All-inclusive: reading the small print

In Mauritius, all-inclusive has found its way even into five-star hotels, and it comes in such different forms that the word, on its own, says almost nothing. The same term describes a package that never stops and an option that ends at 23:00, a formula that opens up a dozen restaurants and another that excludes the two signature restaurants. Three questions bring clarity: when it starts and stops, what remains extra, and where it can be used.

The two Riu hotels on the Le Morne peninsula, the adults-only Riu Palace Mauritius and the family-friendly Riu Turquoise, run a round-the-clock all-inclusive: there is no hour after which drinks stop being included. That is the exception. At the InterContinental in Balaclava, the package runs from 11:00 to 23:00 every day; it begins at 15:00 on the day of arrival and ends at noon on the day of departure, with lunch still served. At the Heritage Awali, in Bel Ombre, it applies from arrival until the time of departure, whatever the check-in times, but bar service becomes chargeable after 23:00. At C Mauritius, in Palmar, it ends after lunch, at 15:00, on the day of departure.

At Beachcomber, where all-inclusive is an option, it starts when the guest arrives and lasts until departure, regardless of official times. At the Trou aux Biches Beachcomber, it runs until 18:00 on the day of departure, for a stay of at least five nights.

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What remains extra

No package includes everything. At the Heritage Le Telfair, spiny lobster, foie gras, wagyu beef, caviar and some of the chef’s specialities are extra on every package. At C Mauritius, special events and luxury products, such as lobster, remain chargeable. At the LUX* Belle Mare, fine wines, champagnes and signature menus are included in no package at all. At the LUX* Le Morne, the two signature restaurants, Kawaii and East, are excluded from the all-inclusive, which gives only a thirty per cent credit on food there.

Drinks call for the same attention. At the InterContinental, those that are included are marked on the menu, and it pays to read it. In some properties, the all-inclusive is served by the glass, one glass at a time, at the bars and restaurants only, with nothing to take away.

The Veranda Belle Mare, a three-star hotel with 77 rooms, shows what a well-described package can look like: breakfast, lunch and dinner in the main restaurant, lunch from a selection of dishes at the beach restaurant, tea and crêpes from 15:45 to 17:00, Mauritian snacks at the kiosk from noon to 15:00, local drinks at the bar from 11:00 to 23:00, a minibar of soft drinks and local beers restocked every day, and a picnic basket for excursions, to be ordered twenty-four hours in advance. On top of this come a credit of 800 rupees per person per night for dinner at the beach restaurant, and access at no extra cost to the restaurants of the four other Veranda hotels, with transport at the guest’s expense.

At the Heritage Awali, the package gives access to the twelve restaurants of the Bel Ombre estate, sparkling wine without limit at the bar from 10:00 to 23:00, unlimited green fees on the Château Golf Course and one complimentary spa treatment per stay, for every adult and every child. At Ambre, in Palmar, which is reserved for adults, it also includes golf on Île aux Cerfs, two floodlit tennis courts and a long list of water sports, from kayaking to Laser sailing.

The package does not always stop at the hotel walls. At Beachcomber, guests at the Shandrani, the Victoria, the Canonnier and the Mauricia move from one to another at no extra cost, each hotel with its own package; the Shandrani offers two, Serenity and Serenity Plus. The Club Med at La Plantation d’Albion brings together in a single price the accommodation, meals, bars and most supervised activities, from the sailing school to the flying trapeze.

Conversely, some properties do without it. The Maradiva, at Flic en Flac, does not offer all-inclusive: its half board includes breakfast and dinner, without drinks, with a credit at its speciality restaurants or at the neighbouring hotel under the same ownership, the Sands Suites.

Mauritian half board has also become more flexible. At Attitude, Dine Around lets guests dine at no extra cost in several restaurants from half board upwards; at Veranda, a credit of 800 to 900 rupees per night covers dinner at the beach restaurant. The choice therefore depends less on principle than on a timetable. Those who take a cocktail at sunset, a glass of wine with dinner and lunch by the pool will get their money’s worth from all-inclusive. Those who spend their days on excursions and dine out will be happier with half board.