Sure Travel Journey 6.1 Summer 2020 | Page 54

TOUCH DOWN // SUMMER 2020
PARADISE FOUND
It was dusk as we arrived at our final
resort stay, the five-star Paradis located
on a prime piece of wind-sheltered
south-west coastline.
Wedged between the steep cliff of
Le Morne Mountain and the sparkling
azure of the Indian Ocean, the resort’s
setting makes it a definite show-stopper.
Our Beachfront Ocean Room – 10 steps
from the ocean (literally, we counted)
– was also within metres of the Kids’
Club. Noa was there at the crack of
dawn the next morning, collecting her
third Kids’ Club bag, activity pack and
t-shirt. In between learning how to play
golf, participating in talent shows and
hunting for crabs at night, we hardly saw
her during our three-day stay, leaving
mom and me to once again lounge on
our almost-private beach in front of our
suite, reading books, playing marathon
Wedged between the steep cliff
of Le Morne Mountain and the
sparkling azure of the Indian
Ocean, the resort’s setting
makes it a show-stopper
4
© AVNII/SHUTTERSTOCK
Golf lover’s delight at Paradis. Below: The writer, at right, with mother Sonia and daughter Noa.
sessions of rummy and having long
lunches on the beach at the Italian
La Palma restaurant.
We almost had to drag Noa away from
Kids’ Club for a half-day roadtrip to
the Seven-Coloured Earth, a geological
formation and far-too-popular tourist
attraction. As its name suggests, the sand
dunes here have petrified into seven
distinct colours (red, brown, violet, green,
blue, purple and yellow), layered like a
rainbow cake.
On our way out, we came upon a
delightful and unexpected highlight: the
Curious Corner of Chamarel. Essentially
an interactive gallery of illusions and art,
it is an absolute must for kids and adults
alike, with adult-shrinking illusions in the
garden leading to the main drawcard,
the “upside-down room” that dishes up
gravity-defying holiday snaps.
Back at Paradis, we spent the last of
our days in Mauritius melting into sun
loungers. The days blended together,
divided only by sunsets, and all too soon
it was time to return home, sun-kissed,
stress-free and loaded with memories
too remarkable to quantify.
And the missing passport? The kindly
officer, Dabydeen, lived up to his promise
and scoured the airport until he found it
on the floor near the luggage conveyer
belt. Unable to contact me on my phone,
which did not receive calls on Mauritian
soil, he tracked me down on Facebook to
let me know that the passport would be
waiting for us on our way out. That’s true
Mauritian hospitality.
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