Journey Narrative Through the Five Senses

I remember that moment with startling clarity: I stepped onto the hotel’s entrance path where sky and sea melded into a ribbon of deep blue. My pace slowed as if in wonder; each step along the wood floorboards seemed punctuation. Palm fronds whispered overhead, sharing secrets of infinite summer. Before me the rim of the ocean twinkled in the morning light. In that suspended moment, I recognized the greatest gift of travel was the liberation of time that allowed me to slow down to a point of surreal wonder. 

On the north coast of Mauritius, LUX* Grand Baie is a wake-up call redesigning paradise. While this 5-star property is beautiful and impressive in design, it is really an extension of the vast blue horizon of the Indian ocean. Kelly Hoppen's design embraces the turquoise waters of this incredible island creating an oasis of modern luxury.

LUX* Grand Baie: Your Front​-Row Ocean View

You think you’ve seen blue—until this ocean unfolds.

LUX* Grand Baie orchestrates your vision with chapters of cobalt and gold. Every corridor frames the Indian Ocean as the central star, delivering an outlook that feels both serene and cinematic.

Cinematic Lobby Moment & Terrace Vignettes

Step through glass doors and the lobby disappears, to be filled by an unbroken sea view. Minimalist beams draw your gaze along pale floors, their finish reflecting passing clouds. Drift along upper terraces and each suite balcony offers a private scene: glass-fronted plunge pools that shine like sapphires and green-clad alcoves that appear to float above the sea. Sunset makes walls of water a living canvas, mixing molten gold with residual blues.

Bisou’s Dusk Hideaway

Make your way up to the Bisou rooftop and its treasure: an infinity pool that bleeds into the horizon, accented by a swing floating in its glassy expanse. Scattered quiet corners—draped in palms and framed by verdant planters—offer breezy retreats. As dusk deepens, horizon and pool come together in a dance of indigo, a moment choreographed just for you.

Nighttime Reverie

At dusk, lines of torches delineate paths and the water mirrors the starry sky. Clean, simple lines of architecture sweep across the top in an abstracted night of shape and light. The material palette of the resort—rich woods, soft stone and muted whites—looks to the colors of the ocean for a seamless visual integration.

The Beach Rouge

By day, Beach Rouge smiles with an elegant, carefree aura marked by idiosyncratic sunlight dancing off crips whites and bold reds, integrating inventive modernity with laid-back tranquillity. By night, it becomes an elegant lounge complete with ambient beats. 

Touch of Luxury: Private Havens and Sun-Drenched Shores

Every surface tempts you to linger.

At LUX* Grand Baie, textures tell a tale of crafted comfort: cooling plunge pools and sands so fine they cradle your feet.

Suite Bliss

Embarking into my suite space was akin to indulging in the unwrapping of a little gift for two. The bathroom opens to the nearby glass-walled shower space with a spectacular view upon the bedroom, transitioning my mind inside out.  Opening the doors frame and embrace to intimate plunge pool on the balcony accompanied by potted palms and kissed gold light. 

Cove & Hammock Retreat

The resort’s hidden cove presents a stretch of pearly sand that curves around calm lagoon waters. Fringe palms cast dancing shadows, and warm grains slip between your toes—nature’s own embrace. Nearby, cotton hammocks strung between trunked palms cradle you in gentle sway, each nap beneath the breeze an exercise in pure ease.

Tactile Details

Each dimension of the suite conveys a story, from bedside lamps with hand-cut wood bases to the polished bronze electrical switches, to linens with such fine thread count they hum. Those decorative flourishes of the artisanal kind anchor the smart lighting and motorized drapes in the solid reality of human nature, so that each experience is knowingly decadent.

Essence of Mauritius: Botanicals, Spa Aromas and Sea Breezes

One breath here and the world recedes.

Breathe deeply: LUX* Me Spa and the Indian Ocean conspire to etch fragrant memories—ginger-infused oils, eucalyptus steam, and briny gusts.

