Best hotels in Belle Mare and Palmar: 9 places on the east-coast lagoon

Graded 5-star Luxury, LUX* Belle Mare reopened on 1 October 2023 after more than a year of work. Its suites and villas, over 170 in all, from 60 to 240 m², line the beach just south of The Residence, and the villas come with a private pool and a butler.

The main pool covers around 2,000 m², with adults-only areas. For food there's MONDO's buffet, Amari's Indian cooking by chef Vineet Bhatia, Chinese at Duck Laundry, Beach Rouge with music in the evening, and Royce Street, serving Asian street food from a 1933 Rolls-Royce. There's a kids' club, a spa, a PADI dive centre and meal plans up to all-inclusive.

Opened in 1998 and run by Cenizaro, The Residence is styled like a colonial planter's house, on roughly a mile of beach south of the public beach. Each of its 163 rooms and suites has a butler.

Meals are split between The Dining Room, The Verandah by the pool and The Plantation, which serves Creole food and seafood in a planter's house on the sand. The heated, multi-level pool has an adults' area, The Sanctuary spa has eleven treatment rooms, and the free kids' club for 3 to 12-year-olds stays open until 10 pm.

The first Mauritian member of Design Hotels, SALT of Palmar opened in November 2018 on the site of the old Palmeraie. All 59 rooms are for two, guests must be 16 or over, and the bold, colourful look is by Camille Walala.

Food is the big draw: The Good Kitchen all day, the ten-seat Tek Tek, a bakery and a rooftop bar. There's also a 25-metre heated pool, a spa with a salt room and a library. Guests love the stylish rooms, the sea views and the fresh local cooking.

Constance's laid-back brand, right on Palmar beach. All 116 rooms, on two floors and sixteen of them beachfront, are all-inclusive: buffets at the Dining Room and Beach Bistro, afternoon tea, one à la carte dinner at Wok 'n Roll on stays of five nights or more, premium spirits, cocktails, over 50 wines and the minibar.

Three pools, a spa with a sauna and hammam, tennis, padel and water sports fill the days. Golfers get free shuttles and green fees on Constance Belle Mare Plage's two courses, the Legend and the Links. Guests like food that changes every day and a quiet beach.

Now called Veranda Belle Mare, the former Veranda Palmar Beach is a 77-room 3-star on the seafront, just south of LUX*. It's built around all-inclusive stays, so you know what you're spending before you fly.

There are two restaurants including the Horizon, a beach bar, a pool bar and a spa. Nothing fancy, but guests single out the friendly staff, the cleanliness, the beach and the value of the package.

A big 297-room Sunlife resort on the beach between Belle Mare and Palmar, with two simple rules: no kids ( 16 is the minimum age ) and no conferences. Everything revolves around the all-inclusive package.

There's an infinity pool, a Glow Spa ( extra charge ), a beach bar and three restaurants. Guests enjoy the beach and lagoon, the warm staff and what they see as a fair price for an adults-only all-inclusive. A good base if you mostly want sun, the lagoon and no bills to worry about.

Formerly Le Surcouf, it reopened as Seasense in 2018 under SeaResorts, the group that also runs Ocean V and Seapoint in Grand Baie. At the southern end of our picks, on Palmar beach, it has 63 rooms and suites over two floors for guests aged 12 and up.

There are three restaurants, two bars, a lounge, a spa and a heated infinity pool. Reviewers mention very attentive staff, the peace and quiet and good dinners. The hotel clears seaweed from the beach every day.

Opened by the Attitude group in 2010, this 153-room 4-star is for over-18s only. The catch: it isn't on the sand. You cross the coast road to reach Belle Mare public beach, where the hotel has its own area with loungers and afternoon drinks service.

In return you get swim-up rooms, no TVs, the Papaya and The Social House restaurants, with around 30% of the menu vegan, and the POZ spa. All-inclusive is available. Guests love the relaxed feel and the lovely public beach right opposite.

North of the public beach, towards Pointe de Flacq, Long Beach is Sunlife's family resort on the east coast: 255 rooms and suites, four pools, a free club for 2 to 11-year-olds and another for 12 to 17s.

Five restaurants keep things varied on a long stay: Le Marché for the buffet, Chopsticks for Asian, Hasu for Japanese, Sapori for Italian and Tides on the beach. Two bars and a Glow Spa round off a big, lively resort.