Hotel Review One&Only Le Saint Géran, Bel Ombre/Mauritius. Research Stay.
Location
The One&Only Le Saint Géran is located in the north-east of Mauritius. Around 62 kilometres separate you from the airport. Of course, you cover this distance as stylishly as possible. If you wish, your driver will be waiting for you at the airport, taking care of your luggage and navigating the island’s traffic with a sure hand. In the comfortable white minibus, chilled towels, drinks and a few snacks await you. The driver also provides exciting information about the passing landscape. Particularly Practical is The Wi-Fi in the car.
The island capital Port Louis is about 60 kilometres further west. A particularly attractive feature of the resort’s location is that it lies on a small headland. So on one side there is the quiet lagoon complete with beach and opportunities for water sports. And on the other side, the open sea. The buildings are beautifully nestled under tall coconut trees. There are three or four small boutiques within walking distance, otherwise it is very quiet.
Style & Character
One enters the property via a small bridge that leads into a hall open to the front. Immediately, your eyes fall on the iconic sculpture outside on the promenade that runs along the beach and connects all parts of the building. Even here you get a sense of what to expect. Namely, generosity in every respect. Everything is airy, spacious, flooded with light. The entire property is immaculately clean and in top condition. This is worth mentioning because the hotel was the first luxury hotel on the island. It opened in 1975.
After an extensive renovation in 2017, it shines in a modern look without being annoyingly futuristic. Even at check-in, which is celebrated with bubbles (extra points for that alone; it’s quite rare to experience that in Mauritius!), it turns out that the staff are warm, attentive and unobtrusive. The vibe in the resort is a bit reminiscent of the Maldives. People live in casual luxury. Only at dinner do they ask for smart casual as a dress code.
Rooms & Suites
Guests have a total of 142 rooms and suites at their disposal. They are all quite generously sized. The unifying element is the tasteful furnishing: light floors, comfortable sofas, incredibly large and cosy beds, bathrooms with bathtubs and pleasant colours. Off-white, cream and beige predominate. Colour accents are created by grey and light blue elements.
The accommodations differ on the one hand by their category and on the other hand by their location. There are rooms and suites facing the lagoon and those facing the sea, some on the ground floor and some on the upper floor. They all have a furnished terrace or balcony and beautiful views.
Our personal tip: We can recommend suite 177. It is an extremely spacious suite on the ground floor, complete with bathroom including bathtub, rain shower and outdoor shower, walk-in wardrobe, two separate toilets, living room and bedroom as well as two terraces. Their location was just perfect for us: not too close to the restaurant and public areas, and only a few metres from the beach. All suites have their reserved, private cabana on the beach and included butler service.
Uncut, unedited Room Tour
Food & Drinks
At the tip of the island you will find the restaurant La Pointe and the pool bar. We had very, very good tuna salad there. At Tapasake, our favourite restaurant during our One&Only Le Saint Géran experience, we loved pretty much everything. And that’s saying something! The tacos were a particular highlight – simply a crispy dream. At PRIME, they mainly offer delicacies made of meat. After all, it is the steakhouse.
At Le Badamier, you can enjoy lunch, drinks or happy hour right on the beach, depending on the time of day. With a view of the changing colours of the sky, drinks are on the house during happy hour in the evening. These are also simply wonderful. The main restaurant, La Terrasse, serves top quality food throughout the day; buffet style in the morning and evening, but always with à la minute dishes prepared to order. The buffet at One&Only Le Saint Géran is probably the best we’ve seen, along with that at Baros Maldives.
The setting here is also beautiful. You sit either in little pergolas surrounded by the pool or along the path we call the “promenade”. What is also extremely positive is the fact that every staff member here knows about the guests’ dietary requirements. And even if they don’t, they ask again. This makes holidays much more relaxed for guests with food intolerances, allergies and strong personal preferences. Tip: Try the breakfast on the boat – very romantic!
Facilities & Service
Let’s perhaps start with the service. It operates at the highest level here. This probably also has to do with the luxurious staff:guest ratio. For water sports, such as kayaking or stand-up paddling, there is the Boathouse on the lagoon. There are also three pools, luxurious umbrellas and sunbeds on the beach (and cabanas reserved for suite guests) along with a bell button for urgent beer needs, and even on the beach, someone is immediately on hand to spread out the towel, bring water and occasionally drop by with sweets or fruit.
For active guests, the golf course is right next door. At Club One, you can work out in a really well air-conditioned and state-of-the-art gym. Fitness classes like yoga are also offered in high season. Tennis courts and a kids/teens club complete the offer. Also worth mentioning is the wonderful ESPA Spa with its unique wellness and well-being treatments.
What we really loved
Everything, actually. Our One&Only Le Saint Géran experience was top notch. A few points that we would like to emphasise again: The architecture of the resort is designed in such a way that no one would think of traipsing right past the suites on the ground floor. The sunset happy hour at Le Badamier Bar is fantastic. The speciality restaurant “Tapasake” has earned a place in our personal gourmet Olympus. We have even immortalised all the best experiences at One&Only Le Saint Géran in a separate article here.
What we didn’t love too much
We have to think very hard about that. Because actually, our One&Only Le Saint Géran experience was flawless all around. The mangrove kayak tour was not particularly adventurous in our case, as the water level was very low and we expected to learn something about this habitat as well.
Top-Tip
Apart from Suite 177, all our tips in the article about unforgettable experiences at the hotel? Stay as long as you can and book Full Board.
Bottom Line
The hotel is one of our favourite resorts in Mauritius. We can wholeheartedly and honestly recommend it to you. It is probably best suited for:
- Honeymoon
- Romantic Island Getaways
- Family Holidays
- Wellness-Fans and Beach-Fans
One&Only Le Saint Géran
Pointe de Flacq, Poste de Flacq 41518, Mauritius
oneandonlyresorts.com | €€€€€
We stayed there: May of 2023
