Maritim Crystals Beach Hotel

The communal areas include five restaurants and three bars, ranging from 'feet in the sand' beach restaurants to Asian fusion, and the fine-dining restaurant Château Mon Désir. If travelling with children, the evening buffet is a treat, with great food for the adults and a special selection of kids' favourites – potato chips or croquettes, chicken nuggets, fish goujons, sausages, etc. There are also seating areas, a pool with loungers and a sumptuous spa.

Accommodation is in 215 luxurious rooms and suites, as well as an exclusive villa (sleeps six). All are sea-facing and elegantly decorated in a colonial-meets-tropical style, with aircon, fans, wide and deeply comfortable beds, well-designed bathrooms and an intriguing array of towels shaped into endearing animals. Anything you need is a mere telephone call away. And, of course, there's the honeymoon suite, which is truly romantic.

Once you've enjoyed sunbathing, explore the grounds to see the waterfalls, tortoises and the 18th-century ruins of Balaclava. Feeling active? Go horse-riding, play golf or head to sea for some waterskiing, diving, canoeing, gazing at the seabed from the glass-bottomed boat or deep-sea fishing (extra charge). Kids will enjoy activities at the Turtle Kids' Club. One highlight is a star-gazing evening, when a member of the Mauritius Astronomical Society explains the night sky (second and fourth Wednesday of the month).