The luxurious Le Touessrok Resort
Do not disturb
Even as the heavens opened, TV presenter June Sarpong was reluctant to leave her sunlounger in Mauritius
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wo of my best friends, novelist Kathy Lette and fashion expert Gerry De Veaux, had both been to Le Touessrok in Mauritius and said it was gorgeous – and that I just had to go. I’d been to the Indian Ocean before. I’d holidayed in the Seychelles in a place full of honeymooners – not good if you’re not on your honeymoon.nThankfully, during my stay at least, there wasn’t a honeymooner in sight at Le Touessrok – not conclusive proof that there weren’t any there of course. And my friends were right – Le Touessrok was sublime. I absolutely loved it.
The people working there are so nice, the weather was generally fabulous and the hotel stunning in every way. Le Touessrok is quite self-contained. It has Ile aux Cerfs, its own resort island, which you can visit via a free ten-minute boat ride from the main hotel. But you really have all you want right at the hotel itself. I spent the week there with my brother Sam Sarpong, an actor and model. He lives in the States so it was lovely to have some catching-up time with him. I’d like to say we charged around Mauritius seeing all the sights, but actually we didn’t. We just sat on the beach all day, stuffed our faces, drank cocktails and chilled. One reason for staying close to the hotel, I have to say, was the rain.
The people working there are so nice, the weather was generally fabulous and the hotel stunning in every way. Le Touessrok is quite self-contained. It has Ile aux Cerfs, its own resort island, which you can visit via a free ten-minute boat ride from the main hotel. But you really have all you want right at the hotel itself. I spent the week there with my brother Sam Sarpong, an actor and model. He lives in the States so it was lovely to have some catching-up time with him. I’d like to say we charged around Mauritius seeing all the sights, but actually we didn’t. We just sat on the beach all day, stuffed our faces, drank cocktails and chilled. One reason for staying close to the hotel, I have to say, was the rain.
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Your elegant Junior Suite at Le Touessrok
Once the shower is over, you head straight back to the beach – it’s not a problem. You would not, however, want to be out sightseeing when the heavens opened. Le Touessrok is a resort that pampers you and satisfies your every whim. Move your hand and there’s a butler standing poised to serve you another drink. You can get a bit lazy on this sort of holiday – I got very lazy. You’ve heard of couch potatoes. I was a sun-lounger potato. I took no exercise and indulged in not the slightest physical activity. It was bliss for me. All I wanted to do was sit on the beach and read. There’s nothing better when you’re on holiday than to get stuck into a really big book.
I read Alastair Campbell’s The Blair Years, a weighty tome. I should send Alastair the excess baggage bill. I also read American newspaper columnist Arianna Huffington’s autobiography for a fascinating insight into the US political scene. But perhaps my greatest pleasure at Le Touessrok was the food. I think I put on about two stone in a week. The cuisine is a wonderful mix of Asian, French and African influences – very spicy, which I love, and quite delicious. My other indulgence was the hotel spa, where I went through the card on the treatments. My favourite was the lymphatic drainage massage. I also had a manicure, a Swedish massage – I was pummelled non-stop.
I read Alastair Campbell’s The Blair Years, a weighty tome. I should send Alastair the excess baggage bill. I also read American newspaper columnist Arianna Huffington’s autobiography for a fascinating insight into the US political scene. But perhaps my greatest pleasure at Le Touessrok was the food. I think I put on about two stone in a week. The cuisine is a wonderful mix of Asian, French and African influences – very spicy, which I love, and quite delicious. My other indulgence was the hotel spa, where I went through the card on the treatments. My favourite was the lymphatic drainage massage. I also had a manicure, a Swedish massage – I was pummelled non-stop.
Unknowingly, we had booked ourselves in during the island’s rainy season, which runs from January to March. When it rains, it does not rain for very long but it rains a lot. It may last for only half an hour every day but when it starts you need to shelter in the hotel pretty quickly.
Thatched roof shelter for a lazy afternoon
"You can get a bit lazy on this sort of holiday – I got very lazy."
There are plenty of things such as watersports to do at the hotel if you are feeling energetic. My brother went fishing a couple of times, throwing back whatever he caught. Everything at the resort was very thoughtfully arranged, from the créches to the two exquisitely designed swimming pools. My fellow guests were mainly South African and French – I spoke to only a couple of other Brits the whole week. I love travelling. I’m really fond of the Caribbean, especially St Lucia which I used to visit every year for the jazz festival. I’ve stayed there at Le Sport and Windjammer Landing. In the winter I really enjoy skiing and Courchevel is a favourite place.
And I love America – so I wasn’t going to turn down the chance to spend three months there doing a series of programmes for Channel 4, interviewing celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenneger and Paris Hilton. Of course, America has everything for the traveller all in one country. If you want snow, then you go to the Rockies, if you want a luxurious beach holiday, you go to Hawaii; if you want the desert, then head for Nevada – and I’ve been to all of these places! An interview with Sir Richard Branson was also scheduled for the America trip. I would love to go into space in his new spaceship – wouldn’t that be fantastic, what an adventure!
Original article published in Jun 2009. All info and prices correct at time of publication.
Original article published in Jun 2009. All info and prices correct at time of publication.
"The cuisine is a wonderful mix of Asian, French and African influences – very spicy, which I love, and quite delicious."
Relax under the hands of an expert masseuse
The fabulous beach at Le Touessrok
Stuff your face in the exotic restaurants of Le Touessrok
