Believe it or not, but there is nowhere in this world that is too far away to travel to energise your soul. This time we are on the amazing island of Mauritius, and so far, five days in, we’re having the time of our lives. Staying in one of the most luxurious hotel resorts we’ve ever been to (and we’ve been to quite a few) makes it soooo easy to let our hair down and simply just relax. That’s it. Relax! Well, almost 😜

We were welcomed by a very large and bright rainbow, while we were still in the air. As soon as the plane broke through the clouds while descending to land, there it was, in all its glory! It seemed to say “welcome to paradise”. It took very long before we were allowed off the plane, and even longer before all our suitcases appeared on the baggage carousel, but so what, the friendly smiles everywhere made us feel good. Our driver had a long wait but was very patient and kept on assuring us to “take-your-time-no-problem” when we needed to exchange currency and “undress”. It was humid! He was also quite informative and the landscape en route to the resort was also interesting, with lots and lots of sugar fields as far as the eye can see. Oh, and another rainbow winked at us! So far we’ve seen four!!!

Our resort hotel is WOW! Before our driver stopped, two staff members came to greet and welcome us. One took care of our luggage and the other did all the necessary and stayed with us until we were in our suite. We’re not new to such an experience but it’s still amazing every time it happens. The service here is fantastic. Nothing is too much to ask for and everything is done with a smile. Let’s not talk about the free bubbly and the bottle of local rum as a welcome gift. Did I mention the cocktails??? Slurp-Slurp-Yummy! There’s also a Rum Tree! Yep, a Rum Treehouse set in a very old Banyan tree.

 

 

Talking about the Banyan tree. Every night just before the sun sets, all the birds gather in the Banyan trees, the most in a tree right in front of our suite. You should hear the noise! Beautiful chirping, tweeting, singing, and so loud it’s almost deafening. It sounds like there are millions and millions of birds in there! Absolutely amazing! A story related by an elderly Indian man says that the Banyan tree is a sacred tree where the birds come at night as souls to meet and renew themselves for the next day. Whoa! Just LOVE this spiritual meaning ❤️ ❤️ ❤️The Banyan is also the national tree of India.

 

 

 

 

Soooo, in the last four days we’ve already had one of our complimentary Spa treatments, sat in a steam bath, did a bit of sauna, bubbled in the jacuzzi, got beach sand between our toes and ate a lot of ice cream. A LOT! We’ve seen many sunsets and had short bursts of rain at least once a day, (very short, like whoops, no time to run, so you get soaked from head to toe and dried up after five minutes). We’ve walked the vast resort (almost like a hiking trip 😆) and lazed at the pool! We’ve had delicious breakfasts with fruits so sweet and fresh, lunch on the beach or supper at the pool. OMG, the hips! Whateverrrrr!

 

 

Live bands have been entertaining us almost every night so what else to do but loosen those limbs and dance. We slow danced, did some hug-me-tight-moves, a bit of boogie-woogie, some disco and lots of jump-jump! Dem bones, ooh-na-naaa!

We’ve already ventured out on our own, driving on the “other” side. It was uhm…okay hahaha. No Oops! or Sorry! or WTF! just OMG! but we got back in one piece. We needed a sip or two of some nerve juice hahaha…We’re really enjoying our sundowners too…

 

 

 

Oh, and here are a few local birds that we’ve seen so far…

 

 

 

… Green-Backed (Striated) Heron, Mauritius Common mynah, Yellow-fronted canary

 

 

 

… Red Whiskered Bulbul

 

 

 

There is still so much to do! Tennis, Badminton, Snorkelling, Yoga, Zumba and many, many other activities offered free of charge here. We’re also going to explore the island on our own, with a bit of hiking too. Watch this space!