Silver Beach Hotel

We visited Mauritius and the Silver Beach Hotel from end March to early April 2006, for just under a fortnight. We chose the Silver Beach Hotel on the strength of recommendations on TripAdvisor, and would now like to add our voice to those words of praise. We travelled with Air Mauritius and found their timetable very favourable to holidaymakers, their night-flights allow an extra day on arrival and also on departure. However, their economy class seats are not very comfortable, and there is not much legroom on the Airbus 340. On the bright side, with the three-hour time difference between Britain and Mauritius, there is no jetlag going there or coming back! On arrival we had a very friendly welcome by hotel staff, as well as by the charming dining room head waitress Malini at buffet breakfast and buffet lunchtimes. In the evenings the cheerful dining room manager Dan chatted to guests at all tables, enquiring if everyone was happy. We certainly were very happy with the food and service provided. We were amused by the zeal with which the waiters removed used plates and cutlery, even unused cutlery, and at times we felt we had to defend our knives and forks! Apart from the three meals, on ‘All Inclusive’ one could have waiter-served afternoon (savoury) snacks in case one had missed lunch, and there were also tasty cakes later in the afternoon. We particularly enjoyed the rum punches throughout the day. We thought our room was one of the best, as it was on the third floor and close to the sea, so we had a lovely view of the beach. However, as there is no lift I sometimes found it an effort in the heat to climb up to the third floor! There was an efficient and almost silent air-conditioning unit, as well as plenty of storage space and an easy to use safe in the room. No shower-gel or shampoo was provided, so do bring your own if you are not happy with small bars of soap! The room was kept in immaculate order by a chamber-boy who specialised in turning the daily clean towels into artistic shapes like swans, shells or shirts on the bed. The television in the room only received the three Mauritian channels with mostly Indian- and French-language programmes. Some bits of BBC World are transmitted on these channels at times which we could not work out. The electrical sockets are like in this country, i.e. taking 3-pin plugs. We found no shaver socket, but the hotel shop sells adapters. In the garden and on the beach there were always plenty of sun beds, and if there was not enough shade the very helpful attendants would happily provide more parasols. The weather during our time on Mauritius was excellent. There was always a very welcome breeze from the sea, and on most days there were clouds which mitigated the effects of the sun, and sometimes brief showers which kept the grass green. During the first half of our stay the atmosphere at the Silver Beach was quiet and relaxed, as the majority of guests were in the 50-60+ age group. In our second week there were more children and younger couples. We thought the guests were mostly British and German, with a few French and Canadians(!!) who had travelled for 24 hours to spend one week at the Silver Beach Hotel. We made several excursions; one with White Sand Tours in a taxi with only us two as passengers, to the southern half of the island where we saw the volcanic crater in Curepipe, a Hindu temple Ganga Talao, the Black River Gorge, the Chamarel Waterfall, and the Coloured Earths. This was to be a 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. day trip for 3,250 Rupees (£65), but as our driver arrived almost an hour late we could not visit the Casela Bird Park, a trip there was offered to us later when we mentioned this to our Rep Raj. We also made a half-day trip to Port Louis, about 80 minutes by car, by private taxi arranged by the hotel, at 1,300 Rupees (£26). We left at 9 a.m., spent two hours in Port Louis, and returned at about 2 p.m. This was enough time to visit the Penny Blue Museum at the Caudan Waterfront, and to do some souvenir shopping. For some local colour and shopping we went by local bus (36 rupees return) to the Sunday market at Centre de Flacq, where textiles and foods etc. are modestly priced. The heat and cramped seating on the half-hour ride on aged buses was an experience. And we went on a 15-minute trip by speedboat arranged by the hotel, cost 200 Rupees, to the Ile aux Cerfs. This was from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and gave us the chance to swim on different beaches, which we enjoyed. Our main aim for going to Mauritius was to fulfil an old dream, and to relax in warmth and sunshine, read some books, swim in warm and clean waters, and not having to think about providing meals and cleaning the house. We could do all that, and we were very happy at the Silver Beach Hotel and would recommend it to anyone who wants to relax in comfortable surroundings. Any further insights from marga610@yahoo.co.uk , although please note I do not check this account daily.

