Mauritius with children: reading the kids’ club

In Mauritius, a kids’ club is not a selling point: it is almost the norm. Most of the island’s large hotels run one, often free, often open from morning to evening. The difference lies elsewhere, in three questions that are rarely asked before booking: from what age, until what time, and what is planned for the youngest as well as the oldest.

The most common age range is three to eleven. It is the one used by the Beachcomber hotels, from Trou aux Biches to the Shandrani, by the Tamassa at Bel Ombre and by the Veranda hotels at Belle Mare and Tamarin. Other properties set the threshold a little higher: the club at the Constance Prince Maurice takes four- to eleven-year-olds, the Planet Trekkers Kids Club at the InterContinental, in Balaclava, four- to twelve-year-olds, and the Kite Flyers Club at the St. Regis, at Le Morne, the same range. Conversely, the club at Long Beach, in Belle Mare, opens from the age of two, as does the Petit Club Med at La Plantation d’Albion, which is reserved for two- and three-year-olds.

The detail matters more than it might seem. At the Laguna Beach Hotel, in Grande Rivière Sud-Est, the club is free for three- to eleven-year-olds, but children must be toilet-trained. At Le Palmiste, in Trou aux Biches, the club is called Lakaz-Zouzou, the children’s playhouse in Mauritian Creole; it takes four- to twelve-year-olds, and younger children are admitted only under the direct supervision of an adult.

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Babies, the preserve of a few properties

For a baby, the choice narrows and becomes more interesting. The Preskil Island Resort, near Mahébourg, runs a Baby Club that takes children from three months, from 9:00 to 17:00, with a baby menu and staff trained in the care of infants; its Tikoulou club then separates three- to five-year-olds from six- to twelve-year-olds, until 21:30. At Bel Ombre, the two Heritage hotels share the Timomo baby club, free for children from zero to thirty-five months. The one at the Telfair sets itself a rare rule: one nurse for no more than two babies, and five babies in all.

The Beachcomber hotels at Canonnier, Mauricia and the Shandrani have a free bottle-preparation room for children aged zero to two. At the Victoria, it is open to all, day and night, near reception, with a steriliser, bottle warmer, changing table and fridge. The Trou aux Biches Beachcomber goes further, with an area set up for babies and free childcare on weekdays, from 13:00 to 16:00, for one- to two-year-olds. Elsewhere, babysitting is available almost everywhere, but it is charged and requires twenty-four to forty-eight hours’ notice.

A club that closes at 16:00 and one that stays open until 23:00 do not promise the same holiday. The Casuarina, in Trou aux Biches, takes children from 9:00 to 16:00; the Dodo club at the Coral Azur, in Mont Choisy, until 17:00. At the other end of the scale, the Ti Royal Kids Club at the Royal Palm, in Grand Baie, opens from 9:00 to 23:00, with its own pool and staff trained in first aid, and the club at the Dinarobin, at Le Morne, keeps the same hours, with a break between 16:30 and 18:15. At the Heritage Awali, the Timomo Kids Club reopens from 18:30 to 23:00, and at the Outrigger, in Bel Ombre, the team at the Coral mini club looks after children while their parents dine.

Some properties have made childhood a selling point across the board. The Crystals Beach Resort, at Palmar, has its own water park, Aqualand: four thousand square metres, two giant slides, one of them seventy-one metres long and ridden on a rubber ring, and a pool thirty centimetres deep for the youngest, all of it included for every guest. At Sugar Beach, in Flic en Flac, the kids’ club and the teens’ club are free, each with its own buffet and pool, and two children under twelve stay free per booking. At Beachcomber, the all-inclusive package is free for children up to the age of eleven, and twelve- to seventeen-year-olds enjoy a reduced rate all year round.

The room matters too. The Casuarina has ten family cottages, with a kitchenette and a separate room for the children, sleeping up to four. The Veranda Tamarin has twelve family units of two connecting rooms, and twelve units for teenagers, from the age of twelve, with the bed on a mezzanine. The Shandrani offers family apartments with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Past eleven or twelve, a child no longer goes to the club, and that is often where a stay becomes complicated. Several hotels answer with a space of their own. The LUX* hotels at Belle Mare, Grand Baie and Grand Gaube have their Studio 17, for twelve- to seventeen-year-olds; in Grand Baie, it has arcade games, a games console, billiards and a mixing desk. The Tamassa opens its own from 8:00 to 23:00, with billiards, water polo and beach volleyball. At the St. Regis, teenagers have the Drawing Room, in the manor house; at the Shangri-La Le Touessrok, thirteen- to seventeen-year-olds have access to padel, a games console and archery. The Club Med at Albion, for its part, covers the age range up to seventeen with its Junior Club Med, which has a spa for teenagers.

When it comes to choosing, then, the order of questions is simple: the children’s ages first, the time you want to dine next, the room last. The beach and the pool come afterwards, and they are rarely what makes the difference.