ONE minute I’m having my morning coffee, the next I’m handed a long stick to fish fresh mangos from the trees for my breakfast.
As I cut into the ripe green fruit, sticky juice seeps down my arm and I frantically try to eat it before it reaches my elbow.
After days of rich prawn curries and French chocolate lava cakes, this health hit is a welcome change.
The mix of Indian and French culture is what makes a holiday to the African island of Mauritius unique.
Its history is complex. Being uninhabited until 1598, it swapped hands from the Dutch, to the French, and finally the British before its independence in 1968.
Now predominantly Indo-Mauritian, the island is the definition of paradise.
Soft sandy beaches, coconut trees lining the roads and year-round 30C weather. All the boxes ticked.
And your time in paradise is best spent at Veranda Paul et Virginie Hotel in the north of the island.
The adult-only resort, which underwent a huge renovation in 2024, is named after the tragic French love story of Virginie and Paul. Spoiler: They both die.
I’ve never felt more alive, however, as I enter the hotel to be greeted by Bora Bora-style thatched lobbies, Maldives-esque, over-water restaurants and a Dubai-like infinity pool.
Thankfully, it comes without the high price tag of those destinations, as Mauritius is the affordable luxury alternative.
My out-of-office relaxation is only interrupted by my hourly break into the water to escape the heat. There’s the bright turquoise ocean with snorkelling, paddle boarding and glass-bottom boat tours — all included for guests.
Otherwise, days are spent hopping between the main hotel pool and the infinity pool overlooking the sea.
The latter is where I spend every evening in awe of the view when the sun goes down.
As the clouds clear, a vivid pink sunset rips across the sky like a paint splatter, lighting up the water in the same hue.
And the views don’t stop from either of the hotel restaurants.
The main dining spot is Saint Geran, which juts out over the water with 360-degree ocean views.
The menu includes octopus salads, Mauritian arancini and decadent French desserts. I quickly became obsessed with napolitaine, a tiny shortbread biscuit covered in pink icing that I had alongside nearly every cup of coffee.
Make sure to stay put at the resort on Thursdays for the Sunset Vibes nights, with steel drums, cocktails and canapes.
Another big selling point of this gorgeous hotel is that all the bedrooms have either pool or sea views.
My Superior room — the middle option — was spacious and stylish. Think rattan chairs on the balcony, king-size beds and dark walnut furniture, accented with blues and oranges.
Any woes I still had in me were eased at the hotel’s spa, where a 90-minute massage from Aurora left me feeling like a new woman.
If you come to Mauritius with the kids, try the Veranda Grand Baie hotel down the road. This resort has volleyball courts, table tennis and a rotating menu of activities, such as archery and kayaking.
I tested my skills with some Creole lessons, Ravanne drum classes and cooking demonstrations, sweating over an outdoor stove.
Adults wanting some time to themselves also have more choice in the village of Grand Baie (after which the hotel is named).
A short walk or boat ride away, Banana Beach Club is the place to be, with £3 local beers and live music all through the week.
Pop into the Bazar de Grand Baie, a huge indoor market with everything from clothes and shoes to carved wooden dodos and coconut bowls. Just be prepared to haggle hard. If you can pull yourself away, the rest of the north of the island has a lot more to offer outside of the resorts.
The history of Mauritius is best explained at L’Aventure du Sucre, an interactive museum exploring the last 400 years — with sugar and rum tastings to finish off, of course.
Join the locals at Cap Malheureux beach, where heady smells of BBQ-ed meat carry across the shore.
It’s also where you’ll find the famous red-roofed church that features on all the postcards out here.
GO: MAURITIUS
GETTING THERE: Return flights from London Gatwick to Mauritius start from £658 with Air Mauritius. See airmauritius.com.
STAYING THERE: Veranda Grand Baie on a B&B basis is from £195 a night based on two people sharing (£243 half-board, £338 all-inclusive). Veranda Paul et Virginie on a B&B basis is from £168 a night based on two people sharing (£189 half-board, £286 all inclusive). See veranda-resorts.com.
OUT & ABOUT: Entry to L’Aventure du Sucre, £19.33. See aventuredusucre.com.
Or grab a bike and explore the fishing village of Grand Gaube.
Our guide, “King Julian”, showed us around, greeting nearly every person like a local celeb, high-fiving them over the football or holding doors for the elderly churchgoers.
“We don’t have a big life, but it’s a millionaire life,” he tells us as we watch the fishing boats come in underneath another pink sunset.
Despite spending a fraction of that to be there, I certainly felt a million dollars by the end.
Even if just from my daily dose of mangos.