Aanari Hotel & Spa
Flic-en-Flac · Black River
3 starsStandard
Aanari Hotel & Spa stands on Royal Road, at Pasadena Village, in the heart of Flic en Flac, on the west coast of Mauritius, in the Rivière Noire district. The hotel has fifty rooms across two wings, a few steps from the beach. It is rated three stars, in the Standard sub-category. It draws on the Mauritian melting pot, rooted in Chinese, Indian and Creole traditions.
- Rooms
- 50
- Categories
- 4
Room categories
- Standard Room, mountain view, cosy format for two guests
- Deluxe Room, private balcony, mountain view, more spacious
- Club Room, ocean view, spa access and premium perks
- Family Club Room, ocean view, separate children’s room
The hotel at a glance
- Rooms
- 50
- Restaurants
- Two: Mei Yan, Cantonese cooking by two chefs from mainland China, two hundred seats, open noon to 10 pm, Peking duck carved tableside, stuffed taro, Japanese tofu with Chinese greens, fresh chilli crab, grilled lobster; and the Colonial Garden, the all-day restaurant open 7.30 am to 10 pm, buffet breakfast, themed buffets every evening and an international à la carte menu with salads, grilled seafood and classic dishes from local produce
- Bars
- One: the Colonial Bar, open 6 pm to 10 pm, cocktails made with local fruit and tapas-style appetizer platters, live entertainment on select evenings; happy hour every day from 4 pm to 7 pm, all drinks at half price
- Pools
- One outdoor pool with a two-tiered sundeck, open 8 am to 7 pm
- Spa
- The Amrita Spa, open 9 am to 5 pm, treatments at a fee: a couples massage pavilion, one massage cabin, a Finnish sauna, a steam bath, and separate changing rooms with individual lockers for men and women
- Beach
- The public beach at Flic en Flac, a few steps from the hotel, west coast
- Sports and activities
- Gym with treadmills, cross trainers and gym bikes, Outdoor pool, From the beach: snorkelling, dolphin watching, glass-bottom boat, big-game fishing and water sports, Nearby: the Ticabo Diving Centre, PADI certified
What sets it apart
The Cantonese table Mei Yan is the hotel’s argument: two chefs brought from mainland China, two hundred seats, and a menu running from Peking duck carved tableside to chilli crab and grilled lobster, by way of stuffed taro and Japanese tofu with Chinese greens. The restaurant draws hotel guests and Mauritians from across the island alike. Rooms run from the Standard, mountain view, to the Family Club, ocean view with a separate children’s room.
The mood
The evening buffet changes theme every day of the week: chef’s buffet on Monday, Mauritian on Tuesday with a sega show at 8 pm, Asian on Wednesday, Indian on Thursday, Italian on Friday, Chinese on Saturday with live music, and barbecue on Sunday. The Colonial Garden serves a buffet breakfast and dines among the foliage, facing the horizon. The Colonial Bar comes alive in the evening, with a happy hour every day from 4 pm to 7 pm, all drinks at half price.
Highlights
- Only fifty rooms, in two wings, a few steps from Flic en Flac beach
- Mei Yan, two hundred seats, Cantonese cooking by two chefs from mainland China
- Peking duck carved tableside, fresh chilli crab, grilled lobster
- A different themed buffet every evening, with sega on Tuesday and live music on Saturday
- Happy hour every day from 4 pm to 7 pm, all drinks at half price
- Outdoor pool with a two-tiered sundeck
- Amrita Spa with a couples pavilion, Finnish sauna and steam bath
Good to know
- Spa treatments cost extra, and the prices the hotel shows do not include the fifteen per cent VAT: ask the spa for the final price.
- The spa has only one treatment cabin and one couples pavilion: book early.
- Tuesday’s buffet comes with a sega show at 8 pm, Saturday’s with live music: the two liveliest evenings.
- Mei Yan opens only from noon to 10 pm; the Colonial Garden covers the rest of the day, 7.30 am to 10 pm.
- The pool closes at 7 pm and the spa at 5 pm: late afternoons happen at the bar or on the beach.
- The Ticabo PADI dive centre is a few steps away, so there is no need to travel to dive.
Getting there
The address is Royal Road, Pasadena Village, Flic en Flac, on the west coast. The telephone number is +230 453 9000, and the front desk is open around the clock, seven days a week. The immediate surroundings include a police station, a post office, a Western Union and Thomas Cook currency exchange, a PADI-certified dive centre, the Ticabo Diving Centre, and the Clinique de l’Occident, open around the clock. A Hindu temple is one hundred metres away, St Marc Church a five-minute drive, and a mosque is nearby.
In the journal