La Pirogue Hotel is one of the oldest hotels on the island, yet it is by no means dated due to regular refurbishments.
It is situated on the dry west coast of the island just beyond the public beach of Flic en Flac and as a result sees little rainfall that could dampen your holdiay spirit. If you are on a sunshine break, the last thing you want is to waste a few days because of the rain.
La Pirogue takes its name from the iconic shape of its main building and especially the roof which looks like an inverted small fisherman’s boat, locally known as ‘la pirogue’.
Huts
There are no conventional rooms at La Pirogue, only huts where you will be sleeping. These huts might have straw roofs but they are luxuriously built as free-standing bungalows with en-suite bathrooms and a terrace at the front for you to watch the sun dip into the sea while sipping the local rum at sunset. A network of asphalted paths connects the huts to each other amid mature coconut trees planted throughout. The huts are spread over a large area so tourists will not feel cramped. A small electric vehicle will first take you and your luggage to your hut from the registration desk near the car park at your arrival.
Eating in
If you think that by staying inside the hotel, you miss out on the best restaurants of the island, you are mistaken. The hotel contains several fine dining restaurants you can choose from every night. Some offer a menu à la carte while one or two will offer you an open buffet. If you are new to the island and not familiar with the local food you are strongly recommended to try the buffet so that you can sample the many dishes. Mind you, the variety is so large that one night or even two will not suffice for you to try everything. On top of that, the dishes changes regularly, so you will take quite a long time to try everything.
Activities
This luxury hotel provides a wide array of activities for tourists. The usual watersports are featured prominently, from scuba diving to boat rides beyond the lagoon, depending on the weather. There is the obligatory swimming pool but the sea is just across so you might want to try both. Sports activities include table tennis, water aerobic classes, yoga and much more. Your stay at La Pirogue will also allow you to use a few facilities at the neighbouring and even more luxurious hotel the Sugar Beach Resort as the two hotels belong to the same group. So if you want to work out in the gym, play tennis or swim in the more impressive pool which boasts a foot bridge, then walk next door down the coast to the Sugar Beach. At night, there are several outdoor shows per week after dinner, weather permitting. Residents at the hotel will be entertained by local Mauritian talent in dancing and singing.
Conclusion
The infinity pool with jacuzzi at La Pirogue is excellent and big enough for everyone but is somewhat of a let-down and appears dated after seeing the much more sophisticatedly-designed pool at the Sugar Beach Resort.
The vast amount of food and variety in the open buffet seems a waste given that you have paid for all of this and are unable to eat everything; the same applies to the vast choice of activities on offer – too much to do in too little time. In a way, La Pirogue’s strength in diversity and entertainment is also its weakness. Perhaps one needs to get used to so much choice!
Did you stay at a hotel? Would you like to review it for us and get it published here? See our guest posting section.