The Ravenala Attitude

The Ravenala Attitude sits where the Rivière Citron reaches the sea, on the fringe of Turtle Bay in Balaclava, on Mauritius's northwest coast. Tropical garden grounds wrap 250 suites, each with a terrace or balcony, air conditioning and a minibar. It is a resort built for movement between land and lagoon. Guests paddle the river on floating aquatic bikes, snorkel among clownfish over the reef, or take the glass-bottom boat out for an hour to watch coral and tropical fish pass beneath the hull. Windsurfers and stand-up paddlers work the turquoise shallows, and a PADI dive centre nearby covers deeper water. Two pools, one of them just 40cm for children, sit at the centre of things. Nine restaurants circle the property, from a beachfront Mediterranean grill to a Mauritian table serving rougaille and cari with a modern turn, alongside six bars that run from a poolside piano set to a nightclub open Thursday to Sunday. The Spa POZ has 12 treatment rooms, a hammam and sauna, using handmade products from a Mauritian grower in the Ferney Valley. Meals and drinks run on an all-inclusive basis from arrival to departure. Days here move at the pace of the tide, and the hotel gives them plenty of room to do so.