OUTRIGGER Mauritius Beach Resort — Hotel in Bel Ombre

We are staying in the largest, most expensive room in the resort, the beachfront senior suite, so this is a review in real time so to say.

First of all, the room. It is large, has a nice interior and a fabulously large bathroom with a lovely outdoor shower. However, maintenance has been lacking: the curtains came off while opening them, there is a water leakage in one of the walk-in closets and a breaker popped which caused some lights to malfunction. Furthermore, the terrace roof leaked which makes sitting outside during showers of rain not pleasant which confines you to sitting inside where reading a book is hard because the room lacks proper lighting. The bathroom has a bath which slowly loses water while using it and the outdoor shower misses a holder where to place your shower products. In addition, one of the large mirrors is stained and requires replacement. The room definitely needs maintenance which makes it feel shabby.

The restaurants, then. The Plantation Club is lovely in its own right: it is surrounded by a beautiful garden and the architecture is nice. There are some lovely birds to be seen and heard and also the Mauritian Flying Fox which was a nice bonus. The sparrows however were very keen on the food being put on the tables and are quite assertive in their behavior. You have to regularly scare the birds away; not the thing you want to focus your attention on. During the evening hours, flying ants dropped on our table and food, attracted by the lights and our food of course. One would think that these annoyances would be easily solved by installing sticky fly ribbons, placing lids on the plates of food and clearing tables as soon as guests are leaving, but somehow this is not being effectuated by management nor brought up by staff it would seem. The food in general is quite good, the music in the various restaurants less so.

The staff is friendly, but we find true professionalism a rare encounter. We find staff lacking in their communication with one another resulting in unfulfilled requests and waiting long times for our food and beverage orders to be picked up. Staff did seem to be particularly charmed by a pair of visiting young ladies. This is not something which is unsettling in itself, but it did hamper the service level provided to other guests. This is just a small example to substantiate when I say true professionalism is hard to find here. Somehow, staff is unable to provide us with two umbrellas (we only have one, although it is a very large and sturdy one), even though we are staying in the most expensive room. Two umbrellas are not an unnecessary luxury when it rains in Mauritius. The sand trail between the resort buildings and rooms transforms into a trail of puddles and navigating them with two persons under the same umbrella isn’t easy.

The spa reflected the quality level of the things described above. Only one steam room was functioning and the two sauna rooms were undergoing maintenance. It didn’t provide us with a proper spa experience. The hour-long relaxation massage was good in itself, although music was being played using a mobile phone at a loud volume. The massage menu is rather expensive and a premium massage experience was lacking.

Mauritius is not cheap, we knew this before we came here, but we still keep getting the feeling that we’re not getting a lot of bang for our buck. For over €250 per night, you would expect quite a lot but Outrigger fails to provide a genuine 5 star experience. The ambition (or put more cynical: the marketing) is clearly there, but the execution is found wanting. Why this is, I’m not sure. Maybe corporate management mainly thinks in terms of profit or local management isn’t up to the job and corporate quality control needs to step up its game.

So my overall verdict in short is: not the worst place, but I wouldn’t visit again nor would I recommend it. Outrigger Mauritius fails to live up to its ambition.

Edit: I found out Outrigger is owned by a private equity firm. This probably...

We recently spent a week at this 5-star property in Mauritius. While the natural beauty and some truly wonderful staff made parts of our stay memorable, several service issues and management lapses unfortunately left us disappointed.

Positives:

Ocean View: The setting is absolutely breathtaking. Waking up to panoramic views of the Indian Ocean was the highlight of each day.

Food Variety: The buffet spread — both veg and non-veg — was good and tasty.

Hardworking Staff: Despite being clearly overworked, most of the staff remained kind, professional, and helpful. Special mention to Rakesh, Meet, Manu, Anabelle, Damini, and Kavi — they really stood out with their service and positive attitude.

Well-Stocked Bar in Le Blue: The cocktail selection was excellent — creative and well-executed. A great place to relax throughout the day, right next to the pool.

Snorkelling: The beach is stunning and offers fantastic opportunities for snorkelling. We did it almost daily. Highly recommend bringing your own snorkelling gear for the best experience. Hotel doesn't provide any except for their short tours (DO NOT expect Maldives level services from the hotel on water sports front)

Now to Negatives:

Housekeeping & Hygiene Issues: Only one dental kit per person was provided for our entire stay. The presence of lizards inside the room and just outside the main door was shocking — a full colony was visible. Housekeeping responded by spraying chemicals at night, which made the room stuffy, and despite promises from the quality manager (Rod), no follow-up or deep cleaning was ever done - even though he said it will be done. Very disappointing for a property claiming 5-star standards.

Mercado Restaurant Staff Behavior: Service here was poor. We asked a staff named Roma (and 3 other staff members) for napkins at least three times, and eventually, she returned (after 20 minutes) with what appeared to be used napkins — completely unhygienic and unacceptable.

