Club Med La Plantation D’Albion, Mauritius
Down-to-earth, thoughtfully designed and well-equipped with expensive lush lawns, curved lagoon-like infinity pools, sprawling restaurants (so big that it never felt crowded) and dreamy sea-views through dramatic palms, La Plantation D’Albion is simple, stylish and very family-friendly.
The resort is perfect for parents seeking some rest and relaxation whilst their children are kept active and busy in the nautical-themed children’s club if they wish.
One of the highlights of this five-star resort is its tropical location in a sun-soaked cove on the wind-sheltered western coast of Mauritius. A teeming coral reef that encompasses 330km of the island further shelters the resort from Indian Ocean waves, providing snorkeling and diving right on your doorstep. The resort has two beaches, two pools and is marked by over-sized, exotic vegetation – banyan trees, cacti and palms – and original ancient ruins, which enhance the charm of the place. It also makes the beach safe for all ages, as virtually not a ripple of a wave.
This all-inclusive resort consists of 226 rooms and 23 villas. It looks out onto the Indian Ocean over a sweeping white, sun-drenched and palm-fringed beach that the kids love to play on whilst the parents can enjoy long, sociable meals at the beachside restaurant. The resort is carefully designed with pockets of sun and shade throughout.
Be you a family of land lovers or water-lovers, or a happy mix, there’s plenty here to keep everyone happy. There’s sure to be an activity for everyone from the wide variety on offer: archery, mini-golf, sailing, tennis, diving, kayaks, beach volleyball, SUPing (stand up paddleboarding), bocce ball, snorkeling, pilates, water polo and more.
Waterfront opens daily 9 am but you can stand-up paddle board from 8 am; there are separate sailing and kayak paddle zones at the waterfront. Lifejackets and UV suits are all provided. For keen sailors, there’s a daily 10 am sailing lesson with the highlights being a weekly sailing race, Armada to the Troux Beach opposite and sailing dinner.
Award-winning French chefs produce a smorgasbord of fresh gourmet delights daily, and kids love the ice-cream bar. There’s even a ‘baby corner’, a dedicated baby food station in the main restaurant with baby and toddler appropriate food. But it’s the quality and go-that-extra-mile of the staff, who ratio around two: one with hotel guests, that everyone (including my family) raves about.
As with every Club Med holiday, the evening entertainment is great. There’s trapeze, acrobats, singers, fire dancers and no shortage of sequins and singing.
For us, the highlights were the swimming pools, child-care offerings, zen-like Cinq Mondes Spa, water sports offerings, Tennis (the coach Ali was excellent and fantastic staff! Receptionist Renata and barman Ray!)
Family boat trips to swim with wild dolphins are popular too. At the end of the day, the bar and sparkling fairy-lit beach terrace were the idyllic places to wind down and soak up the amazing Indian Ocean sunsets.