Outrigger Beach Resort Mauritius

We have just returned from outrigger and this feels like quite a difficult review to write... although we had a great time and there were many things we enjoyed about being there ... it lacked a sense of luxury and wasn’t really a 5 star experience overall. Let’s start with the good ; Our beachfront senior suite was amazing - so much space, huge balcony and a welcome bottle of champagne on arrival ! Huge well equipped bathroom too. Although some understandable signs of wear and tear .. nothing too drastic and overall difficult to fault. The beach, and more to the point the beautiful coral reef teaming with marine life was amazing. Fantastic to snorkel and the boys even enjoyed a spot of fishing on the beach ... Although quite clearly busy, the hotel didn’t feel full and it was never hard to find a quiet place. Food in bar bleu was nice - particularly the pizzas ! The added bonus for us really was the plantation club. We were frequently there on our own and had the whole pool to ourselves !!! Fantastic for relaxing. We had the majority of our breakfasts there (even though we often had to compete with the birds!). Afternoon tea and happy hour at the plantation were amazing too. Geraldine always offered good service and was attentive to our needs. We also had many entertaining conversations with Nathaniel and he served us really well too. Overall, the plantation club was a highlight of the experience. Now for the room for improvement ; Some areas of the resort are looking really tired and worn and are in dire need of a revamp. It’s such a shame because it takes the shine off being in such a beautiful location. Basic things like pool towels are really worn and sometimes grubby looking. Service in the resort as a whole is slow... particularly in bar bleu. It’s as though they just can’t cope with the numbers ... Overall, the standard of food in the resort requires improvement, particularly in mercado. Edgewater was better but I think the menu would feel limited if you wanted to eat there repeatedly. The island is tropical ... so yes the weather was quite variable in April but we can’t blame the resort for that. We did, however, spot some interesting wildlife of the rat variety, which again I wouldn’t be expecting to see at a true 5 star resort. We really liked Mauritius and it’s highly likely we will return - though sadly not to the Outrigger. A perfect location, some good staff, but plenty of room for improvement I’m afraid .... Read less

We spent a 10-day honeymoon at Outrigger resort and from the moment we stepped out of the car in front of the resort, a true paradise began for us. In the reception area, you are greeted with a view that no picture can describe. The staff greets you with a cold towel and a refreshing drink and the check-in process went very quickly, despite us upgrading the room from an Ocean-view to Beachfront. We recommend everyone to consider upgrading to a Beachfront room as the view from the room is breathtaking and it also gives you privacy on you terrace/balcony. The room is huge, and the bathroom has a large bath which fits two very nicely and there is also a very beautiful walk-in shower. The bed was very comfortable, which is quite a rare occasion for me, so we must commend the hotel for that. Housekeeping is out of this world, amazing room decorations, room cleaning and check-up twice a day (something that we have never experienced before). We were on a half-board meal plan and the food at the main restaurant is simply incredible. If you like Indian and Asian cuisine this will be a dream for you. There is also a selection of “European” dishes, however we wanted to taste other foods, so we did not give it much of our time. There is also show-cooking available throughout dinner service and the ambiance as a whole is very pleasant. The beach bar, beach restaurant and the exclusive Plantation club also offer food, with the latter being an excellent restaurant with high-level dishes that are prepared on a more traditional way, so it is a must for everyone to do at least one dinner at the Plantation club. The hotel also offers free boat rides around the coral reef as well as snorkeling trips in the reef, just be sure to reserve a spot beforehand, as it is pretty busy – for a reason. The hotel beach is basically a coral reef. Make sure to bring flippers and a mask, you will not regret it – trust me! The hotel as a whole is really exceptional. The resort is very large and several times during our stay we thought that we had the whole resort to ourselves, due to the sheer size of the beach area. If you like privacy in a perfect resort with amazing rooms, great food and an extremely nice staff, we think the Outrigger is one of the best options in Mauritius. Moving around the island is not hard, so the location is not a problem especially as it gives you much more peace and quiet than some of the hotels and resorts in the West. A dream honeymoon for the both of us…so thank you Outrigger staff! Read less

