Heartland of hedonism

The holiday activity is relentless but peace prevails atthe new Club Med in Mauritius, writes David Scott. Seventeen cubes of light permeate the steam and bring faintoptical relief inside the hamam. It's still dark and hot but thegentle pipe music brings tranquillity to this corner of Club Med'supmarket resort in Mauritius. If the steam disappeared, theskylights would illuminate ornate floral tiles and the occasionalsweaty body. But the steam stays and so does the prevailingpeace. The southern end of the resort is called the zen area. There'san infinity pool where the water seems to run straight into theIndian Ocean. There's a restaurant to balance the sumptuous buffetat the northern end of the resort. And there's the spa, CinqMondes, with a range of treatments and the adjoining saunas, hamamand gym. Advertisement: Story continues below You are already in the tropics, in humid high20s, yet the steamroom seems to take another step towards the Club Med idyll:happiness. Club Med approaches the pursuit of happiness with scientificprecision at La Plantation d'Albion, its flagship resort on thewest coast of Mauritius. I'm among a group of Australians who arrive, jetlagged anddisoriented, to a welcome of traditional sega dancers and steeldrums. Smiling staff thrust cocktails into our hands and thefeeling of wellbeing becomes contagious. Suddenly, the jet lag hasdisappeared. The smiling staff are known as GOs, or Gentils Organisateurs,and they play a variety of roles at La Plantation d'Albion. Theywelcome us to breakfast, correct our slice on the golf drivingrange, teach us to sail a catamaran and set us up with a predinnerdrink or two. An Australian visitor confessed to other guests that she feltslightly uncomfortable in the water during a snorkellingexpedition. A GO promptly jumped in and held her hand as she swam,so she could continue Rosetta Stone Greek gawking at the rich reef life. Club Med pioneered the allinclusive holiday: once in theresort, it is possible to enjoy myriad activities, from sailing andarchery to golf and a session in the hamam. Some activities, such as excursions, scuba diving and spatreatments, cost extra but the variety of free activities and theendless buffet Italian, Mauritian, French, African and Chinese ensure that no guest can be bored or hungry. There's also a newfeature an open bar with options including champagne or cocktailsusing Mauritian rum. Five years ago, Club Med faced a choice for its worldwideportfolio of holiday resorts: to go upmarket or downmarket. "It was budget or best," says Club Med's chief executive, HenriGiscard d'Estaing, who was visiting during my stay. "We asked ourcustomers and they said, 'You should try to be the best."' Conscious of a brand built on quality, Club Med sold 65properties and spent $1.5 billion opening 20 new upmarket resorts.La Plantation is Club Med's second resort in Mauritius. The other,La Pointe aux Cannoniers, is off the northeast coast among acluster of hotels around the party town of Grand Baie. La Pointe isa fourtrident property for families, while La Plantation has fivetridents and stresses its seclusion. For its move upmarket in Mauritius, Club Med has done away withstandard rooms. French architect Marc Hertrich designed LaPlantation with 266 rooms. The 176 club rooms each span 41 squaremetres, the 60 deluxe rooms have 50 square metres and, for theultimate in luxury, the 30 beachfront suites sprawl over 71 squaremetres. Space is the main difference; all are beautifully appointed.Clawfoot baths, separate showers and distinctive basins are part ofthe new Club Med style and the suites have sky views from thebathroom and a bottle of champagne on arrival. The kingsize beds are somehow soft and firm at the same time.Flat screens beam in Mauritian news and television, with an Englishlanguage station thrown in for good measure. All the rooms have outdoor settings, where you can enjoy a gin and tonic from theminibar and watch the cheeky macaque monkeys troop through theproperty.

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