THE blend of oils — samattva, vishrama and sushupti — began to do their work as Rupert, my husband of 48 hours, and I relaxed and enjoyed the “Soma, Nectar of the Gods” massage. Earlier we had sipped cups of steaming vishuddi chai, a welcoming drink made with fresh basil, lime and honey, and had our feet washed in rose petals.
Fifteen months of wedding planning were finally over. Never again did I have to worry about tripping over my veil or who would do the karaoke if the disco didn’t show up. Everything had gone without a hitch and we were ready to sit back and let someone else do the hard work.
We lay face down on downy white towels, with the sound of the sea piped into the candlelit cabana where a bubbling whirlpool bath awaited us. Frangipani petals were scattered around the pool and two glasses were sitting next to a cold bottle of champagne (why can’t every day end like this?).
The Soma massage at the Jiva spa is just one of the honeymoon treatments on offer at the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, the only resort on Mauritius made up entirely of private villas. There are 65 in all, forming a wave pattern at the edge of the beach. Each is angled to offer a view of the sea.
We loved having our own little infinity plunge pool (although it was unheated and chilly in September — still the winter season). At one side of the pool was a huge cream and beige day bed — ideal for me to sunbathe on. On the other side was a covered terrace with sofas, a Bose stereo and well-stocked minibar.
Rupert and I had lived together for four years before getting married. So when planning the honeymoon we decided to spend as much time as we wanted doing our own thing — Rupert perfecting his Steve Redgrave impression on the rowing machine, me lying on the beach working on my tan.
For our second week, we decided to have a change of pace at the One&Only Le Touessrok over on the east side of the island. We carried on doing our own thing by day — me indulging in the treatments at the Givenchy Spa and Rupert perfecting his backhand with Mathias Rendefords, the tennis coach at the Peter Burwash Tennis Academy.
While the room at the Taj was understated in its luxury — dark wooden screens, African-style brown wicker chairs and huge coir rugs — our room at Le Touessrok was filled with funky touches — a flatscreen TV with a light show projected on the wall behind it, and an amazing cream dinosaur-egg-shaped bath. I loved the big bottles of Molton Brown products, especially the bright orange Invigorating Suma Ginseng Bubble Bath.
For a treat one night we hopped on the free shuttle bus to the One&Only Le Saint Géran. The Michelin-starred Spoon des Iles restaurant serves Asian-European fusion food and has little pads and pencils on the table for starry-eyed lovers (just like us) to exchange notes. And, we discovered, if we were still courting, Rupert could have used a handy drawer under the table designed for such occasions to hide my engagement ring in, and proposed right there.
On our last day we got talking to Elise and Ken, from Derbyshire, who had recently celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary. We had spotted them on the beach — Elsie elegant in her pleated skirt, pearls and short-sleeved shirt. Ken told us that having been around the world four times, Le Touessrok was the hotel that they chose to return to each year.
Ken said that they had been asked to join “rent-a-crowd” at many weddings (which can happen up to three times a day). “Well,” said Rupert, “let’s hope that on our 61st wedding anniversary we can make it back to enjoy this beautiful island all over again”.
“And a few times in between,” I added.
Need to know
Jo Morris travelled with Kuoni World Class (01306 747001, www.kuoni.co.uk/worldclass). A two-week honeymoon, with one week’s B&B in a Luxury Villa at Taj Exotica Resort and Spa and one in a deluxe room at One&Only Le Touessrok, costs from £2,954pp, including flights and private transfers with White Sand Tours (www.whitesandtours.com). Holiday Extras (0870 8444186, www.holidayextras.co.uk) offers 15 days’ secure parking at Heathrow airport from £75.
