A friend who had a daughter who lived on Mauritius suggested the Shandrani Hotel; an all inclusive resort for four nights. The hotel and us did not get off to a good start. Our arranged ride never showed so we had to take a taxi to the hotel. We had signed up for the Flexible Plus plan, and honestly, it means little. What we found at this hotel is what my wife called a Disneyland Cruise Ship on shore. Kids almost equaled the number of adults. We got in the afternoon and were told we had to eat in the buffet as all the restaurants were full. Being a Plus member gives you no guarantees, not even to a sit down dinner. We protested, we did not pay this much money for a buffet with screaming kids. I asked for the first night free since we will not eat at a buffet. The manager refused, said to order from room service (costs extra of course). He claimed their buffet was different, I doubted it as proved later. We went to our room and then took a walk. We found a quieter place near Blue Bay and the bar at Le Sirius. What we found is the restaurants seat so many, say 100. When they hit 100, that is it. Dinner is from 7-10 and there are no seating times. We discussed our problem with the manager at Le Sirius and he said no problem, so we sat down and ate at 7pm. We were done by 745pm and less than 10% of the tables were full! Europeans don’t eat early so they haven't shown yet. The hotel needs to have arranged eating times at 7, 815 and 930, so everyone can enjoy a sit down meal. We ended up hanging around Blue Bay and Le Sirius the rest of the trip and enjoyed the beach behind it. There were fewer kids and the areas were less traveled. Brem, Ravi and Tee gets our vote for employees of the year! We also found that when you arrive, you better book all your dinners or you will be having buffets each night. Even at 9am the restaurants were full for that day. For water activities you better get there by 9am to book, otherwise none will be available. Paddle boats, kayaks and a three minute water ski lap are first come first serve. This is not a place for couples or singles, only for families. I understand the hotel chain has other esorts better suited for adults. Oh yes, the buffet. We went down the first morning to the buffet as we usually have eggs which are cooked to order. There were kids running around, one kid with a runny nose who was wiping it on his hand and arm grabbed a baguette bare handed, not using the provided towel, and cut some pieces and put it back. The worst was a kid sitting on the ground, playing with a bowl of cereal, most of which was on the floor when his mom yelled at him. The kid picked up the cereal, put it in the bowl, then promptly dumped the whole bowl back into the cereal bin! Buffets are a four letter word… Once we got past the first day, we had a great time by avoiding the main areas. The Boucaneer had a fabulous dinner, but the wine list was not very good at Porto Vecchio. The food was very good at Le Sirius and the bar staff top notch. They had a nice cake waiting in our room for me on my birthday. However, at the end to top it all off, I never got a complementary t-shirt because they didn't have anything in my size, XL or 2XL, and was told by the front desk to come back another time and they might have one then. No chance... I found it was too much money for little service.

We have just got back from the Shandrani and for the first time ever we have the holiday blues! Everything is just as all the other reviews say but if it's for a wedding day upgrade your photos to a company called clear cut photography as Daniel is amazing, we got married on a Thursday and had the album the following Tuesday. Also ask for Eric on the 'Black Pearl' boat for a day trip he is such a lovely man and passionate about his country. We will go back it's everything and more!

We went out to Mauritius for the Wedding of our daughter, we were not disappointed, the facilities were first class, rooms are spacious and clean, maid service every day, fresh bath towels every day, towels for the beach were changed every other day; you had to order your mini bar as you used it, we hardly used it apart from water, as you can get all the drink you need around the pool area.

Waiter service was the best that we have come across, put an empty glass down and you were asked did you want another, very polite respectful and friendly, also genuine, were greatfull when given a tip.

The food was also first class, whether you ate in the buffet restaurant or eating in the four restaurants, book early for the resteraunts, as the first week was fully booked; there was a very good selection in the main buffet restaurant, pasta fish, beef, chicken you name it and you could have it, also the wine selection, from France, South Africa, Australia, Champagne by the glass, and all the top brands of spirits, whatever your tipple it was there.

My daughters wedding took place on the wild beach that looked out onto the Indian ocean, the service was great and took place at 16.00 hrs, it was warm but there is a cooling breeze that comes off the ocean, from there she and her partner had surprised us with a BBQ on the beach, a beautifully laid out table for nine, a Chef cooking the BBQ, a table of salad, meats and cheeses; and wonderful deserts that melted in your mouth, there was also a wine waiter and two others who waited on the table, we were all blown away by what was presented before us, and to finish it all off a bonfire was lit on the beach, and then there was the sound of drums, to our astonishment there were drummers and four Mauritiun beauties dancing, I thought we were in Hawaii, there were eight in total and they had us all dancing on the beach with them, I know that I am waffling on but this was had to be seen to be believed.