Rude Restaurant Manager: On our final night, my wife and son arrived for dinner with 20–25 minutes still left before buffet closing. The F&B manager named Sam Nankoo, told them “You are late” multiple times. When she asked if they should leave without eating, his response was “I don’t mind whether you stay or leave” before walking off. This kind of attitude is shocking in any hotel, let alone one positioned as luxury. When I asked this guy multiple times why did he behave that way, he just evaded and said "You can go and complain" - Very rude! Frankly this was the first time ever in our experience of visiting so many places around the globe, that a manager level staff was so arrogant and unwelcoming.

Unreliable Housekeeping: We had to ask for towels every single day, and even then, had to wait up to 45 minutes each time. That level of delay and apathy is simply frustrating.

Water Sports: While the resort claims a full suite of water sports facilities, we weren’t allowed to use any of them during the first two days of our stay. We were told there were unfavourable weather conditions - even though visibly we couldn't find anything wrong. Also keep in mind that there is NO LIFEGUARD anywhere at any point of time. You are on your own. Glass bottom boat tour or snorkelling trips are short (20 odd mins) and mechanically arranged.

I did speak with the GM of the hotel and gave him all of this feedback in person. He was very attentive and apologetic. Seems like he has the intent to make things right. Wishing him success!

Final Verdict:

There’s no doubt this resort has potential — the location is amazing, food is good, and some staff go above and beyond. But a 5-star resort must offer more than just scenery. Management needs to address serious gaps in service, hygiene, and staff behaviour (like that of Sam Nankoo's). Until then, we’d recommend this place only with caution — don’t go in expecting true 5-star hospitality.

Adding some pics of our good and not so...

I recently stayed at this hotel for two nights to celebrate my birthday, and overall, the experience was enjoyable with some notable highlights but also areas for improvement.

Positives: From the moment we arrived, we felt very welcome. The staff at reception were warm and helpful, making check-in smooth and hassle-free. Our room was spotless and comfortable, reflecting the hotel’s high standards of cleanliness.

The swimming pool was a real highlight – beautifully maintained, clean, and a perfect spot to relax. I also appreciated the free activities offered by the hotel. The staff facilitating these activities were incredibly friendly and made us feel completely at ease. Their enthusiasm and welcoming attitude added to the experience and left a positive impression.

The hotel itself is stunning, with a lot of potential to be even better. The beach and pool areas were fantastic, offering a serene environment to unwind. I also had the chance to visit the spa, where I thoroughly enjoyed the sauna and hammam on two occasions. The lady at the spa was exceptionally kind and attentive, guiding us through the facilities with care.

One of the standout moments of my stay was my dinner at Edgewater. The servers at this restaurant were professional, attentive, and courteous, offering an exemplary dining experience. I also want to thank the two servers who brought out my birthday cake – a thoughtful touch that made my day extra special. The desserts here were a delight—light, not overly sweet, and simply perfect.

Room for Improvement: Despite the positives, there were some aspects of the stay that fell short, particularly around communication and hospitality.

The lack of clear and consistent information was disappointing and led to unnecessary confusion. For instance, at reception, we were told to reserve for lunch because the main restaurant (Mercado) does not do a buffet. However, upon arriving at the restaurant, we were told the opposite—reservations weren’t necessary, and the buffet was only available on weekends. Such discrepancies in communication are frustrating and detract from the overall experience.

The biggest letdown, however, was the lack of courtesy and professionalism at the Mercado restaurant. Sitting outside turned into an uncomfortable experience because of cats roaming freely, some even jumping onto our table and creating a mess. This was quite off-putting and should be addressed immediately.

Additionally, the behavior of some staff members at Mercado was disappointing. When we asked the gentleman at the entrance for cutlery to enjoy our desserts, his response was curt and unhelpful. Instead of assisting us promptly, he told us dismissively that it was “already there” or someone would bring it. It took us asking three different waiters and waiting for ten minutes before we finally received cutlery. This kind of service is unacceptable in a hotel of this standard. A simple acknowledgment like, “Let me check on that for you,” or ensuring the request is handled quickly would have made a big difference.

The servers at Mercado, in general, lacked tact and refinement. While the food was good, it lacked the sophistication you’d expect from a hotel with such potential. In contrast, the staff at Edgewater delivered impeccable service, highlighting the inconsistency in hospitality across the hotel’s dining venues.

Conclusion: Overall, I enjoyed my birthday stay at the hotel. The beach, pool, and spa were highlights, and the staff involved in these areas were excellent. However, the hotel must address communication gaps and improve the service standards, particularly at the Mercado restaurant, to provide a consistently enjoyable guest experience.

With these improvements, this hotel could truly live up to its potential and deliver an...