Yes, I admit it. The lady IS for turning. In the past, the holiday philosophy in the Alexander household has been when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Live like them, eat like them, behave like them (well, not all the time) and experience the country like a native, not a tourist.
 To that end, France, Spain, Italy have always been favourites. The Caribbean, West Indies, The Seychelles, any other exotic islands in the Indian Ocean have never been on the Must Go There list. Granted the publicity shots look idyllic in the brochure and travel magazines. But they would wouldnt they? However does the reality live up to the expectations? Rarely, according to friends and acquaintances. The resorts are generally compound-based, all-inclusive. It is not encouraged to move from the bar and restaurants in your hotels, there is little to see and do AND you have to spend anything from nine hours upwards on an aeroplane worrying about DVT and trying not to strangle the resident snorer sitting next to you. No, not our cup of tea at all. Then we had the opportunity to jet off to Mauritius for a week of winter sun. And Im ashamed to say all our principles went immediately out of our Air Mauritius airbus window. And from the moment we landed after a very comfortable snore free 12-hour flight, I knew I would be eating my words. The island is quite simply paradise. In fact I could stop writing here - but I wont. You can tell a lot about a country or a city by its taxi drivers. From the moment we got into the car our driver proudly relayed (in French for the first 20 minutes until he asked us where in France we can from and then laughed when we said Birmingham, the UK, because English is the native language in Mauritius!) the history of the island as we headed north to our destination of the Royal Palm at Grand Baie. He even stopped by the roadside to buy us fresh lychees from a street vendor. Set along a magnificent private beach on the protected Northern coastline of the island our hotel Royal Palm combined elegance and tradition with authentic Mauritian art of living. A member of The Leading Hotels in World, Beachcombers flagship establishment Royal Palm had a sumptuous but understated luxury that oozed class not crass. Despite being a favourite for many celebrities it is not a place to be seen (leave that to the Toussrok) it is a place to be intimate, private and a place to completely chill out. From the moment we arrived and were shown to our junior suite (the biggest bed I have ever seen. Joy, I could lose my 6 3 husband in it), the service was exquisite. Attentive, but not in your face. Friendly, but not chummy. Our room was on the third floor and as with all the rooms at Royal Palm it had a sea view. And that view across the ocean was breathtaking. No superlatives can describe clear blue sea as far as the eye could see, white sand, palm trees, brightly painted fishing boats bobbing up and down - not a perception, very much the reality. Once unpacked - and the numerous television channels flicked through to check we could get the football results - its a man thing - it was time to explore before hitting the beach with one of the six books I had packed. There are three restaurants at Royal Palm - La Goelette, Le Bar Plage, and Natureaty (more of these later) - as well as fabulous sunken bar in the middle of the terrace, a beautiful place to linger over a pre-dinner cocktail watching the sun set across the ocean. There are tennis courts, two infinity pools (where the water comes up to the edge of the pool but miraculously does not spill over the top), a well-equipped gym (I ventured there twice!) and the most beautiful spa I have ever had the privilege of coming across. It is peace personified with a real oriental feel where you can discover the art of massage as it was in ancestral Indian times sitting comfortably alongside the more conventional Clarins treatments. We only had to made three decisions a day - where and what to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. However this was not as easy as it might sound. The buffet-style breakfast could be taken in the main restaurant, or for no extra cost, you could order room service and have your private terrace table laid with linen and china to enjoy the homemade honey, jams and bread. Lunch was slightly more tricky. There was of course the beach restaurant at the hotel Le Bar Plage. In the shade of the magnificent badaam-tree facing the lagoon, it was a magical place offering a wide choice of salads, grills and pastries. Or you could take the short walk into the fashionable village of Grand Baie where you could follow a traditional Creole curry or seafood platter (about £6 a head with a beer) in one of the numerous, inexpensive restaurants, with a spot of designer shopping. If Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Lacoste or Armani are on your list, you can pick up genuine polo shirts for around £7 and work/casual shirts for £10 each. In the evening (we were half board) there was a choice of the acclaimed La Goelette, a fabulously atmospheric restaurant (Beachcomber has just spent £1.5m on lighting in the hotel) which h as a panoramic view over the bay. Overlooking the sea it offered inventive choice of fine international and Mauritian cuisine. The service was spectacular and standard of food consistently the best my husband had ever eaten. And if you knew him, thats quite a recommendation. Or for the more health conscious or those who wanted a lighted meal the Natureaty was a great choice. Dinner in the tropical setting of the spa was an experience in sampling the tastes and textures of meals prepared with the freshest ingredients and served with flair in a diversity of colours and shapes. There is also a lot to do on the island, if and when the mood takes you. Discover the hidden assets of Mauritius on foot or by car, its indigenous flora and fauna as well as breathtaking landscape - on land or under water. We fell in the love with the island, our hotel and particularly the people. We will be going back. I hope you give it a try. To enjoy your own experience of Beachcomber Hotels contact your local independent travel agent, details of which can be found at www.beachcombertours.co.uk in the locate travel agent section. | 