Stayed at the Silver Beach for 11 days all inclusive in Jan/Feb 2006 and could not fault it. The food was excellent and all inclusive option was superb. No waiting around for drinks, the bar was open 14 hours a day and there was even a free mini bar in the room. Five star service from the staff who were all friendly and attentive, nothing was too much trouble. Even managed to keep the room for 8 hours after checkout on the last day. Excellent location, right on the beach and would definately go again.

we arrived at the silver beach tired after our 12 hour journey but were given a warm welcome by the staff.although we arrived early in the morning we were not kept waiting for our room. Our room was clean, spacious and we had a sea view! everything you need in the room including mini bar stocked daily. you only have to ask once for something and the room boy will bring it everyday, my partner is diabetic so we asked for diet coke and he brought 4 bottles every day. Towels were always folded into swans or flowers daily. previous comment about ants - we had none. if you leave dirty glasses around you will get them, they're after something sweet, no different than home i'd say! The food was superb, a buffet is served on a weds and sat with a fantastic display of petit fours. The rest of the time it is a four course dinner, beautifully presented. Always a choice but if you don't like what they have it's never too much trouble to cook something else for you. if you order wine with your meal they bring you a bottle! Staff are very attentive, won't let you sit without pulling your chair out and won't even let you fill your wine glass when it's getting low. drinks at the bar and cocktails are good too! Bar staff great fun, very knowledgable about English football. There is entertainment most nights, usually the same guys but it is pretty varied with a sega dancing show one night. The Beach. well this is fantastic, the water is so clear and calm due to the reef. plenty of fish if you like snorkelling, best spot is to the left of the hotel(north). No motorised watersports (thank goodness) pedaloes and kayaks are available though. Because of the coral it is best to take a pair of reef shoes with you or buy them from the hotel shop for about 175 rupees. The lads in the boathouse not only provide you beachtowels but will sort out any trips you want to do at a fraction of the cost. we went across to Ile Aux Cerfs on their speedboat which leaves from the beach, they took us to a waterfall and we had a lobster BBQ on the beach alongside Le Touessrok golf course, fantastic. If you like the sea try the undersea walk, it's great fun. we were picked up at the hotel and taken 10 mins up the road, you're in the water for about 30 mins feeding the fish and walking around the coral reef, costs us about 800 rupees each.(half the price of the rep) we also hired a taxi for a day, they'll take you anywhere you want for as long as you want and very informative. The beach boys are also no problem, they'll ask if you want sarong, t-shirt etc, if you don't just say no thanks. They do like to come and chat though, so you can learn a lot from them, especially Michael. I disagree with a previous comment about not leaving the Hotel. Most mornings we would take a stroll to the village (about 15 mins) sometimes along the road and sometimes along the beach. Always we were met with a friendly "Bonjour" as we went. The locals are lovely, friendly and not a problem at all. A Couple of times we ate out at a restaurant in the village called Tinos, well recommended. we had grilled lobster, very reasonable prices too. I would not hesitate to go back, The photographs in the brochures do not do the beach justice. This is a 3* Hotel with a 5* service.

My wife and I have now been home a week after an excellent 13 day stay in the Siver Beach hotel. We both found the hotel to be just what we were looking for. It is not too big but was still able to provide a first class service. The food was excellent with a very good choice available both at lunchtime and in the evening. I like fish and I do not think that I have been on a holiday where the fish dishes have been so good. Our room, which was clean and quite roomy, was in the block adjacent to the main building. The shower did not look up to much but there was high water pressure and good temperature control so on could get a super shower. We found all of the staff to be excellent. In the resturant and bar they could not do enough for you. In fact they probably carried this a little too far as it was difficult to lift a bottle of water at the table with out it being taken out of your hand and being poured for you. The room stay were equally good and attentive. I like to snorkel and found snorkling in the lagoon in front of the hotel to be very good. The lagoon is very shallow particularly at low tide and there is a strong current towards the shore. I found the best area to be about 100 metres to the north of the hotel where there were lots of very colourful fish and quite a selection of different types of coral. The one downside is the damage which is being done to the coral from the number of motorised boats moving across the lagoon. My wife likes to sunbath and she found the cooling wind which blew of the lagoon for most of our stay just what she wanted. On the one day when the wind did not blow, my wife found it too hot and had to remain under the sunshade. We have both returned home with nice tans. This was our first stay in an all inclusive hotel and the experience was very positive and one that we would happily try again. Mauritius outwith the hotel was disappointing. We hired a taxi (around £36 for the day)and had a good trip aroung the sites in the south of the Island. However the general impression of the builtup area's outwith the hotel was one of litter and rundown, untidy, dirty buildings. One did not get any desire to walk about and linger in area's outwith the hotel which is a great pity as it means that the area's do not benifit from additional tourist revenue.

