Mauritius Trip Report with British Airways (Business and First Class)
Sep 22, 2011, 7:01 am
#1
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 10,153
Mauritius Trip Report with British Airways (Business and First Class)
Mauritius Trip Report with British Airways Club/First
Well having just completed my first TR recently I thought I’d post this one too. It is from December 2010 and although I had the photos for a while the actual story was on the back burner so to speak. However I have now finished it so for those of us who enjoy them please sit back and enjoy! I have split it into several parts and at it’s conclusion I will link a slideshow in of all the photos.
Background
First of all let me give you some of the background. I visited Mauritius for the first time in March 2006 and then again in Easter 2008 as it was one destination I had always sort of fancied but never quite got around to going there. Early on in my wife’s career one of her colleagues said to her that it was paradise and it was something that always stuck in her mind. The actual word ‘Mauritius’ also seems to have a magical feel to it, well for those that like these kind of holidays. The first time we went it was a surprise for my wife’s 40th birthday and we travelled Club World (Business Class) on the way out and World Traveller Plus on the daytime return which was perfectly fine. For those who know about the specific configurations of BA aircraft it was on a 747 in the ‘old’ 38J version. These worked quite well as there was no World Traveller plus inbetween Business and First which just under half of the BA 747 fleet currently now has.
Anyhow, she always kept on at me not to go back to Florida, which we have done about 6 times and try something different so Mickey and Donald were out the window and a beach type holiday was booked. On the previous two occasions we stayed in the Maritim Hotel and it was fantastic. As much or as little as one wanted to do and it was and still is All Inclusive. More about that later. This time it was starting to show a bit of its age then but was more than perfectly acceptable (a bit like British Airways Old First Class). The Island itself is approximately 42 miles long and 29 miles at its widest point. As you may, or may not know, it is also steeped in history and of course is the home of the now extinct bird The Dodo!! Anyhow I am sure if you want to read up on the various aspects and rich history of Mauritius then there is plenty of information on the web.
On this particular holiday I booked flights for the three of us with BA direct and we flew Club World on the way out and upgraded us all to First Class on the way back for me and Junior P using miles and a paid upgrade for Mrs P. For those who fly BA regularly I know, I know that is the wrong way around but that was the only redemption availability and despite checking many times nothing else showed up.
Our first Hotel was The Shandrani which is located on the South East of the island and a very handy 10 minute drive from the Airport. I booked this direct with BA however our second hotel, The Maritim, was booked with Hayes and Jarvis which was offering a better deal. This was much cheaper than BA. This second hotel is located on the North West of the island.
As we all know the snow here in the UK (and elsewhere) was the heaviest we have seen in many a year. At the time I was working away from home Mon-Fri and initially in the few weeks before we were due to depart all seemed to be going to plan, flights and hotels booked, suntan creams/sprays bought, new clothes and a new pair of Speedos.
Back on track and as we all found out the SNOW came in heaps and I was nearly stuck at my place of work!! When I left, and literally I am not joking and this is no exaggeration, I just managed to get into my driveway before it was impassable in the small estate (not a scheme) where I live. We were very worried we wouldn’t get away and so the burning question was would we get away or not?
Edinburgh to London Heathrow
I have a friend who has a large 4 x 4 vehicle, (It's a Hummer!), so on the morning of our departure from Edinburgh to London Heathrow I was so glad to see him and off we went. Our flight was still showing as confirmed and the first two of the day had been cancelled. Boy was I glad when I checked in, got the cases away and eventually took off for LHR. Just a typical flight but everyone seemed to be quite jovial and in fact there was one guy who was a little vocal in letting the passengers around him he had been trying to get to London for 4 days to see his family. Good for him. After we all sat and read the safety cards we left on very crispy morning. The crew were friendly, it was a typical domestic flight and before we knew it we were at Heathrow.
Heathrow to Mauritius
We went for a quick bit of shopping at Duty Free and then with no hanging about straight to the Galleries South Lounge with about 3 and a half hours to spare. I don’t know why but I seem to prefer this lounge compared to the North one. The Lounge staff were very welcoming and the guy asked us if we had been there before. I said I had but just on a handful of occasions. He then commented that was a very nice selection of hot and cold food offerings and if there was anything we needed just to ask any member of staff. I thought that was quite a nice touch. The staff seemed happy which again can reflect well to the passenger whoever they may be.
On entering the lounge it seemed fairly quiet which was understandable due to all the cancellations and mayhem. After initially plonking ourselves down in the middle of the lounge I managed to get one of the nice tables near to the windows. One thing that does annoy me is the fact single travellers seem to like 3 or even 4 seats to themselves which was the case at some of the window areas. Grrr! I don’t know why but I have always liked sitting at the window, be it a on a bus, plane, lounge, Café or wherever. Maybe I am just a nosey person
Well after a few hours in the Lounge we headed off to T5B and we just waited in the Priority boarding area. It was gate 48 if I recall correctly. Priority boarding was enforced and we went down the very long walkway/bridge area to our plane. The outbound flight was on a 4 class 777-200 and if I recall correctly the registration number was G-YMMO.
A very welcoming greeting set the tone by the CSD for the rest of the flight which departed on time.
I cannot emphasise the relief once we took off and we were on our way leaving the UK behind for a fortnight. Yeehah!! Then shortly after take-off I got that sixth sense of, Did I switch everything off?, Will my neighbour check the house every day? What if the weather gets bad again, will I have frozen pipes and come home to a disaster ? Should I have left my Sky+ box on to tape the X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing finals?
Anyhow back to the CSD he looked very experienced and to cut a long story short this guy, and the other guy who was working along side him in the CW cabin, worked very hard. Regular attention, little chats, eye contact, one liners like
“ How was your meal?”,“ Would you like anything else” ,as I commented on how good the Dessert was. They were a credit to BA and of course I later e-mailed a ba.com/well done. I have not included any photos on the outbound journey as I had a little technical issue with my camera and then I fell asleep for about 6 hours! That being said I am sure most folks here know what the Club World cabin looks like and if not there is a vast amount of them on the BA Forum ‘sticky’ in the Trip Reports section which is well worth a read as there are many BA TR’s to choose from.
