Veranda Belle Mare
Belle Mare · Flacq
3 starsStandard
Veranda Belle Mare, formerly Veranda Palmar Beach, lines the Palmar lagoon at Belle Mare, on the east coast of Mauritius, in the Flacq district. Thatched roofs, white façades and banks of bougainvillea: the hotel plays the seaside style, in a retro-chic decor inspired by the 1970s and 1980s. Rated three stars. It has 77 rooms, all of 36 square metres, and stretches along a beach a kilometre and a half long.
- Rooms
- 77
- Categories
- 3
- From the airport
- 50 km
Room categories
- Comfort Room, 36 m² with a 6 m² balcony or terrace, 47 rooms facing the pool or garden, up to 2 adults and 2 children or 3 adults
- Comfort Sea View Room, 36 m² with a 6 m² balcony, 16 rooms on the upper floors, up to 2 adults and 2 children or 3 adults
- Comfort Beachfront Room, 36 m² with a 7 m² terrace, 14 rooms with a private garden, two sun loungers and a parasol, espresso machine, up to 2 adults and 2 children or 3 adults
The hotel at a glance
- Rooms
- 77
- Restaurants
- Two: Regata, the main restaurant by the pool, Chinese, Indian, European and international cooking, breakfast 7 am to 10 am, buffet lunch noon to 3 pm, buffet or table d’hôte dinner 7 pm to 10 pm; Horizon, the beach restaurant, seafood and grills, lunch noon to 3 pm and dinner 7.30 pm to 10 pm, six evenings a week except Sunday, by reservation and at a supplement. Plus a Mauritian street food kiosk from noon to 3 pm.
- Bars
- Two: BarAcuda, the main bar, at the edge of the garden and the pool, crêpes at tea time, 11 am to 11 pm, and Horizon, the beach bar facing the lagoon, 11 am to 5 pm. Plus a rum bar, 11 am to 11 pm, with a wide range of local rums.
- Pools
- One
- Spa
- Seven Colours Spa, open daily 9 am to 8 pm, booked at the spa desk: two massage rooms, a sauna, manicure and pedicure, hairdresser
- Beach
- A one-and-a-half-kilometre white sand beach on the Palmar lagoon, east coast
- Kids club
- Free kids club for ages 3 to 11, open daily 8.30 am to 8 pm, with organised daily activities and a children’s menu on request. Babysitting day and evening on request, payable, forty-eight hours’ notice.
- Sports and activities
- Included: pool, aquagym, windsurfing, kayak, pedalo, stand-up paddle, snorkelling, glass-bottom boat, French bowling, table tennis, traditional games such as carrom and dominoes, Payable: PADI scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, kitesurfing, parasailing, Hobie Cat, speedboat and catamaran trips, Play available at Heritage Golf Club, One entry ticket per person per stay to the World of Seashells museum, transfers not included, Themed evenings: sega, Indian or African culture, concerts and dance nights
- Internet
- Free in rooms
What sets it apart
This is an all-inclusive address, and the package goes a long way into detail: breakfast, lunch and dinner at the main restaurant, lunch from a selection of dishes at the beach restaurant, tea and crêpes from 3.45 pm to 5 pm, Mauritian snacks at the street-food kiosk from noon to 3 pm, local drinks at the bar from 11 am to 11 pm, a minibar of soft drinks and local beers restocked daily, and a picnic basket for excursions, to be booked twenty-four hours ahead. A credit of 800 rupees per person per night is offered for dinner at the Horizon beach restaurant, by reservation. The package also opens, at no extra charge, the restaurants of the four other Veranda hotels, transport remaining at the guest’s expense.
The mood
The hotel is small and everything turns around the beach and the pool: the main restaurant is at the water’s edge, the beach restaurant and bar look onto the lagoon, and a rum bar offers a wide range of local rums, including house recipes, from 11 am to 11 pm. Evenings are themed, sega, Indian or African culture, concerts and dance nights. In the evening swimwear is not accepted at table: bermudas or trousers and a collared shirt for men.
Highlights
- A one-and-a-half-kilometre white sand beach, on the Palmar lagoon
- A detailed all-inclusive plan, with a credit for dinner at the beach restaurant
- Only seventy-seven rooms, all of thirty-six square metres
- Fourteen beachfront rooms with a private garden, sun loungers and an espresso machine
- A rum bar with house recipes, open 11 am to 11 pm
- Food and drink included at the four other Veranda hotels
Good to know
- The tourist tax is not included in the rate: three euros per night per person from the age of twelve, payable at the end of the stay.
- The Horizon beach restaurant requires a reservation and a supplement, and closes on Sunday evening.
- Dinner does not allow swimwear; men are asked for bermudas or trousers and a collared shirt.
- Only food and drink served by the hotel are allowed on the estate.
- Scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, kitesurfing, parasailing and boat trips are payable; windsurfing, kayak, pedalo, paddle and snorkelling are included.
- The picnic basket for an excursion must be booked twenty-four hours ahead, and babysitting forty-eight hours ahead.
Getting there
The address is Coastal Road, Belle Mare, on the east coast. The international airport is about 50 kilometres and a 1 hour 5 minute drive away, and the hotel arranges transfers at a supplement. Check-in is from 2 pm and check-out at noon, with an arrival and departure lounge for early arrivals or late departures.
In the journal