We just returned from 11 days at the fabulous Outrigger Resort Inn Mauritius and safely say it is the best family holiday we have ever had (and we have had some good ones). Hotel / Check Inn and First Impressions The hotel is lovely and very well kept and from arriving in reception to a cold towel, cool lemongrass drink and a simple check in process where they knew us by name from the car door, you can see this is a place that puts the guest at the centre of their experience. Room We had a family room on the ground floor (4001). It was lovely and spacious, large bathroom and children’s bedroom with 3 beds. It was kept lovely and clean but Anita every day despite a family of 5 coming and going. Nothing was too much trouble in the room. We were met by the rooms manager at dinner that first evening and he asked if we needed anything. We asked for a night light for the children’s room and it was done. We also asked for some tea for the room and this was again no issue with someone from the F&B team bringing tea samples to us to test before they put it into our room. The bathroom area was huge with a lovely large bath and separate shower. My only down point on the bathroom was a strange shower area with a door out to an empty walled yard with no shower curtain, but this is a minor aspect down to room design. The curtains were a little loose in areas and we brought this to their attention and it was fixed. Despite being ground floor and close to Bar Bleu it was not noisy and nice to be able to walk out from the patio onto the grass to the pool and beach. Food and Beverages Like many reviews this is clearly did not disappoint at all on all fronts. Breakfast was vast and suits everyone in Mercado. Always fresh options and fruit galore. Fresh food coffee and fresh juice. Never too busy and easy to get a table with good service on drinks. Lunch was between Edgewater and Bar Bleu and we pretty much used both equally. Bar Bleu food was always excellent. Pizzas were a hit for everyone and the others items always fresh and lovely. More than you need for a lunch or snack. Edgewater was our favourite place for lunching dinner. Lovely setting to sit in the beach by the ocean. Open kitchen and great staff (will come to staff later). Food choices are large, varied and for the AI plan all options all available. Service was always great from seating to meal and drinks service. Lunch options for children off a kids menu (we only used once) or the main menu. Our kids 9, 7, 5 ate off the main menu every day and never an issue ! Dinner was Mercado or Edgewater. You need to book for Edgewater which we did a lot, but sometimes it was full so we used Mercado. Again Mercado was great. Theme night choices always good and other items off theme in each section (Asian, Indian etc). Kids made naan and interacted with the staff and chefs ! Edgewater food was top class ! I am a foodie and can say these chefs take their job seriously. Menu was the same the whole stay at night and changed half way for lunch, but it was always amazing. Chef Ashok, Akshay and the waiting staff (Lucie, Kevin, Kevish, Shabnam) were amazing. Knew us by name right away, service great, always keen to chat about the food with parents and kids.....Ashok and Akshay made us some chef special meals for some dinner and lunches and they were top class. These people were real stars of or holiday and as such one reason we will go back as soon as we can. Drinks Around the pool service all day. The bar staff were also great. Special mention to Hans, Umar and Akshay who looked after us so well from day 1. Drinks always prompt and loads of AI choices and few to buy so you never need to....brought to the beach, pool, table or anywhere you could be say or laying. Always freshly made real cocktails and drinks for the kids too.....truly brilliant people who again would be a reason to return. Umar made a real impression on our kids and he even came to say goodbye with a pizza on the last hour or our holiday and a selfie ! Lovely people ! Beach - lovely, quiet and right on the reef. Loads to see snorkelling off the main beach. Current can be strong but it is safe and along the shore so just drop in a for a lazy river ride. No issues for my 5yr old. Marine life was busy and vibrant for someone who loves that side of the water sports. The boat trips for glass bottom and snorkelling were OK, but a pain to get slots for a family so not used as much as we would like. They say equipment is provided for snorkelling, but note only on the boat not for general use off the beach. Some water sports on the main beach and others down the beach (we did not use the ones down the beach). The beach club is run by a 3rd party and don’t treat you like Outrigger staff. Fine but not the same level of service. Spa was lovely and we used it a few times for family and couple treatments. Maybe a little work on the price may see more people use it beyond the free one or less costly ones. Spa staff tried to drum up business with offers on the beach. Just drop the price and more people will use it and keep staff busy and happy. Gym is nice and not busy, tennis courts great and always activity to do if you want to... Kids club used a few times; lovely people there and clearly a major plus if you want an all in kids club. We don’t really go on holiday to outsource the kids so cannot comment too much, but the one or two times it was used they were great. Kids pool and slide opened towards the end of the holiday. On the beach are a few hawkers but they are friendly and approved by the hotel so no issues with hassling to buy things...we bought a few items and happy with the price and process. So overall amazing people, place and one to come back to again for sure. Read less

It has been my 3rd visit to outrigger hotel with my besties. As usual the staffs are very friendly and welcoming and the food too delicious. Rooms very clean and what I liked the most was the unexpected aqua gym. A big thanks to all the staffs all the hotel for their assistance, especially the front office team(sorry cannot remember all the names) A special thanks to Amrish, Shabnam and Visham from the F&B dept and to Jarvin and Akylesh from the front office dept Thanks loads.. Will definitely be back Read less

We have recently returned home after spending two weeks at the Outrigger.This was our third visit and by far the best. It was propably one of the best holidays we have ever had. From check in and we must mention Kevin who went the extra mile to get us a ground floor suite as my wife has trouble with her knees. The food in the resort gets better every year I must mention Andy in the plantation club who really looked after us not to forget kitty and Geraldine. The food and service in the Edgewater is second to none and thank you to Ashok, Nandish and especially Lionel. The Bar Bleu as ever was excellent and thanks to Hans and his team and a special mention to Sandrine. The weather was fine and warm except for a few thunder storms well it is a tropical island. A special thank you to Praya who kept our suite immaculate as she did last year. Natasha in the fitness centre did her best to get us fit at Aquarobics thank you (Tacky Tacky) A very special thank you to Alvina in the Navassana Spa for the massages especially Sega. There are so many people to thank for our marvellous stay at the Outrigger but we would like to thank Jarvin who went out of his way to make it a special trip. Read less