This is quite a long flight and after our meal, a couple of films, a snoozette, a read of a Magazine (No not that type of magazine, it was a car magazine!!) a breakfast and we were there! Immigration was a breeze and as I hadn’t booked any pre-arranged transport we went out to the taxi rank where the Taxi Marshall was very well organised. He portrayed himself as sort of, and unintentionally, superior without being overboard. He seemed in chatge and I wonder if he maybe owned a few of them taxis! A quick check on the price to the Shandrani and hey ho 10/15 minutes later we were there. That was the good thing about the Shandrani it is close to the Airport and no long journey afterwards especially after a 12 hour flight with a same day regional add on. It would be fair to say we were absolutely shattered!
The Shandrani Hotel
At the security folks at the gates/entrance stopped the taxi and our names were checked off against a list and we were waved on. As we arrived we were very much welcomed by the Head Porter and another one who took our cases and proceeded to take us to check in. He asked where we were from and when I said Scotland he said
“Ahh, Susan Boyle, I like her”
Is that all we are known for, her, Billy Connolly, Haggis and Whisky!! The check in process was a bit slow but you have to remember I am visiting their country and things are a bit more laid back. Anyhow that was what I had went there for, the relaxation, lovely sunshine and def NO rushing!! Not everyone’s cup of tea as they say and I do like activity based holidays too but we all need this break for a variety of reasons.
A few welcome non-alcoholic cocktails (and a few Coca Colas for Jnr P) and about 20 minutes later we had our room keys. I had looked at the photos on Trip Advisor quite a few times so I had a rough idea do of what they would look like. Room 116 was ours and it was in a very nice location looking out to the water and to the side was the main beach which was fairly quiet. The view looks blocked by the trees in the photo but to the left it was slightly more open. Very nice and we were in a block of 6 on the top floor too which I liked. I don’t really like being on the ground floor when I am on holiday in this sort of accommodation.
The week there was very nice indeed, All Inclusive, no bands or signing for anything and with 5 restaurants to choose from. The Le Grand Port was the main one. This one served all three, breakfast and lunch but there were other choices too. You had to pre-book some of the other restaurants on your arrival as they are so popular and nice, A la Carte and all that. Jnr P didn’t like that fancy food but the staff/Chefs were great and would happily make anything to order. He went for plain chicken, potatoes and veg if there wasn’t anything his pallet would take to.
There was one of the nights though where one of the meats was seriously undercooked. I made the staff aware and watched as nothing was done. I then asked to see the Supervisor, made him aware of my concerns re raw meat. It was a joint and I ushered him over to the area. He agreed it was badly undercooked however nothing was done. He said folks would like it rare but it had hardly been touched! I then wrote not a complaint, lets say more a letter, expressing my dissatisfaction with this and in fairness I received an e-mail direct from the General Manager stating that he too wasn’t happy with the way this ‘incident’ was dealt with. He stated that he had called a meeting with the Chefs/Management and procedures were now in place to prevent this again. I have to say I wasn’t the only one complaining re this, quite a few folks did. On the whole though it was great but I have to say it is more a 4 star not a 5 star. It has some excellent qualities, wonderful beaches, very large grounds, lots of activities and friendly staff. The service was good overall though apart from the Bar at the main pool. Here is an example of some of the daily activities which were on offer.
Part 2 coming shortly…………………………
Well having just completed my first TR recently I thought I’d post this one too. It is from December 2010 and although I had the photos for a while the actual story was on the back burner so to speak. However I have now finished it so for those of us who enjoy them please sit back and enjoy! I have split it into several parts and at it’s conclusion I will link a slideshow in of all the photos.
Background
First of all let me give you some of the background. I visited Mauritius for the first time in March 2006 and then again in Easter 2008 as it was one destination I had always sort of fancied but never quite got around to going there. Early on in my wife’s career one of her colleagues said to her that it was paradise and it was something that always stuck in her mind. The actual word ‘Mauritius’ also seems to have a magical feel to it, well for those that like these kind of holidays. The first time we went it was a surprise for my wife’s 40th birthday and we travelled Club World (Business Class) on the way out and World Traveller Plus on the daytime return which was perfectly fine. For those who know about the specific configurations of BA aircraft it was on a 747 in the ‘old’ 38J version. These worked quite well as there was no World Traveller plus inbetween Business and First which just under half of the BA 747 fleet currently now has.
Anyhow, she always kept on at me not to go back to Florida, which we have done about 6 times and try something different so Mickey and Donald were out the window and a beach type holiday was booked. On the previous two occasions we stayed in the Maritim Hotel and it was fantastic. As much or as little as one wanted to do and it was and still is All Inclusive. More about that later. This time it was starting to show a bit of its age then but was more than perfectly acceptable (a bit like British Airways Old First Class). The Island itself is approximately 42 miles long and 29 miles at its widest point. As you may, or may not know, it is also steeped in history and of course is the home of the now extinct bird The Dodo!! Anyhow I am sure if you want to read up on the various aspects and rich history of Mauritius then there is plenty of information on the web.
On this particular holiday I booked flights for the three of us with BA direct and we flew Club World on the way out and upgraded us all to First Class on the way back for me and Junior P using miles and a paid upgrade for Mrs P. For those who fly BA regularly I know, I know that is the wrong way around but that was the only redemption availability and despite checking many times nothing else showed up.
Our first Hotel was The Shandrani which is located on the South East of the island and a very handy 10 minute drive from the Airport. I booked this direct with BA however our second hotel, The Maritim, was booked with Hayes and Jarvis which was offering a better deal. This was much cheaper than BA. This second hotel is located on the North West of the island.
