Laguna Beach Hotel & Spa

Stretching across the southern half of a peninsula, Laguna Beach Hotel & Spa is an all-inclusive resort with sea views from just about every vantage point. The lobby is the only main "inland" area, but even it feels in tune with the local environment, with capiz shell chandeliers, tree-stump flooring, and bright wall photography depicting traditional village life. Walk towards the breeze and through the casual buffet restaurant and you're at the pool deck, the heart of the resort, with the turquoise lagoon -- dotted with simple fishing boats -- and green-capped islands and mountains in the background. The pool area is the hub of Laguna Beach activity; there are organized events like petanque, water aerobics, and beach volleyball, but most activity is more in the vein of guests playing dominos by the bar, scooping out the inside of a fresh coconut, gliding across the pool towards its infinity edge (where they quietly watch local fishermen boat by), or moseying over to the adjacent sandy beach. The pace picks up at night, when live musicians, dancers, or DJs perform throughout or outside the restaurant. All in all, the mid-range resort presents a breezy, basic beach getaway for its clientele of mostly laid-back families. 

Laguna Beach Hotel & Spa's location doubles down on tranquility: The hotel is set on a secluded peninsula off of a tiny fishing village, Camp des Pecheurs. The town's knot of roads leads to a small fishing port, where Laguna Beach's main gate is tucked into a corner. The hotel's remote spot by a small village means that a rental car, taxi, or organized excursion is necessary for seeing other parts of the island. The capital city of Port Louis is clear across the island (about a 75-minute drive), and most of Mauritius' main attractions -- Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden, Black River Gorges National Park, Le Morne peninsula -- are just as far. Driving to the town of Mahebourg or Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR) International Airport take around 45 minutes.

Laguna Beach's rooms are broken into three categories in two buildings: 32 Standard Rooms in the original building (formerly a different hotel), and 26 Deluxe and six Family Rooms in a more modern wing closer to the hotel's beachfront. Traces of the previous hotel are pretty obvious in the Standard Rooms; for example, one-time peek-a-boo bathrooms have been boarded up and covered with bamboo blinds. Rooms in the newer wing are fresher and provide quicker access to the pools and beach (ground-floor rooms in the newer building open directly to the pool lawn or sand). The newer building mimics the original one, so that all 64 rooms are accessed via an open hallway on the backside. Two wheelchair-accessible rooms are available.

Standard Rooms are 270 square feet (including the balcony); Deluxe Rooms add about 110 additional square feet. Family Rooms are the largest option, offering nearly 600 total square feet of space. All rooms feature mini-fridges, electric kettles with free tea and coffee, flat-screen TVs with about a dozen French-language channels, air-conditioning, and balconies or terraces with sea views. Coastal-inspired decorative touches are everywhere, with wicker lampshades and accent walls of deep blue or teal. Even functional items have beachy flair, like woven seagrass trash cans and storage baskets and open closets made from bamboo poles and fisherman rope. All bathrooms come with rainfall shower stalls, extendable clothes line for drying wet suits, and good-sized bottles of hotel-brand shampoo, shower gel, and body lotion. Units in the new building have true peek-a-boo bathrooms with separate toilet rooms. Bathrobes and slippers are provided in all rooms. Express and normal laundry service are available, and Wi-Fi is free.

The quiet location and beautiful scenery are big selling points here, but Laguna Resort offers plenty of features for when guests need more stimulation. The small beachfront and two pools are at the top of the features list; the main pool has an infinity edge and the adjacent shallow one has a zero-degree entry. Between the two pools is the thatch-roof bar with a sandy floor.

Technically, all beaches in Mauritius are public, but the one here feels very remote. Though it's small, a small promontory extends the options for waterside loungers. Cold towels are distributed twice a day and a small stand sells fresh coconut water. Laguna Beach's boathouse offer free activities, including kayaking and a glass-bottom boat tour with snorkeling three times a week. The hotel provides free shuttle service to Ile aux Cerfs.

Organized events like bocce ball, aquagym, and dance classes are held each day (note that the activity schedule is light throughout the week and fuller on weekends), and bike tours are available for a fee. Laguna's kids' club is free, supervised, and open daily. It occupies a prime piece of real estate right by the water, and includes a large grassy fenced-in lawn with playground equipment and mini picnic tables. 

Seazen Spa offers several massage types (including options with frangipani, lemongrass, or tulsi), as well as body scrubs, post-sun cooling wraps, waxing, threading, and mani/pedis. Some of Seazen's treatment rooms open to a small garden. Seazen's hammam is by-appointment and costs a fee, though access to it is included in several spa packages. The side-by-side billiards room/book exchange and fitness center are small, but both look out toward the pools and water. 

Buffet-style breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at Le Sardinella, the hotel's one restaurant. (The hotel offers a full range of boards: bed-and-breakfast, half- and full-board, and all-inclusive.) At night, the hotel hosts sega dancers, musicians, and DJs. Laguna's front desk is staffed 24 hours a day. There is a small boutique off of the lobby selling sunscreen, beach shorts, and Mauritius-emblazoned baskets and tchotchkes. A computer is in the lobby for guest use, and Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.