Le Surcouf Hotel & Spa

Le Surcouf Hotel & Spa is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the famously luxe resorts along Mauritius's wild east coast. It's a basic budget beach resort that should satisfy the needs of travelers seeking a simple, rustic ambience, a pretty oceanfront location, and not much else. After driving through Le Surcouf's main gate, located off of the quiet coastal road, guests bump over a lava-stone-paved driveway through a wide, green field before reaching the colonial-style reception house. Just past the check-in desk are the one restaurant (a buffet under a vaulted thatch roof), bar, and the main pool -- these few features comprise the core of the resort. Almost all parts of Le Surcouf are oriented along the beach. Next to the main common area, a long line of two-story cottage-like buildings house the hotel's 55 rooms and suites. All units face the sea -- they're only separated from the water by a grassy green lawn dotted with decorative oversize urns, wooden benches, and fading yellow sun loungers. At night, the hotel grounds can get almost unnervingly quiet, with nothing around but dark sugar fields, tall swaying palms, and the Indian Ocean. Le Surcouf's remote location, sparse features, and quiet atmosphere make it most appealing for couples on a budget, though families come through, too.

Location is Le Surcouf's greatest perk: the hotel sits on a lengthy and quiet stretch of east-coast beach. Green farmland separates the main part of the hotel from the coastal road, making the picturesque spot feel even more remote. A rental car or a taxi is essential for getting anywhere around here; there's nothing nearby within easy walking distance. This may be a drawback for some, but it also ensures a lot of peace and quiet on the resort. Central Flacq (and its twice-a-week market) is a 15-minute drive from the hotel. By car, getting to both Port Louis (in the island's northwest) and the airport (in the southeast) take about an hour. 

Le Surcouf's 55 rooms and suites inhabit two-floor, thatch-roof bungalows lined up along the sea. Each one has a balcony or patio, maximizing their sea-facing stance. Inside, the rooms strive for cheer and sunniness, with painted walls and decorative accents in shades of tangerine, lime green, or teal, depending on the room type. No matter the category, all rooms are equipped with air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs, and digital safes. Coffee, tea, and Wi-Fi are free, and interconnecting rooms are available. Bathrooms are generously sized (though the walk-in showers are non-rainfall and disproportionately tiny given the good amount of space), with rectangular vessel sinks, hairdryers, and hotel-branded toiletries. Rooms on the top floors have balconies furnished with yellow plastic chairs and white tables (the pieces of furniture are too big for the actual space; their size makes it difficult-slash-awkward to squeeze past the table to get to the second chair). At the southern end of the resort is the suites wing, where units feature kitchenettes and a larger amount of outdoor space. Some suites have bathtubs (the hotel's website lists all room categories as having a shower and tub, but that is not true). Guests staying in suites have access to a separate pool, but when we visited the hotel in 2017, the only water in the suites' pool was standing rainwater, and a trapped rodent was trying to jump out of the pool's drained basin. We also experienced issues with the faulty door locks. 

Le Surcouf's restaurant, bar, and small pool form the heart of the resort. The buffet-style restaurant serves all meals, but note that the selection isn't vast and there are no other easy-to-get-to restaurant options nearby. Groups of wicker seating surround the adjacent bar, which serves Phoenix beer and mojitos, among other drinks, and hosts Le Surcouf's weekly sega show. Even for a 55-room resort, the pool is pretty small. Half of it is surrounded by a tile deck with sun loungers, and the other side has a wood deck with tables and chairs for guests who want to consume their meals and drinks in the open air. The nearby boathouse loans out free paddle boats and snorkeling gear, and can arrange speedboat trips, diving excursions, and undersea walks for a fee. The beach itself is quite long, but also very narrow, and is often speckled with seaweed. The hotel's spa is in a standalone structure near the entrance. It is surprisingly large considering the small size of the hotel and the level of its pearl rating; it has single and double treatment rooms and uses Comfort Zone products for its massages and other treatments. Wi-Fi is free throughout.