The One and Only

Africa was good... but...

Mauritius is way better.

When we're not basking in our own private infinity pool or sunning ourselves on the beaches at Ile aux Cerfs, we've been out on excursions all over the island. We've seen Chamarel and the seven-coloured sands, Trou au Cerfs volcanic crater, and Le Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis. Yesterday's excursion, however, was THE day trip to top all day trips, as we were invited by my cousin's friend to spend a day with her at the Saint Geran Hotel, part of the One and Only chain of hotels and one of the top 100 resorts in the world.



See that photo? We sat in those chairs. Actually, that's where our One and Only experience began, as we were escorted to these comfortable seats to await the arrival of our hosts. They had been expecting us, and greeted us with wet chilled towels to refresh ourselves with. Then we were led to our ocean-view suite to freshen up... and also to peruse the price list, which nearly gave us a heart attack; rack rates for Le Saint Geran START at 1100 Euros per person, per night.

Don't worry if you're single. You get a 25% discount on the room.

Our morning was spent on the chaise-lounges on the white sand beach behind the hotel. We gazed at the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean, and were pestered by relentless salesmen hawking their wares: kaftans, pareos, beaded necklaces, and illegally obtained and illegal-to-export-to-your-home-country seashells the size of shoe boxes. All of our needs, whims, wishes, and random thoughts were attended to; luckily, there weren't many in our blissed out states.

Actually, our afternoon was spent in much the same fashion, after a gorgeous lunch of sushi, fresh salads, and gourmet pastries and desserts (of which BG had... wait for it... four.) I do have to admit feeling a bit of awkwardness during lunch while returning to the table from the buffet line (an activity which I repeated, embarrassingly, four times.) I wasn't allowed to carry my own plate of food. Rather, an attentive staff member was waiting, and insisted on carrying my lunch to the table for me. Clearly they thought it would be too heavy for me to lift.

All in all, another great day in Paradise.