Spa-Born Aromas

At LUX* Me Spa, the scent trail begins at reception with subtle notes of lemongrass and kaffir lime. Down the hall, long steam rooms which put forth eucalyptus and cedar. In treatment rooms, therapists are warming up aromatic oil with ginger, turmeric and cocoa butter—3 scents that revitalize and heal. When completed with your massage the herbal teas in our relaxation lounge—mint, lemongrass, lemongrass-ginger—last like a soft caress.

For those who believe true escape begins skin-deep, I wrote a piece on the LUX* Me Spa—an ode to scent, stillness and sea.

The pièce de résistance? After your wellness experience, escape to a secret garden with a hidden plunge pool to nurture yourself in bliss—a perfect cocoon for seekers of serenity.  The spa became a daily indulgence, choosing something different every day that I ultimately could not resist—the experience always leaving me more renewed. 

Salt-Kissed Breeze

Once you step outside, the trade winds send the briny taste of sea salt tickling your face. Driftwood smoke from beachside fires mingles with hints of sweet coconut husk in a nook, and is perfume de la naturaleza, so vividly familiar, stirring memories of sun, sand, and the pliable forgetfulness of the sea.

Garden Whispers

Hidden garden pathways reveal large scented gardenias and palm trees that bloom in dappled light. Though these flowers stand back in signature moments, their presence threads through the grounds, lending an undercurrent of tropical elegance.

Curated Flavours at LUX* Grand Baie

Your taste buds are about to send thank-you notes.

Culinary moments unfold as bespoke rituals: sunrise fruit spreads, custom-crafted protein shakes, and rooftop refreshments by infinity’s edge.

Breakfast Ritual

Morning light greets you at the main pool’s edge, where tables present exotic fruit displays—pineapple, passionfruit, papaya—arranged like jewels. Chefs stand by live stations crafting eggs any way you please. They are all followed by your choice of made-to-order protein shakes, or freshly-pressed juices.

Daylong Delights & Sunset Plates

As the day fills with life, staff continue to drift through cold coconuts, infused waters (lemongrass-ginger, cucumber-mint), and custom cut fruit skewers. As the evening starts at Beach Rouge, an assortment of eclectic small plates that arrive in artistic bites turn day into night.

Rooftop Reverie

At Bisou, simplicity reigns. Servers glide by with glass pitchers of drinks, ensuring your glass is never empty. With each sip, it's magical, anchoring you back to sea.

Soundscape of Serenity: Nature’s Unscripted Symphony

Ditch the earbuds—this is the score you’ve been missing.

Here, sound is the island’s own composition: waves, palms, bird calls—no playlist required.

The Symphony of the Ocean

Waves break in an unbroken sound, a steady low note layered with white-capped percussive sound; palms rustle above, leaves clacking gently. Off in the distance small skiffs float on the good, their engines a human pulse beneath the grand opus of the ocean.

Spa’s Quiet Embrace

In the spa’s hidden enclave, no music plays—only the sound of water dripping from a waterfall feature, the breeze drifting through trees, and birds! You find your acoustic cocoon, where time evaporates and relaxation becomes palpable.

Nighttime’s Gentle Chorus

After dark, cicadas hum in the gardens. Crickets join in staccato. Even these small sounds feel amplified in the hush, turning night into a lullaby composed by the island.

Whispered Secret: The Golden Hour Swing

When most guests return to their rooms, I move quietly onto Bisou's hidden swing. Suspended above the infinity pool, beneath a magical sky, I swing gently. Below, the water mirrors the sky, and time seems suspended. That is the secret of LUX* Grand Baie—creating a present so present you could disappear completely.

LUX* Grand Baie hotel is a masterclass in presence.  It felt more than five-star service, more than stunning surroundings, the moments were orchestrated so that everything invited you to simply wake up, breathe deeply, and remember how it feels alive. And what did you walk away with? Not a trinket necessarily, but your senses sharpened to the delicate poetry of the world.