As we all know the snow here in the UK (and elsewhere) was the heaviest we have seen in many a year. At the time I was working away from home Mon-Fri and initially in the few weeks before we were due to depart all seemed to be going to plan, flights and hotels booked, suntan creams/sprays bought, new clothes and a new pair of Speedos.
Back on track and as we all found out the SNOW came in heaps and I was nearly stuck at my place of work!! When I left, and literally I am not joking and this is no exaggeration, I just managed to get into my driveway before it was impassable in the small estate (not a scheme) where I live. We were very worried we wouldn’t get away and so the burning question was would we get away or not?
Edinburgh to London Heathrow
I have a friend who has a large 4 x 4 vehicle, (It's a Hummer!), so on the morning of our departure from Edinburgh to London Heathrow I was so glad to see him and off we went. Our flight was still showing as confirmed and the first two of the day had been cancelled. Boy was I glad when I checked in, got the cases away and eventually took off for LHR. Just a typical flight but everyone seemed to be quite jovial and in fact there was one guy who was a little vocal in letting the passengers around him he had been trying to get to London for 4 days to see his family. Good for him. After we all sat and read the safety cards we left on very crispy morning. The crew were friendly, it was a typical domestic flight and before we knew it we were at Heathrow.
Heathrow to Mauritius
We went for a quick bit of shopping at Duty Free and then with no hanging about straight to the Galleries South Lounge with about 3 and a half hours to spare. I don’t know why but I seem to prefer this lounge compared to the North one. The Lounge staff were very welcoming and the guy asked us if we had been there before. I said I had but just on a handful of occasions. He then commented that was a very nice selection of hot and cold food offerings and if there was anything we needed just to ask any member of staff. I thought that was quite a nice touch. The staff seemed happy which again can reflect well to the passenger whoever they may be.
On entering the lounge it seemed fairly quiet which was understandable due to all the cancellations and mayhem. After initially plonking ourselves down in the middle of the lounge I managed to get one of the nice tables near to the windows. One thing that does annoy me is the fact single travellers seem to like 3 or even 4 seats to themselves which was the case at some of the window areas. Grrr! I don’t know why but I have always liked sitting at the window, be it a on a bus, plane, lounge, Café or wherever. Maybe I am just a nosey person
Well after a few hours in the Lounge we headed off to T5B and we just waited in the Priority boarding area. It was gate 48 if I recall correctly. Priority boarding was enforced and we went down the very long walkway/bridge area to our plane. The outbound flight was on a 4 class 777-200 and if I recall correctly the registration number was G-YMMO.
A very welcoming greeting set the tone by the CSD for the rest of the flight which departed on time.
I cannot emphasise the relief once we took off and we were on our way leaving the UK behind for a fortnight. Yeehah!! Then shortly after take-off I got that sixth sense of, Did I switch everything off?, Will my neighbour check the house every day? What if the weather gets bad again, will I have frozen pipes and come home to a disaster ? Should I have left my Sky+ box on to tape the X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing finals?
Anyhow back to the CSD he looked very experienced and to cut a long story short this guy, and the other guy who was working along side him in the CW cabin, worked very hard. Regular attention, little chats, eye contact, one liners like
“ How was your meal?”,“ Would you like anything else” ,as I commented on how good the Dessert was. They were a credit to BA and of course I later e-mailed a ba.com/well done. I have not included any photos on the outbound journey as I had a little technical issue with my camera and then I fell asleep for about 6 hours! That being said I am sure most folks here know what the Club World cabin looks like and if not there is a vast amount of them on the BA Forum ‘sticky’ in the Trip Reports section which is well worth a read as there are many BA TR’s to choose from.
This is quite a long flight and after our meal, a couple of films, a snoozette, a read of a Magazine (No not that type of magazine, it was a car magazine!!) a breakfast and we were there! Immigration was a breeze and as I hadn’t booked any pre-arranged transport we went out to the taxi rank where the Taxi Marshall was very well organised. He portrayed himself as sort of, and unintentionally, superior without being overboard. He seemed in chatge and I wonder if he maybe owned a few of them taxis! A quick check on the price to the Shandrani and hey ho 10/15 minutes later we were there. That was the good thing about the Shandrani it is close to the Airport and no long journey afterwards especially after a 12 hour flight with a same day regional add on. It would be fair to say we were absolutely shattered!
The Shandrani Hotel
At the security folks at the gates/entrance stopped the taxi and our names were checked off against a list and we were waved on. As we arrived we were very much welcomed by the Head Porter and another one who took our cases and proceeded to take us to check in. He asked where we were from and when I said Scotland he said
“Ahh, Susan Boyle, I like her”
Is that all we are known for, her, Billy Connolly, Haggis and Whisky!! The check in process was a bit slow but you have to remember I am visiting their country and things are a bit more laid back. Anyhow that was what I had went there for, the relaxation, lovely sunshine and def NO rushing!! Not everyone’s cup of tea as they say and I do like activity based holidays too but we all need this break for a variety of reasons.
A few welcome non-alcoholic cocktails (and a few Coca Colas for Jnr P) and about 20 minutes later we had our room keys. I had looked at the photos on Trip Advisor quite a few times so I had a rough idea do of what they would look like. Room 116 was ours and it was in a very nice location looking out to the water and to the side was the main beach which was fairly quiet. The view looks blocked by the trees in the photo but to the left it was slightly more open. Very nice and we were in a block of 6 on the top floor too which I liked. I don’t really like being on the ground floor when I am on holiday in this sort of accommodation.
The week there was very nice indeed, All Inclusive, no bands or signing for anything and with 5 restaurants to choose from. The Le Grand Port was the main one. This one served all three, breakfast and lunch but there were other choices too. You had to pre-book some of the other restaurants on your arrival as they are so popular and nice, A la Carte and all that. Jnr P didn’t like that fancy food but the staff/Chefs were great and would happily make anything to order. He went for plain chicken, potatoes and veg if there wasn’t anything his pallet would take to.
