AFRICA
Mauritius
Go for: Indian Ocean waters, a museum, and dazzling beach villas
Mauritius’s heyday as a destination in the 1980s conjures images of striped parasols, a tanned Stéphanie de Monaco on water skis, and all of Europe’s jet set holed up in the few – but fabulous –hotels. Fast-forward three decades and the Indian Ocean Island has even more to land itself on your travel list: A dynamic cultural scene and new wave of hospitality are unfolding on its shores. In the capital of Port Louis, the years-in-the-making
Intercontinental Slavery Museum, located inside a restored 1700s military hospital, opened in September 2023, marking the nation’s first monumental step in making amends for its long colonial history. Culture buffs are also gravitating to the recently opened House of Digital Art (HODA) nearby: Old meets new in this historic Port-Louis building, housing a cutting-edge array of contemporary art installations. Mauritius has always been renowned for its dreamy seaside resorts, but encouraging visitors to venture away from the beaches is the forthcoming Socio Tribeca in late 2024 –heralding the launch of a new hotel brand from the Lux Collective – which promises to be an impressive contemporary hotel with its finger on the pulse of the island. Muse Villas, a newcomer seeking to offer an elevated resort experience, enables travellers to stay on their own private islet. Meanwhile, legendary resorts Lux Belle Mare and Paradis Beachcomber just unveiled massive restorations in October, and Hotel Riu Palace
Mauritius, a kitesurfers’ paradise, will emerge from its own facelift in May 2024. But beyond the well-trodden coastline of Mauritius, this may be the year its little sister, Rodrigues, a speck of an island an hour-and-a-half flight east, gets its due. It’s long been a well-kept secret among even the most in-the-know travellers, but now a clutch of reimagined properties is adding a touch of luxury gloss: The island’s two historic hotels, Play Mourouk and Cotton Bay Resort & Spa, are reopening after months of renovation and reinvention (the first as of November 1, 2023; the latter in 2024).