We have just returned from 2 wonderful weeks at the silver beach hotel.We went with slight trepidation as it was only 3 star.The first impression was that the hotel looked a little shabby,but we found it to be very clean.The beds and towels were changed every day and the man who cleaned the room was a little gem and made us smile with the shapes he turned our towels into which he left on the bed.The food was the best I have ever had on an all inclusive holiday.Breakfast was a delight and special thanks to the pancake maker.Lunch was a feast, buffet style with so much choice we normally tried nearly everything.The pasta which was freshly cooked to order was divine.Afternoon tea came next with sumptious cakes and pastries and we always knew it was tea time as the birds would arrive and sit on the grass waiting.Dinner two nights was buffet style and for the other five nights it was four courses nouvelle cuisine style.Our thanks must go to Dan as we must have driven him mad as most nights we asked for something different as I dont eat fish and my friend is a very conservative eater.Nothing for him was too much trouble and the waiters always delivered it with hugh smiles.The choice of drinks included was excellent and normally with all inclusive they serve wine by the glass,here they just brought you a bottle, or two if you wanted red and white. The down side of the hotel is the swimming pool.The water was very cold and the pool small.The evening entertainment was ok for the first few days but after that it became a bit of a bore.It was the same group of people performing most nights murdering good songs. The positives far outweigh the negatives and I would recommend this hotel if you want a good rest with extreemly good food.The hotel is isolated from shops etc but the local Taxis are so cheap it is not a problem. If you want an unusal night out have dinner at cafe des arts.The owner Jocelyn Gonzalez is a wonderful host and is very proud to show his paintings all done by his mother who was the last pupil of Matiste.You will need your credit card as its expensive.

We thoroughly enjoyed are stay at the Silver Beach Hotel and were delighted with the attentive service we received from every member of staff - from cleaner to gardener, waiter to manager. Though the waiters and bar staff made a large contribution to the enjoyment of our holiday. (Kamlesh, Sailen, Techno and Vishal to mention just a few) They always had a smile and were always keen to engage in conversation - especially if it involved the English Football Teams - as they all followed English football. If you need anything then just ask - whatever your request at Silver Beach they do their utmost best to provide you with it asap ... from extra pillows to replacement light bulbs to a TV in the bar to watch the big match on Saturday night!! ( Chelsea & Liverpool played during our stay and there were several supporters for each side staying and the Hotel set up a TV especially so that we could all watch together !) Of course we did have Michael Owens mother there too - hi Jackie, if you read this !! The rooms were spacious and cleaned every day with fresh bedding and towels. For me breakfast and lunch were the best, my husband preferred the evening meals. The effort the chefs put into their cooking was fantastic - especially those little cream cakes. All the comments on the previous review (guests from Swansea) are spot on regarding the boat trips/drinks/taxis/snorkelling and the undersea walk. All in all we really enjoyed our holiday and I cant think of anything negative to say about the hotel at all because there wasn't anything. Something I would have liked to have know before I visited Mauritius was the advice about wearing water shoes - I ended up buying a pair from the hotel shop but they only had one size and that was size 4 which were small for me but at least it meant I got to go into the water - as there is a lot of loose coral on the beach and in the water and it cuts your feet very easily - so be warned, go prepared.

We arrived in mid September to 4 days rain and very little sun and the wind was strong throughout our stay but we were soon cheered up by the wonderful friendly and helpful staff who made our holiday. Malini, Kamlesh, Vishal and Jude were just four of this wonderful staff who ensured you would leave this excellent hotel with a smile on your face. The food was superb, with plenty of choice at breakfast, lunch and dinner and the service was 5 star. The afternoon cream cakes were delicious and contributed to the extra 7 lbs we put on by the end of the holiday. There was an excellent supply/choice of drinks many of well known brands. The local beer was Phoenix but was very good lager at 5% alcohol. The reception staff and the cleaners were also superb,nothing was too much trouble. The hotel taxis were excellent, you could hire one all day for trips around the island for just 1500 rupees(about £30). The drivers were so informative and spoke good English. If you liked a boat trip there was a daily 10 minute journey across to the fabulous island of Il De Ceufs. However be prepared for a soaking,although we laughed all the way over and dried out quickly in the warm sunshine. Snorkeling was well worth doing off the hotel beach with some lovely colourful fish over the corals. The undersea walk at Belle Mare was great fun with a reel of photos handed to you at the end for you to record this fabulous experience. The two downsides were the state of the roads, they were worse than in the UK and the weather, although this did improve in our second week. We will definately return to this wonderful hotel and island.

Stayed July, had fab time even though the weather was mixed. Very windy but did not deter sunbathers, when wind dropped sun could be very hot. Some rainy days, so just stayed in bar and read. Rooms were spotless and housekeeping was great, clothes that we threw around the room, would always be folded up neatly and stacked on bed. Food was good, lots of choice at lunch time, and evening. My kids were fussy, but after checking the menu every day ( this is displayed from about lunchtime) they were able to order snacks or arrange alternative main meal ( usually steak and chips ). Everything about this place is great, hardly heard any negative comments during the 2 week stay. The bar boys are great and we had many an entertaining conversation with them, their English is good and they work really hard, as do all the staff. Gates are shut at 6pm and security let you in and out, discreet guards patrol the gardens during the night which is reassuring, not they you felt in any unsafe if they weren't about. Only down side, we went with teenagers and my son was a bit bored, as there was no one else his age there. Swimming pool is quite cold so he didn't swim much and there is no satellite TV which normally occupies him. Saying that we would still go back, but perhaps take portable DVD to amuse him. All in all great value for money holiday!!!

