Review of La Pirogue Mauritius 4*

Location, climate and facilities were great. The beach was beautiful and the sunsets picturesque (every photo looks better with a palm tree in it). The rooms were bright and cool but the partition walls thin enough to hear most of what was happening next door. Housekeeping seemed a bit random in regard to the time of day they visited and soft furnishings (like our bathroom rug) could disappear without notice or reason. Similarly the evening turndown service only occurred on three of the seven nights we were there. Despite the quantity, the evening buffet was a little underwhelming and the emphasis was more on the guests palates than a representation of local cuisine. There was a very poor range for vegetarians (on Asian night there was only one vegetarian dish — even the salads contained meat or fish). There didn't seem to be enough staff in the evenings and the service was a little chaotic — it was often difficult attracting someone's attention to get a drink or the bill. Breakfasts were much better, however, and there were enough staff to get you a coffee and set you up for the day. The evening entertainment was a little dated but fun if you wanted it. Unfortunately the proximity of the Entertainment Area to the Magenta Restaurant meant that if you were inclined to have a quiet meal in its romantic setting you were disturbed by the overwhelming noise. Also Magenta seemed unable to produce what was actually stated on their menu and even sent us elsewhere for coffee. We would have liked to have tried Citronella's Cafe but, although we knew you had to book in advance, were not told that it was so popular it was booked up four days in advance. The Spa Cinq Mondes at Sugar Beach was excellent. The staff were very friendly and it was a perfect place to fully relax. The biggest criticism of our experience was less with the resort and more with our fellow guests, specifically the parents who inflicted their children upon unsuspecting vacationers. We're not against children in any way but when we go on holiday it is to relax. This was hard to do given that most parents chose to ignore the Kids Club facilities of the resort and keep them with them at the pool, the beach and the bars, where they generally ran amok. Not so bad in the daytime perhaps, when you could move a little further down the beach to a quieter spot (that was still serviced by the cocktail wagon) but the evenings tended to be spoiled. For the duration of the (7pm-10pm) evening meals there was barely a moment when the sound of a crying baby or tantrum-throwing toddler couldn't be heard in the buffet. Getting your food involved navigating around prams and buggies, avoiding abandoned toddlers and dodging racing children. I don't blame the resort for this but it is a factor that should be kept in mind if you're wanting to escape somewhere to relax.