Alone in Mauritius: six hotels on a human scale

A solo traveller does not ask the same of a hotel as a couple does. He or she notices the size of the house, because at three hundred rooms one remains anonymous and at thirty one becomes a face. One notices the moments when a table, a boat or a class is shared with a few strangers. And one notices whatever makes it possible to leave the hotel without hiring a car.

The six addresses that follow are not reserved for solo travellers, and none claims to be. What they share is a measured scale, between eighteen and eighty-one rooms, and at least one reason not to spend the evening alone facing the lagoon, should one not wish to.

In Grand Baie, the thirty-six rooms and suites of 20 Degrés Sud each have a different layout, in a former colonial house built on a coconut grove. The Charme rooms, of about twenty-five square metres, look onto the palms; they are the simplest in the house.

Two tables are shared among a few. The Table du Chef seats just four guests, facing the kitchens, every evening at 7pm, for a surprise menu by chef Sanjeev Purahoo. The Lady Lisbeth, which has sailed the lagoon since 1927, takes eight guests each evening on a dinner cruise, from 7.30pm to 11pm. Yoga is held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10am to 11am and on Fridays from 4pm to 5pm, with a specialist instructor.

In Pereybère, the Hibiscus has been home since 2007 to a dive club, the ORCA Dive Club Mauritius, working to PADI and SSI standards. The boat leaves from the hotel jetty for the northern sites, Coin de Mire, the Sharks Pit or Trou aux Biches, and a free try-dive takes place in the pool at any hour. For a solo traveller, a dive club offers ready-made company: one heads out to sea with other divers, led by a team.

In the evening, the rooftop bar is open from 11am to 11pm, with tapas, cocktails and a view of the sunset, and the Casita Beach Bar holds its happy hour from 6pm to 7pm. Live music accompanies aperitifs and dinner, and tour operators based in the lobby arrange excursions.

Between Mont Choisy and Pointe aux Canonniers, the Seapoint is reserved for adults, in a quiet residential neighbourhood. All twenty-four of its rooms have an unobstructed view of the sea and of three northern islets, Coin de Mire, Île Plate and Île Ronde. The Ocean suite, of thirty-six to forty-two square metres, adds a private patio and a separate sitting room.

Le Hublot, set on the beach itself, serves Franco-Mauritian cooking at lunch and dinner, and live music accompanies some evenings. Kayaks, paddleboards and bicycles are included, which makes it possible to follow the coast at one’s own pace, relying on nobody.

At Palmar, on the east coast, the Seasense has sixty-three rooms reserved for adults, renovated in August 2024. Its cellar, Le Connaisseur, holds more than a thousand bottles, including more than a hundred prestige labels, and the house sommelier guides the choice, which gives a solitary dinner someone to talk to.

The Watering Hole, a central bar inspired by the African savannah, is open from 8am to 11.45pm, with local artists playing in the evening. At the SeaFit gym, yoga classes are given by a qualified instructor. The Charme room, of thirty to thirty-five square metres, is the way into the house.

At Grand Gaube, in a fishing village on the north coast, this Veranda of eighty-one rooms is reserved for adults. Its restaurant, Le Saint Géran, is built at the end of a jetty, under a thatched roof: one dines above the water, facing the lagoon and the northern islands.

For those travelling without a car, a free shuttle runs to Grand Baie twice a week, and in the evening at weekends. The thirty-two-square-metre Confort rooms are designed for two adults and form the hotel’s simplest category.

At Trou aux Biches, the Wonders has just eighteen rooms, in a recently built property, and does not accept children under twelve. The Junior suites, of forty square metres, are on the upper floors, with views of the Indian Ocean; the pool looks onto the lagoon, and Mont Choisy beach is a short walk away.

An electronic concierge, reached by phone, handles requests without going through reception, which suits those who prefer to plan their days alone. These six houses share the same measure: small enough that one is not just a room number, lively enough that one need not always dine alone.