There was one of the nights though where one of the meats was seriously undercooked. I made the staff aware and watched as nothing was done. I then asked to see the Supervisor, made him aware of my concerns re raw meat. It was a joint and I ushered him over to the area. He agreed it was badly undercooked however nothing was done. He said folks would like it rare but it had hardly been touched! I then wrote not a complaint, lets say more a letter, expressing my dissatisfaction with this and in fairness I received an e-mail direct from the General Manager stating that he too wasn’t happy with the way this ‘incident’ was dealt with. He stated that he had called a meeting with the Chefs/Management and procedures were now in place to prevent this again. I have to say I wasn’t the only one complaining re this, quite a few folks did. On the whole though it was great but I have to say it is more a 4 star not a 5 star. It has some excellent qualities, wonderful beaches, very large grounds, lots of activities and friendly staff. The service was good overall though apart from the Bar at the main pool. Here is an example of some of the daily activities which were on offer.
Part 2 coming shortly…………………………
Last edited by PETER01; Sep 22, 2011 at 7:33 am
Sep 22, 2011, 8:52 am
#2
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: BA - Blue > Bronze > Silver > Bronze > Blue
Posts: 6,812
Hi Peter
looking forward to this one having been to The Shandrani a couple of times myself, flying on an F reward with BA.
Due to your Tardiness, with the report though, I've actually been more recently, getting back in April from our trip this year! It will be interesting to see how it compares during the school hols as opposed to our visit just before the Easter hols, where it was all but empty on our final week of two.
I love the place myself (had no problem with undercooked meat!) and deffo hope to get a 3rd visit in sometime in the near future, perhaps when we have a little one ourselves!
I didn't realised it was ever marketed as a 5 star, it was certainly classed as a 4 star on the sites we looked at/ booked on, although the price is most certainly 5*, that obviously includes the excellent AI though, which is truly ALL Inclusive, unlike most other places seem to be.
The rooms certainly need a renovation or at least a refresh too I thought, we stayed in a Deluxe room the other end from you down towards the Sirius/ Teak Elephant Restaurant, and whilst bigger, they're not really better and again not 5* on any level
looking forward to this one having been to The Shandrani a couple of times myself, flying on an F reward with BA.
Due to your Tardiness, with the report though, I've actually been more recently, getting back in April from our trip this year! It will be interesting to see how it compares during the school hols as opposed to our visit just before the Easter hols, where it was all but empty on our final week of two.
I love the place myself (had no problem with undercooked meat!) and deffo hope to get a 3rd visit in sometime in the near future, perhaps when we have a little one ourselves!
I didn't realised it was ever marketed as a 5 star, it was certainly classed as a 4 star on the sites we looked at/ booked on, although the price is most certainly 5*, that obviously includes the excellent AI though, which is truly ALL Inclusive, unlike most other places seem to be.
The rooms certainly need a renovation or at least a refresh too I thought, we stayed in a Deluxe room the other end from you down towards the Sirius/ Teak Elephant Restaurant, and whilst bigger, they're not really better and again not 5* on any level
Sep 22, 2011, 9:46 am
#3
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 10,153
Part 2 - The Shandrani Hotel
Part 2
The Hotel had a Beach Buggy with a variety of drinks onboard which in the 30odd degree heat was a welcome sight. The guy who manned it was a very friendly guy and he would bring them right to your sunbed, clear away any rubbish, chatted and then went on his way. Here he is with Jnr P right next to our sunbeds.
Every day at 4p.m next to the main pool a couple of chefs appeared and made home made pancakes with a large choice of Jams, Honey, etc etc. Mmmm!! I can still taste them as I write this part. Jam and Cream were my favourite fillings with of course the Jam first as has been discussed on the BA board when travelling in First Class.
As you have already seen the room itself was nice but the bed was quite hard. Junior P is a big lad and the sofa bed was hard likewise and not really a proper bed which I would have quite liked for him. The room was kept spotlessly clean though and our room guy (was going to say maid there!) did a great job day to day. I left him a £20 tip at the end of the week and he just about fell over thanking me profusely. It’s at times like that you realise how spoilt we are in the UK and elsewhere really are. He said he would buy some books for his kids as the school had some but not a great selection. I felt a very slight lump in my throat as he shook my hand and bowed to me. I told him that the staff play a key role for holidaymakers like us and that I should be thanking him which of course I did. It is at times like this you really do realise how for granted we can sometimes take things. We complain about BA Old First Class, 5 minute delays and we blew a fair bit of cash on flights and all that this guy wanted was better quality books for his kids.
Back to the room and the WC area was quite small though and also didn’t take too well to having even a moderate amount of tissue. It took ages when you went as you had to wait until it flushed, filled up, flushed, filled up, flushed , filled up. Apparently the Greek Islands is a bit like that? I’ve never been there but heard. Maybe too much info there but it did a tad annoying but then I thought what am I moaning about? On the other hand I could argue paying a fair bit at this Hotel and it’s not what a customer should expect.
The grounds of this Hotel are massive and you can go for a good old walk. We liked going for a stroll along the Wild Beach after lunch. All in all a very nice chilled out week and then onwards to the Maritim Hotel. Here are quite a few photos of the grounds and beaches amongst others. I would go back but have to say some of the rooms are in need of a makeover.
A few more photos to follow...........
The Hotel had a Beach Buggy with a variety of drinks onboard which in the 30odd degree heat was a welcome sight. The guy who manned it was a very friendly guy and he would bring them right to your sunbed, clear away any rubbish, chatted and then went on his way. Here he is with Jnr P right next to our sunbeds.
