As fresh and inviting as its lush tropical gardens; as varied in its holiday offerings as the diverse plants, flowers and wildlife to be found on the island, the environmentally friendly Long Beach Hotel is designed to cover all the bases.
With spacious rooms, gourmet restaurants, a host of enjoyable activities and a wellness spa, this hotel offers carefree piazza-style living on the longest and widest stretch of white-sand coastline of any resort in Mauritius. The hotel is not only a prime property investment, but is also claimed to be a boon for the Mauritian travel industry at large.
With the closing of the long-loved Mauritian favourite, Le Coco Beach Hotel, there was a gap in the market for a contemporary, Malibu-like hotel and it was felt that Mauritius needed something new... a hotel with a difference, with an attitude and an indisputable buzz that still retains easy living style. Long Beach has been designed to be just this hotel.
"The former Le Coco Beach Hotel was a resort with a strong concept, but every concept has a fixed life span and after 14 years of operation, it was time for something new," explains Nicolas de Chalain, general manager of Long Beach. Hence, the new addition is a five-star establishment that has been carefully and smoothly positioned to fit neatly between the Sugar Beach and Le Touessrok markets.
De Chalain has also used his years of experience as sales manager at Sun Resorts and general manager at La Pirogue - one of the first, and currently one of the most preferred, hotels in Mauritius - to ensure that the new hotel begins as, and remains a world-class, original facility. It was important, too, that the resort be sensitive to the surrounding environment - and fit easily into the Mauritian way of life.
The hotel rests on the premise that everything must be done to ensure a balance between the natural and built environments, across all 60 acres. With 109m2 of beach per room and vast landscaped gardens, this R582 million development is considered to have achieved three key objectives: it is a prime property, in a unique location, with a sense of contemporary design and development success.
It is also multi-functional. Long Beach is designed to cater to the needs of families with its interconnecting rooms and kids' and teens' facilities and activities. Care has been taken to ensure it is ideal for a wedding/honeymoon with its relaxed atmosphere, spa, and easy access to surrounding villages and towns. It is claimed to be perfect for conferences, incentives and group getaways, with a wide range of high-tech facilities and special extras.
After its beach, which is the longest of any Mauritian hotel, one of the most striking aspects of the hotel is its natural landscaping and indigenous and tropical plants.
The development manager is South African-born Dene Murphy who, together with his team, conceptualised, oversaw, administered and managed the entire project. The project architect is Kevan Moses of Stauch Vorster Architects, a multiple award winner for its creativity and quality of work. The hotel's interior designer is Keith Mehner of Keith Interior Design.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the hotel is eco-friendly, with the implementation of programmes to conserve natural resources and energy, manage and minimise waste production, use environmentally friendly products and create widespread awareness among internal and external publics. More specifically, hot water on the premises is produced with solar panels, sun protection frames are used to reduce the need for air-conditioning and eco-lighting features throughout. Guests will encounter other facets of this commitment during their stay.
The 255 rooms arranged in three crescents and every room enjoys a view of the ocean and a minimum of 109m2 of its own beach space.
The 42'' LCD flat-screen television sets receive a host of international satellite channels. Rooms also have international direct-dial telephones, Wi-Fi web access (charged extra), iPod stations, digital clocks and radios, electronic room safes, hairdryers, individually controlled air-conditioning and electrical shaver points. All rooms have fully stocked mini-bars as well as tea- and coffee-making facilities.
Families are catered for with 29 family units of 86m2, each with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and two television sets. There are also 140 inter-connecting rooms.
Aah, perhaps one of the best parts... At the heart of Mauritius' Long Beach Hotel is its piazza, surrounded by tempting restaurants, inviting shops and buzzing bars, and known for day-long entertainment. Restaurants include Le Marche, the main restaurant, Sapori, Hasu, the avant-garde Japanese restaurant, Chopsticks for those who would like to try some Chinese delicacies, Tides, for you seafood lovers - with the pool right next door, and Shores, the hotel's vibrant main cocktail and lounge bar overlooking the beach.
The 1400m2 main heated pool and 343m2 fresh pool (both with surrounding decks) and the lap pool, offer exercise and relaxation for all ages. Complementary water sports include kayaks, laser sails, glass-bottom boats, snorkelling, waterskiing, wind-surfing, fun boats, aqua gym classes, water polo, volley polo and basket polo.
Guests enjoy preferential access to Le Touessrok Golf Course, the par-72 championship course located on Ile aux Cerfs and designed by Bernhard Langer.
The Spa introduces what is claimed to be a first in beauty and health care rituals: Thali'sens andhas12 treatment rooms, including doubles.
For those who wish to make their business a pleasure, the hotel offers complementary function facilities to all resident groups. Bombora Nightclub is 190m2 in size, with an adjoining 110m2 function room, and the two - combined or separate - are ideal for smaller events, conferences or functions.
The following high-tech audio-visual equipment is freely available for group events: data projector for PC and video, video player, CD and DVD player, PA system, remote-controlled screen, microphones, WiFi and broadband internet connection, lectern, pencils, notepads and flip charts. Additional technology and conference facilities, for which nominal fees may be charged, are also available on request.
