The Lagoon Attitude Mauritius

We decided to visit Mauritius for our honeymoon, mostly because of the prospect of sun, sea and wildlife. I had visited the island back in 2009, so had a vague recollection of what to expect. Jack on the other hand had never been and so it was a completely new experience for him. We spent ages looking at hotels and eventually worked with Kuoni to decide on the Lagoon Attitude Mauritius. The hotel is part of a larger chain and prides itself on being sustainable, especially in regards to the marine life. They even have a marine centre in the hotel! Our experience of this four star hotel was mixed and here is my account of our experience.

The Location and Arrival

The hotel is probably as far from the airport as you can get in Mauritius. Now, this is not a negative as it means that it is rather quiet. You are also away from the main centre of the hotels and from all of the main sights of the island. Truthfully, we did not pay a lot of attention to the location as we liked the ethos of the hotel. However, it meant that our days were slightly longer than they could have been and that transfers to and from the airport were a good hour. Not a huge issue by any means, but a good thing to know if you are considering booking here.

We arrived late in the evening after a long flight from Dubai. We were greeted by a drink and a warm towel whilst reception sorted out our stuff. After proving that we were on a honeymoon (not unusual, but a key part of this review) and then were taken to our room. I think the arrival could have been slightly warmer, but the staff of the Lagoon Attitude were friendly enough.

The Room

Our room had been a Seafront View, which we decided to book because it was a mid-tier balcony room. We entered the room and it just looked a bit tired. The decor was a bit mixed. There was some fabulous decor made of sustainable and recycled materials. This really went with the vibe of the hotel, which was a huge selling point. However, there was also cheap parts of the room that did not go with the luxury angle that the hotel was clearly aspiring to. For instance, there was a large lizard casually sat behind the bed when we came in.

The bed was comfortable and we had been left a small welcome present to celebrate our honeymoon. We also had a great balcony which was perfect for an evening drink, however, was suspiciously poolside for a seaview room.

The bathroom too appeared to have not been updated since the 1990s. The shower and tiles looked old and were in desperate need of updating. I completely understand that this is not the end of the world but, considering the price bracket, you would expect this to be competing with higher-end hotels.

Compared to other luxury hotels I had stayed at, even in Mauritius, I just thought that more effort needed to be placed into the room. It was not bad by any means and, if it had not been part of a luxury honeymoon, I probably would have liked it.

The Food

The food at the Lagoon Attitude ranged massively. Their flagship buffet was included in our All Inclusive package and we had breakfast and lunch there each day we stayed there. The food was nothing special but was on the whole good. There was a decent amount of choice for breakfast, but it was on a bi-daily cycle of what was on offer. For lunch, there was a selection of different foods based on a theme, which again was decent food. I cannot complain too much about this.

However, there are also three other restaurants here and all three are amazing. There is one caveat though; you have to book in advance and some travel agents will not do it for you. Sadly, we were part of the latter group. Coral is the seafood restaurant. We ate here twice and on both occasions were amazed by the quality of the food. We also went to Cote Nou, which specialised in local cuisine. I had my best meal here and loved how I just felt at home.

My issue comes from the stark contrast between the restaurants. We tried booking these restaurants within the first hour of arrival and were told that they were fully-booked. After complaining, we managed to wrangle three evenings there, including our honeymoon meal which we were told was included as part of our package. The staff at the other restaurants were also amazingly friendly and accommodating. If we had not complained though, we would not have been able to enjoy the incredible food on offer and it was a shame that we had to do that. We also did not manage to get into Seagrass before the end of the holiday.

The Facilities

So far I am giving the Lagoon Attitude Mauritius a bit of a tough time. The facilities were actually really quite nice. There were three pools; two of which were located near the sea and were in the most tranquil environment. One was in the midst of it all and nobody really seemed to go there, except to play volleyball… The quieter pools were also right by the Coral Bar, which served some amazing cocktails on tap. I had some lovely quiet moments sat by the pool, either reading a book or watching all the birds.

The hotel is also right next to a natural lagoon, hence the name. Because of this there is a marine biology centre right next to the Coral Bar and you can learn about the wildlife here. We loved visiting it and speaking to the biologists there, especially my husband with his background. There was also a snorkelling trail and a dive centre and, for us, this was just perfect. With our busy days we never got to go diving, but we did manage to get out to the reef and snorkel. There is also a great gym and a selection of fitness classes for people.

I found that the hotel was in two halves. The older side by the buffet looked tired and had not had a lot of focus. The newer side, by Coral, looked incredible and would easily steal the show in any Kuoni magazine.

The Verdict

If it weren’t our honeymoon, I would say that this hotel was great. Whilst it is tired in some areas, it could be argued that it goes with the entire brand of the hotel. However, with that and the restaurant issues, I am not entirely sure I could recommend this hotel from a personal point of view. Having stayed in a luxurious hotel in Mauritius in the past, the two were non-comparable. I loved the idea of an eco-friendly, luxury hotel that supports local marine conservation causes, but I just do not think the Lagoon Attitude Mauritius is it… Yet.

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