on most days at some point in May even though the seasonal average was meant to be much lower (1 in 5). Research the island's climate/time of year thoroughly if you only plan to sunbath on your holiday.

Activites: Fab. Loads of free watersports, great tour guides, real value for money. Great stables. Great tortoises!

Dining: Incredible. Nice that the hotel has a dress code for dinner - no jackets or ties but no shorts/vests either. Be aware the two a la carte restaurants are of a very high standard and you will feel very out of place in anything other than smart shirt/chinos at least.

Value for money: My biggest advice: pay extra and go all inclusive. We ate and drank for 10 days and did not worry about cost once. I reckon if we had only gone on half board then we would be facing an additional bill of at least £1000.

We stayed at this hotel in August 2007 for two weeks for a wedding. I found the hotel to been clean and well appointed. The rooms were nice and clean but quite basic for the amount the hotel cost. The main restaurant where the all inc food was served was nice but I found the selections for evening meals to be very reparative. The two other restaurants where you had to pay extra where great, but I feel they should have also been included in the package.

The wedding was great and the setting was beautiful we went on a boat trip after the wedding for drinks which was organised but Balac the bar man and then had a meal in the beach restaurant which they decorated for us!

The drink selection was good and we never waited in the day on the beach for service. At night the beach bar did get busy and sometimes we had to wait.

This is an all inc hotel but they do not do bands they have cards, it became a drag having to wait for your bill of £0 to be signed at the end of the night. But I think it’s a new concept there and it will get better in time.

All in all we enjoyed our stay. Great for a wedding and they looked after our group. But I did not like the food and would not return to this hotel.

We have just returned from the Maritim, having stayed 18/04/08-29/04/08. We stayed 10 nights AI, including a wedding package.
As already mentioned, all the restaturants are superb, including the Mon Desir, which is expensive but worth it. (Wedding package gets you a meal included here). Staff are all very friendly and polite. There are restrictions on the AI deal however, and you can only order one meal/snack per person for instance in the afternoon (if you are a big eater you may feel the pinch). The breakfasts are buffet style, so you can eat all morning until 1030am. the evening meals are usually themed nights which are great. The food on the whole was super. We had a deluxe room, near to the beach on the ground floor, lovely and spacious and ample for two. Clean and regularly re-stocked etc. The wedding package was great and the day and setting at the gazebo were idyllic. Photographers were very professional as were the musicians and all the organisers (Danielle).
Some hawkers on the beach, but they were friendly enough, and one 'NO' was enough for them to move on....However they do have some beautiful items for sale. Sea is presently cloudy as 1 month ago they had a cyclone which flooded the nearby river. they expect a 3 month clear up period. All water activities are superb, including dolphin trips. Venture outside to Casela Wildlife park, where you can stroke lions and cheetahs...really!
Mauritiius is a friendly island with friendly people. Money is tight for the locals and they will try and sell at the highest price. Always barter a price to get the best deal, but remember that they have very little (financially) yet still manage to smile. A little leeway goes a longway!

Really enjoyed our stay.
Few pieces of advice:-

1. You definitely need aqua shoes. The water is cloudy (due to 2 rivers in the grounds] so you can't see the rocks and coral.
2. Definitely need mossie repellant for the evenings
3. La Marree restaurant on the beach is best for lunch. Tried Belle Vue once but service and food not as good as La Marree
4. However Belle Vue is excellent for breakfast and dinner. Food and service 1st class so we didn't feel the need to pay for other restaurants - especially as hotel is classed AI. Other hotels we have been to other restaurants you book for but are AI.
5. Although all rooms are described as "sea view" some are better than others. Some ground floor rooms have excellent views with a terrace where you can walk out straight onto garden then beach. However others have view blocked by vegetation which I imagine also make these rooms dark. 1st and 2nd better but then again some have blocked views. Phone hotel 2 days before and request a good sea view if that's important to you.
6.We found Taxis excellent for getting around and the hotel contact them for you. £50 got us taxi for day. Driver took us on south island tour and was a personal guide.
7. botanical gardens worth a visit. £1 to get in and £1 for a guide.

You will really enjoy stay here, Mauritians are very proud of their country and lovely people.