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Vip Tours | 1 | 2 | 3
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| The Oberoi Mauritius |
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Society - World
Level Perfection
October - 2007 |
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6
Stars & 7 Stripes
Overall - 'Hotel & Service' |
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The Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and Stripes® |
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| We flew First Class with
Air Mauritius from Paris and landed after a relaxing eleven and a half hour flight at the Sir Sewoosagar Ramgoolam International Airport on the enchanted island of Mauritius, where the rising sun welcomed us. It was a smooth landing, executed by a true pro. I'll never forget the moment the airplane door opened and I felt a blast of wonderful warm air sweep through the cabin. The first sight of huge palm trees, the powerful sweet smell of tropical flowers and the incredibly green hills, the perfect paradise of my mind, was here for all to see. |
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| It was a breeze getting
through customs and there in front of us was our dark wooden welcome sign, held
by Mr. Raj Ramsurrun, our friendly, khaki uniformed chauffeur. He turned out to
be a gem of a travel host, easy to understand and very knowledgeable. Within
minutes he opened the doors to the BMW 730 IL with its tasteful soft beige
leather interior, handed us cold towels and we were on our merry way. During
the one-hour ride from the airport to
The
Oberoi Mauritius, through sugar fields, beautifully clean little villages
and subtropical forests, we sipped on fresh, cool water and enjoyed the
mesmerizing scenery. The island nation of Mauritius is located in the Indian
Ocean, circa five hundred miles east of Madagascar. |
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| The Oberoi Maritius is found along the Baie aux
Tortues (or Turtle Bay), along the meandering northwest coast, set in over
twenty acres of enchanting, subtropical gardens with two thousand feet of
white,
wide, sandy Indian Ocean beach. It is still within easy access to the
capital city of Port Louis (less then 10 miles away) and relatively close to
the small by growing town of Grand Baie. We passed the Oberoi Mauritius welcome
building, capturing the feeling of the island and we were kindly acknowledged
with honest and open smiles and here again, cool towels were dispensed once
again. |
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| Within minutes we arrived at
our
accommodations, a luxurious villa with a natural palm-thatched-roof,
a
private swimming pool and a private pavilion, granting unobtrusive
panoramic views of the unspoiled dreamy beach and these hard to describe,
azure-blue warm waters of the calm tropical ocean. Our private, romantic villa
was the perfect honeymoon accommodation, or “for couples who just need to
get away and recharge or rekindle the spark that brought them together” -
we agree here with the Oberoi Mauritius' hotel brochure one hundred percent.
Relaxing neutral wood tones for furnishings, ceilings, and fabrics contribute
to enhance the experience of wellbeing and convey the feeling of closeness to
nature though these accommodations are not lacking state of the art technology
throughout. |
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Through every window
and door we became aware that we were living for a few days in our very own
'Garden of Eden'. The dining pavilion allowed us breathtaking views over the
lagoon and the ocean. This destination resort offers two gourmet restaurants;
three leisure bars, a stylish tea pavilion besides a wine cellar (ideally
located in old ruins). There is also a top of the line health & beauty spa,
two endless ocean view swimming pools, a modern conference center, nightlight
tennis courts and a couple of exquisite shops.
Sunset
dinner cruises on a private yacht and
scuba
diving excursions are available through the concierge desk. |
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| We were ready to experience one of the world's finest
spas.
The
Oberoi Spa by Banyan Tree is elite. We were especially impressed with the
individual spa suites that offered us private plunge pools that are also
available for people who prefer a couple's treatment. These wonderful indoor
and outdoor Thai spa facilities include a chic beauty parlor, an authentic rock
sauna, an invigorating steam bath, a swimming pool, a state of the art workout
facility and then some. Traditional 'body and soul' treatments, Mauritian
style, use natural, locally produced essential oils and homegrown fruits,
besides offering all the other conventional therapies. |
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“The
Oberoi Spa by Banyan Tree is elite.” ~ TB |
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| We experienced for
the first time together the coconut husk body brush, followed by a deep tissue
massage with freshly ground coconut. Here, under the highly trained hands of
our therapists, surrounded by lush sub-tropical gardens, we lost track of time.
We both emerged smelling all real yummy after a softly whispering voice asked
to get up of the treatment tables and step over a narrow stone bridge into a
hot whirlpool. Here we were simultaneously given a cool, refreshing, exotic
fruit cup and came back to the amazing reality of paradise. |
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| The Oberoi Mauritius' Spa practices eastern techniques
based on holistic treatments and aromatherapy, many drawn on Ayurveda. I can
imagine that the sapphire waters of the Indian Ocean may inspire one here to
try yoga and meditation. But as far as we were now concerned we were ready for
a real elaborate dinner. Back at our villa, the room attendant had freshened up
the house and left us again little gifts of freshly picked flower blossoms,
which scented the towels with the smell of delight. |
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An hour later we
entered the main restaurant with its long drawn palm-thatched roof and the
ever-amazing panoramic views over the Indian Ocean; we knew we were in for an
unforgettable evening. Our table was set between two architecturally pleasing
pillars, conveying the feeling that we were dining alfresco under the stars.