The weather was fantastic, the sun goes down at 17.30 and there is a cooling breeze that refreshes you throughout the evening, there are plenty of sun beds around the pool or by the beach, no need to get up early here, we hired a speed boat for half a day, if you can do this, they took us to the waterfalls where you get to see the monkeys, snorkling and to paradise island where you can take a nice dip in the turquoise waters and the fine sandy beaches which are safe for young children, beware if you go out there is a flow of water that is like the lazy river and it will take you with it.

Plenty to do for the kids, they have a great kids club, but we found our grandson wanted to be around the pool playing all the time, he did play golf and football, and I think tennis, there is also water skiing but there can be a long cue for this, we also went out on the glass bottom boat and did some snorkling, beware there is a strong current, I didn't have flippers and was struggling to get back to the boat, just take a look at the water it swirls from all directions, and also you have the wind coming off the sea, and as for the airplanes flying over the Hotel, we were not bothered by them, this is s great destination with friendly people who go out of their way to make you feel welcome.

Just returned from 12 nights at the Shandrani (7th to 19th October). We had a great time and would thoroughly recommend this hotel.

Restaurants: We tried all the a la carte restaurants which, at this time of the year, were easy to book. By far our favourite was The Sirius where the service, food and ambiance are excellent. The fish restaurant, Le Boucanier was a little pretentious, offering only a set menu each week. The Italian, Porto Vecchio was lacking in ambiance and the service not so attentive. The Teak Elephant was worth a visit, but once again it has a set menu each week, so we only went once.
All the a la carte restaurants provide a bottle of wine inclusive from a very good wine list.

The staff in the Grand Port self-service restaurant ranged from very good to poor and disinterested, but the food was delicious with a great selection every day.

The main bar, Blue Bay bar is very good. Any make of drink is included, so if you want Bacardi, Gordon's etc, then ask specifically. The staff were very good and regularly sought to know if we wanted more.

The location is beautiful with one slight drawback. It is only 10 minutes from the airport and is on the take-off flight path. This was initially disconcerting, but as there are only a few flights which seem to be concentrated around two short periods in the day, morning and evening. We soon got used to it and it did not detract from our enjoyment. However the airport is being re-built and expanded, so the future may not be so good on this front.

The beaches either face the lagoon or the open sea. The lagoon is very peaceful and you are regularly visited by a mobile drinks cart that offers a range of drinks and rolls, all part of the inclusive deal. Don't forget to take your snorkel as the sea life it beautiful and accessible from the hotel beaches.

The main sea-facing beach is long and beautiful with the waves crashing in it offers a great contrast to the lagoon side.

We were in a refurbished to floor deluxe room (No 287). Slight drawback is the the palm trees obscure any lagoon view that may have been there. However we were happy to have no one above us and the limited view of the sea to our right was some compensation. The room was large and well-appointed. meticulously clean with a change of towels twice a day and bed-turning down service. it was positioned well away from the main restaurants, but an easy walk from them. Very quiet position. An electric cart may be requested if you really need to ride or are late for a meal as we were on one occasion. No complaints here at all. There still remained in mid October a lot of Deluxe rooms still under refurbishment, but i should imagine that they will all be completed by the end of November if not before.

The Guest relations staff are a delight and willing to help with any issue. It was my partner's 50th birthday while we were there and the fantastic table flower display was arranged without question, making it a memorable evening for her.

Reception staff are very helpful too.

The main reason we chose Shandrani was that it is all All inclusive, so you are not made to feel any different from other guests at meal times or when ordering drinks. We found this was a major contributor to a very relaxed and enjoyable experience.

The Sports centre staff are very helpful. We took an escorted cycle trip to Mahebourg with Patrick and David. The saddles were unbelievably uncomfortable and there are a few hills to negotiate, so if not fit, might be an idea to give it a miss. However Mahebourg is worth a visit and useful to have a guide as there is quite a bit of history to be explained.
We took the hotel kitchen tour which was very interesting and very reassuring.
We also took a catamaran trip along the East coast to Ile aux cerfs. Take some money as you have the opportunity to para-glide along the trip and there are now restaurants on Ile aux cerfs.
We also hired a car and driver for a day and were taken to wherever we chose for about £140. Pamplemousse Botanical Gardens are worth a visit, but be prepared for a sit in a traffic jam around Port Louis. The dormant crater of the dormant Trou aux cerfs southern volcano is also very interesting.

I suspect that in the main season, December/January, booking al la carte and getting a drink may be more difficult, but our experience was great and absolutely no complaints.