Every day at 4p.m next to the main pool a couple of chefs appeared and made home made pancakes with a large choice of Jams, Honey, etc etc. Mmmm!! I can still taste them as I write this part. Jam and Cream were my favourite fillings with of course the Jam first as has been discussed on the BA board when travelling in First Class.
As you have already seen the room itself was nice but the bed was quite hard. Junior P is a big lad and the sofa bed was hard likewise and not really a proper bed which I would have quite liked for him. The room was kept spotlessly clean though and our room guy (was going to say maid there!) did a great job day to day. I left him a £20 tip at the end of the week and he just about fell over thanking me profusely. It’s at times like that you realise how spoilt we are in the UK and elsewhere really are. He said he would buy some books for his kids as the school had some but not a great selection. I felt a very slight lump in my throat as he shook my hand and bowed to me. I told him that the staff play a key role for holidaymakers like us and that I should be thanking him which of course I did. It is at times like this you really do realise how for granted we can sometimes take things. We complain about BA Old First Class, 5 minute delays and we blew a fair bit of cash on flights and all that this guy wanted was better quality books for his kids.
Back to the room and the WC area was quite small though and also didn’t take too well to having even a moderate amount of tissue. It took ages when you went as you had to wait until it flushed, filled up, flushed, filled up, flushed , filled up. Apparently the Greek Islands is a bit like that? I’ve never been there but heard. Maybe too much info there but it did a tad annoying but then I thought what am I moaning about? On the other hand I could argue paying a fair bit at this Hotel and it’s not what a customer should expect.
The grounds of this Hotel are massive and you can go for a good old walk. We liked going for a stroll along the Wild Beach after lunch. All in all a very nice chilled out week and then onwards to the Maritim Hotel. Here are quite a few photos of the grounds and beaches amongst others. I would go back but have to say some of the rooms are in need of a makeover.
A few more photos to follow...........
Sep 22, 2011, 9:50 am
#4
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Close to Heathrow
Programs: BA GGL, Gold for Life, CCR, VS Silver, HHonours Diamond
Posts: 549
Hi Peter,
I have also stayed at the Shandrani, twice in the last year (Sept 2010 and May2011). Both times on business with fares and hotel paid for by my company.
I agree that Shandrani is a good hotel (not great, but close). I never had any problem with the food or staff at the hotel. I did enjoy the AI, especially the pool bar. However, being the only single guy at the hotel, I did feel a little out-of-place in the restaurants. All the other tables had couples, gazing into each other’s eyes. Yuck!!
Now I want to go back, with "The IFE Witch" for a holiday. Unfortunately I can't seem to get any availability with rewards. I have a 2-4-1 burning a hole in my pocket but can only find economy availability on the direct route.
The flight is now from LGW and does not have a first class service. Anyone with suggestions, other than fly through South Africa, I would appreciate your advice.
I have also stayed at the Shandrani, twice in the last year (Sept 2010 and May2011). Both times on business with fares and hotel paid for by my company.
I agree that Shandrani is a good hotel (not great, but close). I never had any problem with the food or staff at the hotel. I did enjoy the AI, especially the pool bar. However, being the only single guy at the hotel, I did feel a little out-of-place in the restaurants. All the other tables had couples, gazing into each other’s eyes. Yuck!!
Now I want to go back, with "The IFE Witch" for a holiday. Unfortunately I can't seem to get any availability with rewards. I have a 2-4-1 burning a hole in my pocket but can only find economy availability on the direct route.
The flight is now from LGW and does not have a first class service. Anyone with suggestions, other than fly through South Africa, I would appreciate your advice.
Sep 22, 2011, 9:58 am
#5
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: BA - Blue > Bronze > Silver > Bronze > Blue
Posts: 6,812
Hi Peter,
I have also stayed at the Shandrani, twice in the last year (Sept 2010 and May2011). Both times on business with fares and hotel paid for by my company.
I agree that Shandrani is a good hotel (not great, but close). I never had any problem with the food or staff at the hotel. I did enjoy the AI, especially the pool bar. However, being the only single guy at the hotel, I did feel a little out-of-place in the restaurants. All the other tables had couples, gazing into each other’s eyes. Yuck!!
Now I want to go back, with "The IFE Witch" for a holiday. Unfortunately I can't seem to get any availability with rewards. I have a 2-4-1 burning a hole in my pocket but can only find economy availability on the direct route.
The flight is now from LGW and does not have a first class service. Anyone with suggestions, other than fly through South Africa, I would appreciate your advice.
I have also stayed at the Shandrani, twice in the last year (Sept 2010 and May2011). Both times on business with fares and hotel paid for by my company.
I agree that Shandrani is a good hotel (not great, but close). I never had any problem with the food or staff at the hotel. I did enjoy the AI, especially the pool bar. However, being the only single guy at the hotel, I did feel a little out-of-place in the restaurants. All the other tables had couples, gazing into each other’s eyes. Yuck!!
Now I want to go back, with "The IFE Witch" for a holiday. Unfortunately I can't seem to get any availability with rewards. I have a 2-4-1 burning a hole in my pocket but can only find economy availability on the direct route.
The flight is now from LGW and does not have a first class service. Anyone with suggestions, other than fly through South Africa, I would appreciate your advice.
Much like with MLE from LGW, I suspect that now its down to the a 3 class service, you'll be very lucky to get anything above Y, unless you're a 3:30AM type riser and get very lucky.
I suspect that BA can sell all the CW seats no worries with it being a premium holiday and honeymoon destination and therefore if any do arise, its likely to be the odd single seat on a sector that never matches up with a return.
We're off to MLE in Jan and I gave up on any type of redemption their in the end (esp on peak) and have Y seats for the first time in about 4 years
, after refusing to pay an extra 2k for WT+
Sep 22, 2011, 10:00 am
#6
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Part 2 continued.......
Here are the last of the Shandrani Hotel photos.
