Sharing my first beach staycation after the curfew in Mauritius.
Quarantine, lock-down, COVID-19, curfew, pandemic, anxiety…those were only a few words I could recall that I wanted to immediately take the exit door from my thoughts.
Yes, we were lucky being confined in the comfort and safety of our homes, but still my islander heart was aching for an escape to the outdoors. Where I could hear the waves kissing the shores and feel the sand within my toes, something that I noticed during the lock-down in Mauritius, I wasn’t enough grateful for.
Winding back to August, I am gleeful to share my first beach post-COVID staycation in the wilderness of Blue Bay. We will be addressing the elephant in the room, which truth to be told, is just a gigantic deceitfulness till this day: the national & environmental trauma of Wakashio. However there will also be uplifting stories from my experience at Chantauvent Guesthouse Mauritius. A family-run beach lodge anchored in resilience.
If you have been following my blog adventures (big hugs to you lovely readers if you are!), Chantauvent Guesthouse Mauritius may sound familiar. This is because it is not my first beach getaway to this piece of paradise! We discovered this authentic gem during one of our roadtrips in 2017 and treated ourselves to a weekend of digital detox! Couple of years later, Chantauvent Guesthouse Mauritius surprised my islander heart with divinely designed cocooning areas and a bright new beach shack!
A rustic yet spacious room intentionally decorated to let the view shine as you open the curtains. Yes, we could now enjoy the ‘happy’ in the happy hour’ and ditch the zoom calls with this alluring balcony. The room was fully-furnished with air-conditioning, a double-bed, mini-fridge, microwave, kettle, shower-equipped bathroom and toilette, safety box, 2 deckchairs and table on a terrace. Although there was no TV in the room, we had our laptops and treated ourselves to some classic movies from the comfort of our bed with a high and uninterrupted WiFi.
Chef kiss to those delicious homemade meals! We were positively surprised based from our past experience, I can genuinely say that the team and the Chef topped their culinary game on this one! On the first night I had ‘rougaille saucisse’, lentils with rice and my partner in crime had the Dorade fish vindaloo. You know the local food is good when the locals recommend a restaurant serving authentic island food!
Chantauvent Guesthouse Mauritius serves a divine continental breakfast with homemade jam. We ordered ourselves a cheesy omelette & onions topped with fresh herbs. The indoor seating has a charming character with the watercolour paintings depicting the village life of Mahebourg, whereas the outdoor seating lightens up your day with a breathtaking view of Blue Bay. After breakfast we booked ourselves 2 afternoon massages which was highly recommended by the team.
Located in the luscious gardens, the spa cabana was surrounded by bougainvilleas. It was truly soothing to actually hear the birds from the garden instead of a spa playlist during the treatment! Little anecdote, when Angela asked me where I felt tensed, I replied it was usually on my neck & shoulders. We shared a laugh 5mins in the treatment when she told me that actually, my whole body was tensed. Well, we underestimated 2020! I truly appreciated when I asked her what her signature treatment was, and she replied that she preferred to listen first to the client’s needs before suggesting any treatment. This worked wonders.
After that relaxing massage and trying to get out of the marshmallow-state my body was in, Angela recommended to keep the oils on my body for 15-20 mins for long-lasting well-being effect. I took her words for it and as my fiance started his massage, I went back to our room and set up the balcony with a glass of vino, a good book and comfy cushions for my last sunset. Yup, I take self-care very seriously!
Still with the fresh scents of the aroma oil in my hair, we made our way to The Spot Cafe. A recently opened beach shack by Chantauvent Guesthouse Mauritius. We indulged in wine, Ti Punch and appetizers (those deep-fried prawns were so flavoursome!). It was amazing to carry-on from relaxing treat we had from our respective massages, to enjoy in a chill ambiance those pre-dinner drinks, right on a locally-made surf table!
This is now one of my favourite addresses in Mauritius and I will share with you all the deets in a new blog post, as I feel it is a better way to make it justice! Back to the main restaurant of the guesthouse, our home-cooked dinner was awaiting our hungry bellies. I had Octopus and eggplant curry and my fiance had the fried rice. This is when the Chef kiss transformed into the Chef hug! The octopus was exceptionally tasty.
