I arrived in Mauritius to an angry downpour. When you’ve flown six thousand miles to a tropical island paradise, it can be challenging to find the positives in dark clouds and a constant growl of thunder in the distance.
Despite the slightly apocalyptic welcome, my arrival at Le Jadis Beach Resort and Wellness offered a glimmer of sunshine. You know you’re staying somewhere special when dark rain clouds and puddles don’t take anything away from the beauty of a location.
Hotel
Tucked away in the Baie aux Tortues, Le Jadis Beach Resort and Wellness is a collection of individual suites and villas that wrap around a lagoon-style swimming pool. There’s something playful about the layout, as if the blueprint of the hotel was drawn up with Peter Pan’s Neverland in mind.
Buildings are tall and thatched and sit amongst flowering Frangipani trees, Madagascar periwinkle, and swaying coconut palms. The beach is punctuated with turnip shaped Bali day beds, and sun loungers draped with towels the colour of ripe mangoes. There are quiet alleyways lush with tropical bushes, shiny and heavy with the day’s downpour. It’s beautiful.
Room
Le Jadis is an all-suite hotel. Airy and spacious, each suite is stylish and simple with walk in wardrobes, dressing tables, and giant freestanding bathtubs. Glossy wooden floors and cream upholstery keep the décor simple and ensure the focus remains on the views of lofty palms and each evening’s magnificent sunset.
Our tip for an indulgent morning is to order one of the hotel’s signature floating breakfasts to your suite. Baskets of pastries, bamboo steamers full of fat dumplings, and plates of dragon fruit, pineapple and mango. Yes, it’s very pretty, but once you’ve achieved the Instagram money shot, it’s a beautiful start to the day: an early morning dip followed by post-breakfast nap wrapped in a Batik robe.
Food and drink
The hotel has several restaurants serving both European and French cuisine, and the real highlights are the evenings where more local flavours are served at the buffet style, Sylea. Mauritian cuisine is an incredible blend of African, Indian and French flavours which means food lovers can expect creamy curries and biriyanis punctuated with fresh herbs – best mopped up with pillowy rotis.
Seafood is also hugely popular on the island, and local catches include dorado and yellowfin tuna. Le Jadis has its very own seafood restaurant located on the beach. Sheltered under a canopy, it must be a delightful midday respite from the sun, although when I dined at the restaurant there was during an enormous downpour which makes the casual lunch significantly more atmospheric and dramatic than intended.
For when the sun does shine, the little lunch spot, Passion Creole, is perfect for when hungry sunbathers don’t want to sacrifice their tanning opportunities at mealtimes. With tables situated in the shallow pool, there’s something strangely satisfying about dipping your toes in cool water while tucking into a club sandwich.
Spa and wellness
The real wow-factor of this hotel lies in their approach to wellness. Vanessa, the spa manager greeted me within five minutes of my arrival. Although she has a calming presence, I could feel her eyes taking me in – calculating my pale, dishevelled and slightly burnt-out appearance with a London shaped chip on my shoulder.
It was only the following morning when she told me a little more about her ‘gift’, a healing power she discovered when she was just a child. Occasionally tapping the rose quartz dangling from her neck, she explained that she tailors each of the therapies at the spa to suit the needs of the guests. Meeting guests on arrival helps her create individual healing treatments intended to get to the core of any stresses and anxieties.
This was helpful as the spa menu was ever so slightly overwhelming. There seems to be a treatment for every ailment, so a quick chat with Vanessa is the best approach to ensure you’re receiving the most beneficial experience. So, what did she prescribe this particularly stressed-out Londoner? A two-part chakra healing, of course.
Now, while I have a scattering of crystals at home, a stack of dusty tarot cards somewhere, and I passionately believe that Mercury in Retrograde is fully to blame for delays on the Jubilee Line, I do remain slightly sceptical when it comes to the idea of energy healing. Which is probably why the first session didn’t quite go to plan.
Despite my best intentions, I spent 30 minutes with eyes closed and fidgeting feet, worrying that I didn’t feel any different, remembering that I hadn’t put an out of office on my emails, and wondering if Vanessa was still in the room. What’s going on with my chakras? A question I can confidently say I’d never asked myself before.
Leaving slightly deflated, I was still able to make the most of the hotel’s wellness offerings – a very chic gym hidden amongst gardens, freshly caught fish grilled to perfection and drenched in lemon and chilli, and a rainbow assortment of fresh juices each morning.
There’s always the opportunity to be a little more indulgent during your stay, but if a little health kick is your modus operandi, then it’s all too easy at Le Jadis to wake up each morning, hangover free and feeling like the very best version of yourself. You might even make it to one of the hotel’s early morning yoga sessions or aqua aerobic classes if you want to feel extra smug.
After my less than eventful first session with Vanessa, I was determined to work on balancing those elusive chakras, so joined her on my last day after she pleaded for me to try and switch off and trust the process.
To my surprise, that second morning lying in the spa, I did start to feel a little something. It started with a warming sensation every time Vanessas hands hovered over various limbs, a feeling of pins and needles in my fingers and toes, and when I seemed to completely relinquish all control, swirls of bright purple that I could see with my eyes closed. Vanessa was particularly excited when I told her about that last part. A look of pure pride, she clutched my hand, and lightly touched my stomach with a knowing smile, and told me that purple signified new beginnings. All a little spooky considering that shortly after my trip I found out I was pregnant.
And to her credit, immediately after the healing, I did feel lighter, less stressed and a whole lot calmer. So, were my chakras now balanced? Had Vanessa healed me from her magical crystal adorned hands? Or could it possibly be three days of eating fresh fruit, taking naps in the shade and meditatively watching the sun set each evening? Perhaps I need a second trip to find out. Just to be sure.
Factbox
British Airways and Air Mauritius both fly direct to Mauritius. Flights start from £718 return. Rates start from £483 on a half-board basis for a minimum for four nights based on two adults sharing a luxury pool suite.
Address: Baie aux Tortues, Le Goulet Rd, Balaclava, Mauritius
Phone: +230 204 1888
Website: lejadis.com