All in all we had a great time and we were not going to let a couple of issues spoil our holiday. We may go back there but we preferred The Maritim, which has recently been refurbished, although as always it's all down to personal choice. Plus there are many other new Hotels to try so we may ditch both and try somewhere completely new! Choices, choices.............
Coming soon, Part 3: The Maritim Hotel, Mauritius Airport and returning First Class with British Airways
All in all we had a great time and we were not going to let a couple of issues spoil our holiday. We may go back there but we preferred The Maritim, which has recently been refurbished, although as always it's all down to personal choice. Plus there are many other new Hotels to try so we may ditch both and try somewhere completely new! Choices, choices.............
Coming soon, Part 3: The Maritim Hotel, Mauritius Airport and returning First Class with British Airways
Sep 22, 2011, 10:24 am
#8
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Apologies for the slightly late reply as dinner was being prepared!
Yes I did a little snorkelling and as you say the water, especially around at the 'Middle' beach was crystal clear and very warm too!! Unfortunately I can't do the water skiing due to having a very dodgy shoulder which was broken and dislocated a couple of years ago.
I agree that the AI is great, there is a great choice of Restaurants and the staff were evry friendly. If the rooms were modernised, which I believe a small number are, that would def put the place in a much better light and as I said the beds were very, very hard.
IIRC the water pressure wasn't very good either but maybe it was the block where we were staying. However at £400 a night (and that was in the sale) I did expect a little better to be honest. It has may fine qualities and the grounds are excellent.
The flight path wasn't too bad but the Air Mauritius A340-300 is extremely noisy and actually really startled me as I was nodding off in the sun. There was also an 1130pm Emirates 777-300 which flew straight past our room
but that wasn't really an issue as we didn't go to bed until midnight (ish).
Sep 22, 2011, 10:40 am
#9
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Hi IFE Wizard
I agree it must have felt a bit funny going out for dinner on your own but it is very common nowadays and I personally wouldn't bat an eyelid. There were a quite a few of singletons when we were there but they were tourists and not on business.
I actually checked the MRU route the other night for reward flights and there were 2 seats out on the 4th June back on the 19th direct from LGW but maybe they will be gone by now! It is also a bit cooler in June I believe but still a very balmy mid 20's and maybe a bit more in the North West and less windy there too.
Can't really advise you re the 241 as you dont want to use it to go via JNB and then do a paid Comair as I believe the 241 must be on BA metal but I may be wrong on this part.
If you're paying why not consider EK and go via Dubai and maybe even a stopover out, in, or both if thats an option for you?
regards
Pete
I agree it must have felt a bit funny going out for dinner on your own but it is very common nowadays and I personally wouldn't bat an eyelid. There were a quite a few of singletons when we were there but they were tourists and not on business.
I actually checked the MRU route the other night for reward flights and there were 2 seats out on the 4th June back on the 19th direct from LGW but maybe they will be gone by now! It is also a bit cooler in June I believe but still a very balmy mid 20's and maybe a bit more in the North West and less windy there too.
Can't really advise you re the 241 as you dont want to use it to go via JNB and then do a paid Comair as I believe the 241 must be on BA metal but I may be wrong on this part.
If you're paying why not consider EK and go via Dubai and maybe even a stopover out, in, or both if thats an option for you?
regards
Pete
Hi Peter,
I have also stayed at the Shandrani, twice in the last year (Sept 2010 and May2011). Both times on business with fares and hotel paid for by my company.
I agree that Shandrani is a good hotel (not great, but close). I never had any problem with the food or staff at the hotel. I did enjoy the AI, especially the pool bar. However, being the only single guy at the hotel, I did feel a little out-of-place in the restaurants. All the other tables had couples, gazing into each other’s eyes. Yuck!!
Now I want to go back, with "The IFE Witch" for a holiday. Unfortunately I can't seem to get any availability with rewards. I have a 2-4-1 burning a hole in my pocket but can only find economy availability on the direct route.
The flight is now from LGW and does not have a first class service. Anyone with suggestions, other than fly through South Africa, I would appreciate your advice.
I have also stayed at the Shandrani, twice in the last year (Sept 2010 and May2011). Both times on business with fares and hotel paid for by my company.
I agree that Shandrani is a good hotel (not great, but close). I never had any problem with the food or staff at the hotel. I did enjoy the AI, especially the pool bar. However, being the only single guy at the hotel, I did feel a little out-of-place in the restaurants. All the other tables had couples, gazing into each other’s eyes. Yuck!!
Now I want to go back, with "The IFE Witch" for a holiday. Unfortunately I can't seem to get any availability with rewards. I have a 2-4-1 burning a hole in my pocket but can only find economy availability on the direct route.
The flight is now from LGW and does not have a first class service. Anyone with suggestions, other than fly through South Africa, I would appreciate your advice.
Sep 22, 2011, 2:13 pm
#10
Ambassador
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Frankfurt
Posts: 1,755
Finally...
Enjoying the read so far. ^
Silly question: was the outbound a day-flight or night-flight? I couldn't tell whether the low light was due to it being close to sunset or just general wintery gloom.
Enjoying the read so far. ^
Silly question: was the outbound a day-flight or night-flight? I couldn't tell whether the low light was due to it being close to sunset or just general wintery gloom.
Sep 22, 2011, 2:30 pm
#11
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 628
Thanks for the report - I've been to Shandrani twice and think the value for money is great (CW 241s).
For anyone else thinking of going, we were lucky enough to get one of 5 superior rooms near the boathouse. These have an extra seating area in the room, which was great for us. It may have been because we were repeat guests and the hotel was quiet, but maybe a sneaky request for a 'ground floor superior room near the boathouse' may be beneficial!
For anyone else thinking of going, we were lucky enough to get one of 5 superior rooms near the boathouse. These have an extra seating area in the room, which was great for us. It may have been because we were repeat guests and the hotel was quiet, but maybe a sneaky request for a 'ground floor superior room near the boathouse' may be beneficial!
