Background
Club Med works on a ‘trident’, as opposed to a star system. The group offers luxury villas, 5-star luxury resorts, 4-star premium resorts and 3-star classic resorts. There are three resorts in Mauritius – Albion Villas (luxury villas), La Plantation d’Albion Club Med (5-star) and La Pointe aux Canonniers (4-star), as well as over 80 other properties around the world.
Where is it?
It’s situated on the north-west tip of Mauritius, within the district of Pamplemousses and just a few minutes’ from Grand Baie. The resort is 65 kilometres from the airport – Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam – and the drive takes approximately an hour and 20 minutes.
Room Facilities
La Pointe aux Canonniers has 280 wooden colonial-style bungalows, all situated adjacent to the beach, with a choice of club rooms, deluxe rooms and suites. We stayed in a club room on the third floor and enjoyed great views of the gardens and ocean. Facilities were mostly standard, such as the king-sized bed, air-conditioning, flat-screen television, hair dryer, ironing kit, safe, shower room, telephone and mini-fridge (extra cost). The television channels were mostly French language, and there were some issues connecting to the decoder (DTSV Africa), but the maintenance personnel did their best to fix it. There were some lovely touches, courtesy of the staff, such as the arrangement of towels into different shapes, and local flowers.
Restaurants and Bars
Le Belle Créole resembles a large colonial house and has a wide variety of dishes available as a buffet at all meal times. For those who miss out, Le Paul et Virginie restaurant (in an idyllic setting in the shade of a palm tree, only a few yards from the beach) serves the same meals a few hours later. La Pointe aux Canonniers is a child-friendly resort with a host of offerings for kids, so unless you’ve rented the entire village for a corporate getaway or you’re in the habit of eating a little later, prepare yourself for a noisy meal time experience. La Frégate and The Dodo Bar offer exotic cocktail menus and some of the country’s finest beers. As South Africans, we’re spoilt for choice with our wine, and the Mauritius wine cannot compare, but the all-inclusive package allows for different options.
Meeting and Business Facilities
As it’s only a four-hour flight from South Africa, Mauritius is ideal for incentives and corporate getaways. You can book the entire resort and personalise every detail of your event. It’s the perfect option for groups of 300 of more, bearing in mind that La Pointe can accommodate 600 people (sharing). That being said, La Pointe aux Canonniers only has two options for meetings or presentations – a small boardroom-style venue and the theatre which is used for evening entertainment.
Leisure Facilities
There’s a gym, pilates, a central pool and a host of water sport options, as well as lessons in sailing, tennis, water skiing and scuba diving. There are also a number of excursions to be enjoyed on catamarans with glass bottoms. The Belle Mare Golf Links is approximately an hour away.
Verdict
If you’re not French-speaking, you may feel slightly alienated, as the majority of the entertainment and general communication is in French. But, Club Med understands that a big portion of its market originates in France. The Club Med all-inclusive concept is excellent and the quick flight home is always a bonus for weary business travellers who need to get back to the office.
Contact
Tel: +230 209 10 00
Website: clubmed.co.za