Spent 11 nights here and found the hotel to be nice & very clean. In fact all the staff bar one were male and they were never kept with their hands in their pockets! As previously stated here, in our room on the top floor of the main block of the hotel, found these tiny tiny black ants would appear from nowhere after minutes of opening anything sugary, so be warned. The mini bar is re-stocked daily with 3 cardboard juices, bags of nuts & raisons and bottles of 7up, pepsi, fizzy orange, phoenix beer x 2(which is OK by the way) and soda water. There are 3 TV channels, channel 3 shows BBC World from 00:00 to 07:00. Sky News from 07:00 to 09:00, then back to BBC World 'til 12:00. Only had 2 pillows in the room and no bottle opener, but a quick call to reception and all was sorted out in minutes. The breakfast buffets were great - they will cook pancakes, eggs to order and theres also cereal etc. Lunch was a buffet with the ice cream a must try. Snacks were great if you didn't fancy lunch. Hamburgers and sandwiches made to order again in double quick time. The evening meal was OK and was something of a mystery at times. The fish soup was a highlight :) for all the wrong reasons. My partner's not a great fan of much food, so the 4 courses quite often were picked at. But the waiters were keen for him to have someyhing else if it didn't suit. The boat guy and the band were a hoot, just how many times can you murder Robbie Williams or Queen (lots!!) There was a rendidtion of YMCA, which came out very odd, but this disn't matter as the only people left downstairs by this time were 'merry'. 22:00hrs appeared to spell triple measures at the bar and could at times be difficult to drink. On Saturday night there is a 'disco' night - if your young enjoy the DJ (see if you recognise him) mix hard house with Ronan Keatin' with Grease :) On the downside...the other nations at the hotel who were all friendly, most could speak English whereby I could only get by in French, felt a tad embarrased about this. Taking a walk out the hotel and quite quickly you are in a shanty-style area which made me feel a little guilty. Also the transfer from the airport was about an hour along bumpy roads - so take the travel sick pills! In the nearest town is a very western Spar and KFC which is very reasonable if you fancy a night off from all the posh nosh. Also the national choc bar appeared to be Kit Kat-chunky or 4 bar it was everywhere, even a vending machine in the airport!

My partner and I stayed at the Silver Beach on the east coast 4-18 June 2005. It's a very good 3* with polite, attentive staff. Our room was spotless, plenty of storage and always hot water for the shower.There was no sign of ants in our ground floor sea-view room; they wouldn't have stood a chance with the guy who cleaned our room. Towels, bed-linen and even the hand soap were changed daily. He was also very creative in the display of our pillows and any sarong I might have left around (though maybe it was the novelty of having 4 pillows - we'd phoned reception for 2 extra pillows which were delivered within 5 mins)! The TV picked up BBC World and the Mauritian Channel, which we watched at 7pm for the weather report so we could plan the following day's activity. The weather was mixed, but it is their winter. We had days of rain, cloudy- but warm enough to sunbathe, and hot with glorious blue skies.Sometimes a combination of all 3. So when not sunbathing we'd walk along the quiet beach or to the village, use the bicycles or hire a taxi from the rank outside the hotel to explore the island. Some drivers are very informative, some don't talk, but we didn't pay for a tour guide! The food was fabulous. The table d'hote served 5 times a week (Sat & Wed is an extensive buffet) was imaginatively presented and graciously served by the waiters. I can certainly recommend the white wine, which the waiters are happy to keep flowing (just don't try and pour it yourself, we were reminded that it's their job!) The buffet lunch is an assortment of salads, vegetable dishes and freshly cooked pasta, fish and stir fries. The desserts and pastries are delicate and light and look almost too beautiful to eat. When lunch is over at 2pm, burgers and toasted sandwiches were available as snacks. Then the afternoon cakes appear. Entertainment starts at 9pm and twice a week local dancers & musicians perform and encourage you to join in. The only negative (just to be balanced) would be the resident singer who was entertainingly bad (he also sells the boat trips). He liked to do his sound checks whilst we were having dinner, and perhaps knowing what was to come this may be why people disappeared after eating. Whether it be Bob Marley, Sinatra or the Beatles, (and I'm afraid he likes a certain Wet, Wet, Wet song) they're all sung in the same souless tone, but it's so bad, it's almost good. Clientele: Mainly British & German couples over 30. An excellent value hotel with superb service from staff.