"A disclaimer to start - the Royal Palm is a great hotel. The views expressed below are much more a reflection of our personal preferences than the identification of a fundamental flaw. We booked our three night stay directly on the hotel website. The Leading Hotel of the World website gave us higher rates, so it is well worthwhile comparing the two. We arrived from another resort by rental car at around noon and were warmly welcomed. As our room was not ready yet, we were offered a day room, which we declined. We were then led to the bar and offered a welcome drink. We chose to continue our wait at the La Plage restaurant, where we enjoyed a great tuna tartar and a squid salad. The La Plage restaurant turned out to be our favourite restaurant of the hotel as the dishes were fresh, perfectly prepared and focused on the main ingredient. More on this later. Having finished our lunch, we were picked up by a member of staff and shown to our Ocean Suite for check-in, which was a breeze. Originally opened in 1985, the resort apparently went through an extensive renovation in 2023 and the rooms definitely great. We chose our suite for the large balcony, but the interiors did not disappoint either. We probably have not seen so many clothes hangers and options to store your clothes like here - a testament to the higher standards expected in particular for dinner. Needless to say that the room was spotless. Given that it is a three story building (including ground floor), there is the odd noise to be heard - but nothing disturbing. The beach is amazing. Beautiful views, fine sand and perfectly swimmable for a refreshing dip. Service on the beach (as everywhere else) is prompt, friendly and efficient. We chose to have our first dinner at La Goélette. This is a very elegant affair and the dress code is enforced. Here is the first reason for the disclaimer made above. For our taste, the food is overly complex, with too many ingredients. This distracts a bit from the main component of the dishes (shrimps or coquilles St. Jacques). Many guests seem to love this - we did not as much. The beautiful catch of the day, expertly grilled with a wonderful beurre blanc was testament that simplicity works better for us. We observed the same thing at the Asiya restaurant, where the sauce in our view overpowered the delicate shrimp respectively tuna starters - noting that the classic black cod with miso sake was simple and excellent. Also, as noted in other reviews, the breakfast service can be a bit chaotic at times. Our second point is connected to the design of the hotel. We have been spoiled by isolated overwater villas in the Maldives and by a stand-alone villa at the resort visited prior to our stay at the Royal Palm. Privacy in the room is not that great due to the proximity of the walkway between the beach and the hotel. The rooms on the ground floor are exposed the most and on the first floor still quite a bit. Only the second floor was pretty well shielded. For us this was not that great as you had to close the drapes for some privacy; which defeats the purpose of the oceanfront great views. To finish on a positive note: We had to depart very early to catch our flight home. Not only could you order breakfast in the room free of charge, but it arrived punctually on the spot at 5 a.m., was setup beautifully on the couch table and the coffee was still piping hot. All in all, we had a relaxing stay at a great property with great service. The two personal preferences regarding food and architecture will likely make us choose another resort."

"After more than 30 years of traveling and living in a cold climate, I have visited many beach resorts around the world. So far, I have not found a better beach resort than the Royal Palm Mauritius. What makes it truly exceptional is the perfect beach with crystal clear water, outstanding service, immaculate cleanliness throughout the property, lush tropical gardens, an incredible spa, and a wide range of activities. The staff is absolutely adorable, and many team members have been with the property for more than 20 years. They know their job perfectly and make guests feel genuinely recognized and cared for. The country itself is safe and has very little time difference with Europe, which makes the experience even more enjoyable. The rooms are luxurious, comfortable, and maintained to the highest standard. When you put all these elements together, the Royal Palm is simply hard to beat. We will definitely return for many years to come."

"I would like to share honestly that my final departure experience was extremely upsetting and unfortunately reflected the overall disappointment I felt during this stay. On the morning of departure, I was still actively packing, caring for my daughter, waiting for delayed bath towels and arranging transport while trying to finish the breakfast we had requested to the room due to the delays. Although I fully understand standard check-out procedures, the overall handling of the departure left me feeling extremely rushed and stressed. What upset me the most was that while I was still in a bathrobe, using the toilet and trying to finish getting dressed, two male staff members remained standing at the open doorway after arriving for luggage collection, despite me explaining several times that I only needed a few more minutes. As a woman travelling alone with a child, this situation left me feeling extremely exposed, stripped of privacy and deeply uncomfortable at a moment where basic discretion and sensitivity should naturally have been given. Unfortunately, this experience reflected the overall feeling I had throughout the stay, that the level of attentiveness, warmth and personalised care I previously experienced at Royal Palm during my stays last year was sadly no longer present this time. Communication through the WhatsApp service was often extremely slow or unanswered, simple requests were not followed up, and several interactions throughout the stay unfortunately lacked the refinement and attentiveness one would normally expect from a hotel of this standard. There were also smaller moments throughout the stay that unfortunately contributed further to this overall feeling, such as standing waiting for towels to be placed on the loungers, not receiving certain guest amenities and attentions that appeared to be consistently offered elsewhere, and being informed that access to certain preferred beach lounger areas was only temporarily possible due to room-category allocations. I also personally felt uncomfortable with the rigid beach lounger allocation system, where loungers were arranged according to room category rather than allowing guests flexibility to choose available spaces comfortably. This was explained to me directly by staff when I asked whether I could sit closer to the front so I could better supervise my daughter while she was playing on the beach. I was informed that guests remained allocated to specific lounger areas according to their room category for the duration of their stay, even when front spaces were available at certain times. Unfortunately, this made the atmosphere feel more segmented and restrictive rather than relaxed and natural. It also created an atmosphere that felt visibly tiered in a way that made guests feel categorised throughout the day according to room level, which personally did not reflect the relaxed spirit I associate with luxury beach hospitality. Having stayed in internationally recognised luxury properties such as Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Royal Atlantis and so on, I have personally never experienced such a visibly restrictive system surrounding beach seating and guest relaxation areas before. In addition, there were moments at the beach and pool areas where I unfortunately did not feel the same level of attentiveness and hospitality consistently offered to other guests around me. On one occasion, when another staff member requested assistance regarding my lounger area, the interaction between colleagues was unfortunately expressed in a way that felt visibly reluctant and uncomfortable from a guest perspective. While I completely understand internal staff responsibilities and sections, such conversations should ideally remain discreet and should never leave guests feeling as though assisting them is an inconvenience. This trip was intended to be a special birthday stay, which is why the disappointment felt even greater for me emotionally. As a Mauritian living in the UK who travels frequently and values luxury hospitality, comfort and service, this trip was something very important and special for me personally. Having already experienced luxury destinations such as the Maldives previously, I deliberately chose to spend this birthday trip in Mauritius this time because I genuinely wanted to invest in and support luxury hospitality within my own country. I specifically booked Royal Palm as the final part of my holiday because during my previous stays last year, I had experienced a much more thoughtful and comfortable departure experience before a late evening flight. Unfortunately, this time I felt so uncomfortable and stressed by the situation surrounding departure and getting ready before the airport that I ultimately decided to arrange and pay for alternative accommodation elsewhere simply so that my daughter and I could leave for the airport later in comfort and peace of mind. This made the disappointment even more significant for me, particularly as I had recently experienced a far more attentive, responsive and genuinely guest-focused level of service at The St. Regis Le Morne during this same birthday trip. Unfortunately, while Royal Palm remains a clean and well-maintained property, this stay sadly did not reflect the level of warmth, attentiveness and refined luxury experience I had previously associated with the hotel."