Relaxing on Amber Beach – where the turquoise sea meets azure

During the day the activity options are legion - a white, soft sand beach for swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, paragliding, windsurfing or beach volley ball, three large pools, a water sports center, floodlit tennis courts, yoga and aqua-gym classes, golf, guided mountain bike excursions, an air-conditioned fitness center and even a climbing wall.

For dinner we are whisked away to Le Touessrok Hotel, a sister hotel to Long Beach and about a 15-minute drive away. Tonight is seafood buffet night. Never has there been a more demure phrase for what we are about to experience. Firstly, the hotel itself transports you to a place of soft, pastel colors in terms of lightning, tropical forest gardens around the swimming pool, soothing steal drum rhythms and deep, mahogany furnishings and decor, reminiscent of a five-star island resorts of yore.

The hotel is rightfully recognized as one of the handful "Leading Hotels of the World" in terms of service, design and the food –oh, the food! The restaurant is called Three-Nine-Eight and the restaurant manager Vick welcomes us with a flourish. It seems to me almost every nation's food is represented here. For instance the Chinese section ONLY offers the following: a selection of dim sums with a variety of dips and sauces, roasted whole fish with ginger, seafood with green curry sauce, sweet and sour crab soup, shrimps saw mai, vegetable chop suey, fried rice and fried noodles. Among the other divine dishes you will find roasted duck, grilled prawns with peri-peri sauce, octopus stew with Creole sauce Bouillabaisse soup with seafood and wood-fired oven baked pizzas. The desert "pastry shop" is a pure aphrodisiac on its own and offers things like mango soufflé, white chocolate mousse and coffee panna cotta.

Our last day finds us en route to Amber Hotel, another hotel in the famous Sun Resorts Group. This charming four-star is a world away from the chick sophistication of Long Beach and steals my heart in an instant. Amber is all-inclusive and is located in Palmar, on the east coast. Its magnificent white sand beach, almost 700 meters long, faces the turquoise waters of a lagoon and the Indian Ocean beyond.

No children under 16 are allowed but we while away the day – like all the other guests – just like adult children, frolicking in the sea, sipping cocktails by the pool and just generally behaving like languid holiday-makers. After a wonderful barbeque dinner on the beach with the best beef and fish dishes, we have to say a sad goodbye to our short-lived hedonism.

Mauritius is not called an island paradise for nothing - go and experience it for yourself.

Jo and Izak were kindly hosted by World Leisure Holidays at their Long Beach Hotel property, the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) and flown to Mauritius return by Air Mauritius.

More information and contact details

World Leisure Holidays

World Leisure Holidays is wholly owned by Sun Resorts in Mauritius and as such owns two "Leading Hotels of the World," Le Touessrok in Mauritius and Kanuhura in the Maldives.

They also own two five-star properties, Sugar Beach and Long Beach, as well as two four-star properties, Ambre and La Pirogue all located in Mauritius.

Ambre Hotel is a contemporary, all-inclusive adults retreat for guests 16 years and older.

World Leisure Holidays' value proposition is that of a concierge. They package the best value vacations and journey with the client from the booking process, the stay and aftercare.

For reservations or further information please call 0860 954 954 or visit their website www.wlh.co.za

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About the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA)

The MTPA is a parastatal organization established in 1996 to promote Mauritius as a tourist destination. It provides tourists with information on the facilities, infrastructures, and services available to them when they visit the island. The MTPA also works closely with tourism agencies and conducts research into market trends and opportunities for the country. Additionally, it serves as an advisor to the Minister on all matters relating to the promotion of tourism. South Africa forms an important market for tourism to Mauritius. To this end, the MTPA office in South Africa strives to promote tourism to the island.

The website is http://www.tourism-mauritius.mu and E-mail: Mauritius@bairds.co.za