Sep 22, 2011, 5:08 pm
#13
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Join Date: Feb 2008
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We left from Heathrow about 3.30pm and we were glad to leave all that wintery gloom behind! Thanks for comments and taking the time to read it. Thats only about half of the report posted so more to come 
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the tip re the rooms! ^
My pleasure and thank you for the very nice comments which are very much appreciated.
Sep 22, 2011, 8:39 pm
#15
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 10,153
Part 3 - The Maritim Hotel
Part 3
The Maritim Hotel
Well after our nice relaxing week at the Shandrani Hotel we then went to our second hotel, The Maritim Hotel, Balaclava which is situated on the North West coast of the island. The hotel itself overlooks a protected Marine Park, Turtle Bay although sad to say there isn’t that many fish near the beach as the Coral reefs there were destroyed many years before with numerous cyclones and storms. On the previous two occasions we visited Mauritius it was Easter time and the sea water at the beach was a little murky which was due to a river inlet letting all the silt into the bay. January to March is their wet season and this was obviously the reason why.
This time was different though. November/December seems to be the best time to go and the water was very clear and good to snorkel about in. However you had to be careful as there is some very sharp coral and beach shoes are definitely recommended.
It took us about an hour and a half to go from the SE coast to the NW and it was quite an interesting journey. Although they drive on the same (and correct) side of the road of the UK some of the driving leaves a lot to be desired. The usual taxi/passenger conversation took place and I was glad to engage and ask him a few questions. We politely declined his offer of a tour of the island as the previous two occasions we saw a fair bit including the capital Port Louis which was worth a look but not much to do there. The market there is an experience though! The public toilets (well going back 5 years) was just a room with a hole in the ground The Maritim used to offer a boat trip along the West Coast to there but as I was to find out later this had been withdrawn. Moving on and shortly after arriving I marvelled at the view again from the reception.
The hotel underwent a major refurbishment in the latter half of 2009 and shut down for 6 months. The initial impressions from entering the grounds had me a bit excited and I was not to be disappointed and after a walk through the grounds one day there seemed to still a few workmen going about. Here are some of them arriving and as you can see no Health and safety here!
Back to the report itself and we checked in. We had booked a Standard room but were delighted to find out we had been upgraded to a much larger Privilege Room which had a fair bit more space. A nice touch was the Deputy Manager greeted us on our arrival and I don’t know if that was because I was a repeat guest. He certainly wasn’t there when some other guests arrived and I felt valued as a repeat customer because of this. I was later told that as a repeat customer it had been arranged for an upgraded room. The complex only has just over 200 rooms which is situated on three levels. It felt more ‘homely’ than the Shandrani and this suited us fine.
We were on the middle floor which was ideal as this is the same level as the reception. We were in room 373 and for anyone going here then the high 3 numbers are very good indeed with nice views not too dissimilar to the Shandrani room view. These are located at the end of the open corridor, near the spa and away from the main reception which is only a minute walk maximum. We found this ideal and the silence was great. The room had a very comfortable King and single bed, proper beds unlike the Shandrani. Wi-Fi in the room was also quite good as was the flat screen TV which had a great selection of programmes. I know, why go all that way and talk about the TV but I like to watch BBC News 24 and it was nice to relax and watch something in the air conditioned room after our lunch even just for an hour. It was much hotter here and most days it was about 32 degrees Celsius but the day we went to the Archery it was a stifling 37! Looking at the weather back home though it wasn’t a hard choice where to be!
The quality of the furnishings was of a high standard and the only issue we had all week was that the plug in the bath was stuck so they had to get a team of 4 men, dismantle the whole bath and replace the plug which had some sort of permanent fixing into the floor. They were quick about it too having drained the bath late at night and hey ho ding dong the doorbell went at 8am the next morning and in they came with the new plug. Sorted!
The grounds here are also quite large and here is a selection of photographs.
There were also an abundance of things to do and see, Golf , Horse Riding, Water sports, in fact just too many to list.
Sadly these large Tortoises are an endangered and now protected species so they had to be kept in captivity.
Some of the ruins of Balaclava which are very historical.
Another part of the grounds and these trees gave the place a real tropical feel to it.
Jnr P trying the Archery. We all had a go and as you can see from the next photo thank goodness I wasn’t around in the Robin Hood days!
Some of the local wildlife. I spotted this hungry Lizard near to the Spa.
This was only one half of the Pool area. The sun loungers were just amazing. Like single beds with a great thick mattress and the pool area was cleaned for about two hours every morning. Spotless! The thatched roof area is known as the Quarterdeck Bar and you could have lunch here too. I took the pool photos from the Bellevue restaurant which is the hotels main one. It is a buffet every night with an excellent choice of food. However there is a choice of an Italian, The La Maree as well as The Mon Desir which was a La Carte and expensive! although you did get a credit for the latter. The Quarterdeck area is also one of the areas for watching the evening entertainment which was OK, cultural and light hearted and mainly consisted of singers or Traditional dancers etc.
One night was amazing though. Two Astronomers were visiting, they set up their high powered telescope and we had a real close up of the moon! We also got a guided tour of the stars via a laser pen but to be honest I sometimes struggled how to see all the ‘animals’ and constellations etc. It was fascinating though, I really enjoyed it and the whole thing lasted about an hour and a half. It’s quite odd looking at the Stars when you’re half pissed! The staff even took our orders from the beach and brought us our drinks! This is where the All Inclusive is worth it in my opinion. Most cocktails were available and with some at £10-12 a pop then after Mrs P and I had drank about a minimum of 4 each night you can see the value.
We were reminded it was nearing Christmas and my thoughts turned back home from time to time. I had to make sure my niece had bought all our Christmas Dinner from Marks and Spencer’s as we didn’t get home until late on the 23rd of December. We would love to have stayed in Mauritius until after Christmas but our Fathers are in their 70’s now and both recently widowed so family obligations quite rightly came first.