The cuisine was a medley of delicious,
creative
dishes reflecting the multicultural flavors of the land and sea, touched by
Oriental and European herbs and spices. |
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| The romantic flicker of the candles was mirror imaged
in the water. We were drawn to follow its path to the ocean where it converged
somewhere on the horizon with the setting sun. It leaves you breathless and one
may think this was the path to heaven. We literally woke up the next morning in
heaven. The room attendant had
filled
the bathtub with warm water and floating flowers and turned down the
luxurious linens the night before and had placed pale red orchids on our
pillows. They were now sitting on our champagne flutes on the nightstands,
looking a little tipsy, perhaps. |
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| Since we never cared to close the curtains, due to the
villa's complete privacy, we looked right into the ocean from our beds, without
raising our heads. We were hardly able to differentiate reality from our
wildest dreams. These presidential accommodations are especially designed and
designated to royalties, heads of state and other VIPs that are in demand for a
high security level. Upon awakening, we jumped out of bed, all excited as a
much-anticipated
diving
excursion was on our agenda for today. The Oberoi Mauritius, with mountains
as backdrop, opens its ocean side doors onto a natural maritime park with a
vibrant coral reef, which supports an abundance of fascinating sea
life. |
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| The resort offers a
wide range of water sports, such as water-skiing, windsurfing, sailing,
boating, snorkeling in the lagoon as well as exclusive destination boat trips
along the coast. After a luscious, most delicious breakfast in our private
gazebo, served by Mr. Baboo, a master Champagne Saberer, and a glass of Veuve
Clicquot, we were ready to conquer the coral reefs. 'Sabrage', the art of
opening a bottle with a sword is not necessarily a tradition at the resort, but
it is available and performed to precision by Mr. Baboo, while beheading a
champagne bottle with a
single
strike of the blade of his sword. |
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| We went quickly down to the beach on a winding path
through the pretty sub-tropical vegetation, passing other nicely appointed
villas to meet with our dive-master
Stéphane
de Senneville, at the diving station on the beach. We experienced a
wondrous, colorful and healthy water world while scuba diving within a
twenty-minute boat ride off The Oberoi Mauritius' beach. With crystal clear
waters and all these exotic fish and creatures around us, we often couldn't
believe our eyes. Fortunately we both had been certified in scuba diving by a
qualified instructor in Tulum, Mexico years ago, so we knew how to use
all
the equipment and were able to experience the adventure of Indian Ocean
diving to the fullest. But even without scuba certification, these two expert
instructors and guides would have made any
scuba
adventure an unforgettable and safe experience. |
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This is a one of a kind
underwater
paradise, rich in beautiful corals, exotic species of fish and other sea
life. The crystal clear water definitely helped to see everything in the most
vibrant colors and allowed Stéphane to shoot
amazing
pictures with his underwater camera.
After our exhilarating diving
adventure we dropped into two
picture
perfect beach chairs under a postcard palm tree. The wooden beach chairs
were covered with a moisture-absorbing, soft fabric and they were placed in
twos along the wide beach, meaning to offer a measure of privacy. |
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| In this year-round beach resort, where the summer
never ends, the Oberoi Maritius boasts a stunning, white sugar-sand beach with
an appealing, calm surf. Many people when they envision the island of
Mauritius, picture it as a couple's destination, a place to go and get away for
romance. In recent years Mauritius has become more than that, it is also a
dream destination for the whole family and conventions. A beach boy, with an
amazing smile walked up to us, carrying a rattan box filled with body
condiments, offering cool towels, sun lotion and a cool refreshing body spray.
The friendly young man inquired after our wishes in regards to drinks or ice
cream, he also offered us to take a look at a neat little beach bar menu. He
then suggested an alcohol free, uplifting fruit drink that we received within
minutes. Later we walked into the alluring, shallow, warm turquoise waters for
a little swim and after which we got to snorkel and discover the beautiful
coral reefs right off the beach, which seemed to stretch on forever, the
ultimate in beach life. |
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| The next day we were
scheduled for a
two-hour
sunset sailing cruise. We left the beach at 6 pm on a small transfer boat
and boarded the Oberoi Mauritius'
private
luxury yacht within a few minutes. Trusting the sound of the engines we
slowly pulled away from the anchorage and as the yacht picked up speed, sails
were set and filled with the winds of the ocean. Hors d ouvres were offered and
served on silver trays with well-paired wines. Picking up speed, we got a
better look at the beautiful green island and the mountains from a different
perspective until the sun was ready to set and turned the turquoise waters of
the amazing ocean for
moments
into an orange red. |
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| General Manager and world traveler
Sjefke
Jansen is a multi cultural hospitality pro, who started his career as a
trained chef in international cuisine, and then worked himself trough the ranks
in the field of hospitality. Sjefke, of European decent, is fluent in English,
Dutch and German and traveled and worked in Australia, South Africa, Saudi
Arabia, Lebanon, Singapore, and in the Maldives before he accepted the position
as GM at the Oberoi Mauritius. The married father of three comes across as
charming, easily approachable and hands-on and we agree, Sjefke is doing a
fabulous job. |
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The Oberoi Group is led
to its present global status with the vision of Mr. P.R.S. Oberoi, the esteemed
Chairman of the Board. Educated in India and Europe, his multicultural vision
is well recognizable and through his leadership, most efficient and highly
personalized service is the focus. This radiant, successful mover and shaker
has put his stamp on the demanding global luxury hospitality market. There are
only a few privately owned luxury hotel groups that have accomplished to train
their staff, managers and upper management, after the vision of its founding
father. Mr. P.R.S. Oberoi was not only able to accomplish that, but has gone
above and beyond. |
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| At the Oberoi Mauritius, the staff and their exquisite
service are well on their way into the ultimate World Level Perfection
category. It was with great honor that we were able to present the world's most
distinguished hospitality award to
this
elite team. Applause! |
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by Thorsten & Simone Buehrmann
Editor: Ingrid
Lemme
Editor-in-Chief: John Lomitola |
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| © 2007 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes,
Inc. |
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