Travel guru Pico Iyer advocates that to travel is to feel profoundly alive. As we encounter new places, cultures and people, we inevitably stretch our lives into a thousand different days. To be the quintessential traveler, there are indeed a thousand and one ways.
I simply follow the light of the sun, like Christopher Columbus, across oceans and seas to terra incognito — the lands unknown. Perhaps not unknown in a geographic sense, but in excited anticipation of what lies just beyond the horizon. After all, at the heart of each voyage is an unquenchable passion for life. In my search for the true, beautiful and the best, I have been blessed with the opportunity to come across jewel resorts whose loving care and attention to detail are unrivalled.
Many resorts have got what it takes to be a superstar in their own right. The Grand Hotel du Lagon in Reunion Island, Tamassa, and Legends Hotel in Mauritius, and The Diva in the Maldives take center stage in this part of the Indian Ocean. All these properties that belong to the illustrious Naiade Group are sterling gems in the fields of luxury, elegance, eco-tourism and customer service.
Imagine solitary strips of dazzling white sand embraced by swaying palms and crystal-clear azure waters. The paradisiacal scene is all the more heightened by the welcoming vibe, music and soul of the locals. Picture lazy hammocks swinging in the shade of a colonial sugar plantation while charming waiters serve ice-cold daiquiris and refreshing margaritas. Visualize humpback whales playfully performing their acrobats before a captive audience on a catamaran that bobs up and down the waters of the Indian Ocean.
Think of giant manta rays dramatically gliding through the marina teeming with countless denizens of the deep. These and more are the requisites of a dream destination that a Naiade resort can offer in Reunion Island, Mauritius and the Maldives.
My traveling group embarked on our annual rediscovery sojourn to celebrate love, life and friendship. The sights and sounds of these idyllic nirvanas enticed us to renew and recharge our spirits. Magical places have this distinguishing trait: you only get to know their heart and essence if you are willing to linger and lose yourself. A simple glance is not enough to uncover and understand these ethereal sanctuaries — time is necessary.
In Reunion Island, the Grand du Lagon is a manorial expanse where a synergy of old-world colonial charm and new luxuries welcome discriminating guests. The Grand Hotel du Lagon and its sister resort Le Recif, which has been transformed by major refurbishment, feature 300 intimate well-appointed rooms where rustic culture sublimely integrates with progressive touches.
Guests will be delighted with the rich gourmet offerings at Grand Hotel du Lagon. Orangine, Odyssée, Clapotis and Pipangaille: three restaurants and one bar to taste the best flavors of Reunion Island.
We were privileged to have learned Creole cooking from Grand du Lagon chef Philippe, who taught us how to prepare authentic shrimp curry. We were truly delighted to sauté the fresh shrimps in onions and garlic, spicy curry powder, fresh herbs, tomato paste, coriander, chili and all the wonderful spices that make the dish so appetizing.
After our sumptuous lunch, my best friend Bum Tenorio and our dear friend Romelda Martinez and I took a walk along the pristine beach. We rested under the shade of a towering coconut tree. Under its glorious boughs, we shared our dreams.
Tamassa in Mauritius, on the other hand, with its eclectic colors of red, lavender, pink, orange and lime green bubbles truly personifies fun, a celebration of life to the hilt. Tamassa sits majestically within a veritable mis-en-scene that perhaps Madonna would have loved to pose in. The verdant green landscapes, dramatic mountains, sugar cane fields, alleys lined with palm trees and deep blue ocean provide the stunning backdrop. With this ambience, the sprawling resort complex is breezy, charming, hip and happy. We were welcomed by gracious GM Alain Bhoyroo who quipped, “The satisfaction rate is on a sharp upward trend and is topping 90 percent. The guests are very pleased with the quality of the rooms, food and the staff service.”
Indeed, Tamassa’s services exceed guests’ expectation. The activity area of the resort is replete with events: from kayaking to jet skiing, snorkeling, diving, billiards and other table sports, beach volleyball and tennis. I hopped on a bike and pedaled out to discover Mauritius’ sights and sounds. The exhilarating experience started from the resort towards Le Morne, passing through the coastal fishing villages and stopping at Macondé, the imposing basaltic rock from which a breathtaking view on the ocean and the coast can be observed. Returning to the hotel, you can go for a Vibrogym massage session or chose from the exhilarating treatments at their luxurious spa.
The food at Tamassa is also never second best. Foodies will delight at Show and the Playa restaurants. Convivial is the mood at these food outlets.
Another unique service of the Naiade group that fascinated us is their Holiday Photos, which captures the precious story you wish to recall. My Holiday Photos is an original and professional service offered by Naïade to its clients.
Naïade Resorts also call upon the services of international consultants such as the American lighting designer Bo Stieber, who also recently worked on the Cowrie Cove Mactan Shangri-La Resort project in the Philippines and on the Huvaten Fushi Spa Resort project in the Maldives.
I also had the opportunity to visit the Legends Resort in Mauritius, with its unique theme of feng shui, alluding to the four elements of fire, water, wind and earth.
The Diva, another five-star property of Naiade, is paradise on earth because it is located in the Maldives. The Maldives has been named at the 16th World Travel Awards, the equivalent of the Oscars in the world of travel, as the leading destination in the Indian Ocean. Diva’s five-star quality stands on South Ari Atoll that guests get to after a flight over many shades of blue and turquoise in a seaplane. The archipelago is reputed for its rich marine life and its lush vegetation. In its pristine waters and its coral gardens, manta rays, colorful tropical fish, whale sharks abound.
In the Maldives, Diva is in symbiosis with the sea. It has 88 villas and four spa treatment rooms that sit on top of the water. These villas have transparent floors that magically reveal the turquoise water teeming with the marina underneath. Guests appreciate the large bay windows that give them the feeling of being able to plunge into the sea below.
Is this the real life or fantasy? We know that the mind does not turn off during sleep, it simply goes on to a different stage. Just like in the world of Naiade, we find nirvana and it doesn’t matter anymore whether we are awake or asleep because we can hardly tell the difference. Cradled in the softest linens, you lose yourself in the loving rhythms, tranquil sounds and music lull you to a wonderful state of blissful relaxation as guests are transported to a different milieu, a varied time and place of unforgettable pleasures. Remember, years from now, you will be held accountable for the pleasures in life you could have enjoyed but passed on.
Pico Iyer was right: “We travel to open our hearts and our eyes, to become young fools again — to slow time down and be taken in, and fall in love once more.”
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For more information on Naiade Resorts, call +230 698-2222 or log on to www.naiade.com. Air Mauritius in Makati City can be contacted at 818-4870, Cebu Pacific can be reached at 702-0888.
E-mail the author at miladay.star@gmail.com.