Coral Azur Beach Resort

Mont Choisy Coral Azur Beach Resort is a beachfront hotel that opened more than three decades ago. There have been little updates here and there, but for the most part, its age won't come as a surprise to anyone. Mont Choisy looks like the typical tropical-island resort -- white-washed bungalow-style buildings, palm-filled green lawns, thatched roofs -- but there are slight signs of wear and weathering every which way, like the saggy, sun-bleached loungers on the lawn and sand and a few warped wood planks on the fading pool deck. In the main area, dated-beach-resort decor dominates. Behind the front desk, bamboo-framed pictures of fishing boats, an old-fashioned mail cubby box, and pale-blue decorative ship wheel and anchor set the scene. This is interrupted by heavy Asian antique-looking pieces, like floor vases and rosewood cabinets. The resort has a U-shape that encircles the main area: the reception, buffet, bar, spa, and pool deck. Mont Choisy Coral Azur's center is lively with guests splashing in the pool, sprawling out on cushioned wicker seating, ordering Phoenix beers and pina coladas at the bar, playing billiards, and generally lazing about. Couples and adult groups cluster on the grass, under the shade of palm trees and looking out toward the beach. More people hang out on the beach itself, though it is only wide enough for one strip of plastic loungers (and that is during low tide; at high tide, the beach is so narrow that the sand disappears). The resort attracts budget-conscious families and couples from France, Italy, Reunion Island, and South Africa, and from India and China during May and June. The property is popular with locals on weekends, and most international guests stay between a week and 10 days on a half-board basis (room-only and bed-and-breakfast rates are also available, but not all-inclusive).

Mont Choisy Coral Azur is located right off of Royal Route, the coastal road that goes along Mauritius' northwest coast. The hotel's parking lot is off one side of the road, and the resort's entrance and main property is on the other. The hotel is positioned between Mont Choisy public beach and the seaside resort of Trou aux Biches. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden and Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice de Cap Malheureux -- the famous red-roof chapel at the northernmost tip of the island -- are both 20-minute drives away from the hotel, and the tourist center of Grand Baie takes about 15 minutes to get to by car. The drive to the capital city of Port Louis takes half an hour, and the drive to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR) International Airport takes a little more than an hour. A car is definitely recommended, but there is a bus stop outside the hotel.

Mont Choisy Coral Azur's 88 rooms are split evenly among its two sides, so there are 44 rooms to the right of the main area, and 44 rooms to the left. Views are of either the garden or the ocean, but do note that rooms closest to the beach on the south side of the hotel can pick up noise from its beachfront restaurant, which regularly hosts weddings. Decor-wise, the 48 Standard Rooms feel a bit glum, with out-of-date furnishings and dark colors. Still, they have good amenities: flat-screen TVs, minibars, kettles, air-conditioning, and balconies or terraces are all standard. The 40 Deluxe Rooms have a fresher, brighter look than the Standards, thanks to vivid paintings on the walls, decorative glass vases, sleeker wood furniture, colorful bed throws, and wood-carved wall panels on either side of the beds. Minibar items are free for guests staying in Deluxe Rooms, as are tea and coffee. Deluxe Rooms also come with beach flip-flops. All rooms have basic bathrooms with walk-in shower stalls and wall-mounted hairdryers and shampoo/shower gel dispensers. Something to note: Guests staying on the second floor might have to deal with an abnormally high number of bugs (even for a tropical resort) once the sun sets. At night, the lit stairwells leading up to second-floor rooms are thick with gnats -- even flying cockroaches. To get in and out of our room after dark during our stay here, we had to cover our heads with a towel or scarf and make a head-down run for it.

Most of the action here revolves around the pool area and bar. Throughout the day, this area is alive with people ordering daiquiris and rainbow-colored rum drinks, families playing ping-pong and billiards, guests sloshing in the two pools (a main freshwater pool, plus a separate one for kids), and dipping into one of the two whirlpools. The pools and hot tubs are surrounded by a dark wood deck with a few striped cushioned loungers and cloth umbrellas. The pulse continues into the night, with coconut-based cocktail tastings and nightly entertainment, such as sega dancing, karaoke singing, and Indian shows. Mont Choisy Coral Azur's main restaurant, Le Cotomili, is right next to the pool. It serves buffet-style breakfasts and dinners, whose themes include barbecue, Indian, Italian, Chinese, international, Mauritian, and seafood. Creole- and seafood-centric lunches are served at Le Wahoo, Mont Choisy's beach restaurant, which is booked most nights for weddings and private parties. Erosion has left Mont Choisy's beach quite slim, and at high tide, the sand disappears altogether as the water comes right up to the sea wall. Mont Choisy's boathouse offers free pedal boats and kayaks, plus free daily glass-bottom boat trips. There is also a third-party sailing school on-site -- purportedly one of the few of its kind in the Indian Ocean. Free on-land activities include archery, volleyball, aquagym classes, and sports tournament (tennis, ping-pong, darts). The tennis court is located across the street from the hotel, next to the free parking lot.Dream Azur Spa, Mont Choisy's spa, is small, but it offers a full list of treatments -- massages, reflexology, facials, waxing, nail care (for kids and adults), threading, and hair services -- for reasonable prices. A supervised kids' club is available for ages 3 to 12; it offers activities like drawing, painting, urchin hunts, and mini-Olympics.There is a small boutique in the lobby that sells woven baskets, sarongs, magnets, and other Mauritius souvenirs. Above the lobby is a bookable conference room. Wi-Fi is free in the lobby, but it doesn't extend to rooms.