All in all an excellent week and if anyone wants to finds out more or see more photos then Trip Advisor etc are awash with them! Thanks again for viewing and………….
Coming Friday - The return journey home
The Maritim Hotel
Well after our nice relaxing week at the Shandrani Hotel we then went to our second hotel, The Maritim Hotel, Balaclava which is situated on the North West coast of the island. The hotel itself overlooks a protected Marine Park, Turtle Bay although sad to say there isn’t that many fish near the beach as the Coral reefs there were destroyed many years before with numerous cyclones and storms. On the previous two occasions we visited Mauritius it was Easter time and the sea water at the beach was a little murky which was due to a river inlet letting all the silt into the bay. January to March is their wet season and this was obviously the reason why.
This time was different though. November/December seems to be the best time to go and the water was very clear and good to snorkel about in. However you had to be careful as there is some very sharp coral and beach shoes are definitely recommended.
It took us about an hour and a half to go from the SE coast to the NW and it was quite an interesting journey. Although they drive on the same (and correct
) side of the road of the UK some of the driving leaves a lot to be desired. The usual taxi/passenger conversation took place and I was glad to engage and ask him a few questions. We politely declined his offer of a tour of the island as the previous two occasions we saw a fair bit including the capital Port Louis which was worth a look but not much to do there. The market there is an experience though! The public toilets (well going back 5 years) was just a room with a hole in the ground The Maritim used to offer a boat trip along the West Coast to there but as I was to find out later this had been withdrawn. Moving on and shortly after arriving I marvelled at the view again from the reception. The hotel underwent a major refurbishment in the latter half of 2009 and shut down for 6 months. The initial impressions from entering the grounds had me a bit excited and I was not to be disappointed and after a walk through the grounds one day there seemed to still a few workmen going about. Here are some of them arriving and as you can see no Health and safety here!
Back to the report itself and we checked in. We had booked a Standard room but were delighted to find out we had been upgraded to a much larger Privilege Room which had a fair bit more space. A nice touch was the Deputy Manager greeted us on our arrival and I don’t know if that was because I was a repeat guest. He certainly wasn’t there when some other guests arrived and I felt valued as a repeat customer because of this. I was later told that as a repeat customer it had been arranged for an upgraded room. The complex only has just over 200 rooms which is situated on three levels. It felt more ‘homely’ than the Shandrani and this suited us fine.
We were on the middle floor which was ideal as this is the same level as the reception. We were in room 373 and for anyone going here then the high 3 numbers are very good indeed with nice views not too dissimilar to the Shandrani room view. These are located at the end of the open corridor, near the spa and away from the main reception which is only a minute walk maximum. We found this ideal and the silence was great. The room had a very comfortable King and single bed, proper beds unlike the Shandrani. Wi-Fi in the room was also quite good as was the flat screen TV which had a great selection of programmes. I know, why go all that way and talk about the TV but I like to watch BBC News 24 and it was nice to relax and watch something in the air conditioned room after our lunch even just for an hour. It was much hotter here and most days it was about 32 degrees Celsius but the day we went to the Archery it was a stifling 37! Looking at the weather back home though it wasn’t a hard choice where to be!
The quality of the furnishings was of a high standard and the only issue we had all week was that the plug in the bath was stuck so they had to get a team of 4 men, dismantle the whole bath and replace the plug which had some sort of permanent fixing into the floor. They were quick about it too having drained the bath late at night and hey ho ding dong the doorbell went at 8am the next morning and in they came with the new plug. Sorted!
The grounds here are also quite large and here is a selection of photographs.
There were also an abundance of things to do and see, Golf , Horse Riding, Water sports, in fact just too many to list.
Sadly these large Tortoises are an endangered and now protected species so they had to be kept in captivity.
Some of the ruins of Balaclava which are very historical.
Another part of the grounds and these trees gave the place a real tropical feel to it.
Jnr P trying the Archery. We all had a go and as you can see from the next photo thank goodness I wasn’t around in the Robin Hood days!
Some of the local wildlife. I spotted this hungry Lizard near to the Spa.
This was only one half of the Pool area. The sun loungers were just amazing. Like single beds with a great thick mattress and the pool area was cleaned for about two hours every morning. Spotless! The thatched roof area is known as the Quarterdeck Bar and you could have lunch here too. I took the pool photos from the Bellevue restaurant which is the hotels main one. It is a buffet every night with an excellent choice of food. However there is a choice of an Italian, The La Maree as well as The Mon Desir which was a La Carte and expensive! although you did get a credit for the latter. The Quarterdeck area is also one of the areas for watching the evening entertainment which was OK, cultural and light hearted and mainly consisted of singers or Traditional dancers etc.
One night was amazing though. Two Astronomers were visiting, they set up their high powered telescope and we had a real close up of the moon! We also got a guided tour of the stars via a laser pen but to be honest I sometimes struggled how to see all the ‘animals’ and constellations etc. It was fascinating though, I really enjoyed it and the whole thing lasted about an hour and a half. It’s quite odd looking at the Stars when you’re half pissed! The staff even took our orders from the beach and brought us our drinks! This is where the All Inclusive is worth it in my opinion. Most cocktails were available and with some at £10-12 a pop then after Mrs P and I had drank about a minimum of 4 each night you can see the value.
We were reminded it was nearing Christmas and my thoughts turned back home from time to time. I had to make sure my niece had bought all our Christmas Dinner from Marks and Spencer’s as we didn’t get home until late on the 23rd of December. We would love to have stayed in Mauritius until after Christmas but our Fathers are in their 70’s now and both recently widowed so family obligations quite rightly came first.
All in all an excellent week and if anyone wants to finds out more or see more photos then Trip Advisor etc are awash with them! Thanks again for viewing and………….
Coming Friday - The return journey home
Last edited by PETER01; Sep 23, 2011 at 9:41 am Reason: photo error