Chamarel Vacation Packages

AVOID. Our honeymoon was ruined by 11 nights of health hazards & nickel-and-diming at a "Premium All-Inclusive" resort. We paid a significant extra for Premium All-Inclusive and checked with the hotel before arrival, yet most menu items, even basics, carried mandatory surcharges. "All-inclusive" here means paying again at the table. "Mostly-exclusive" is more accurate. They refused to refund the days before I complained. The ceiling leaked and the walls were moldy for most of our stay. When I reported it, they downgraded my room and simply painted over the mold. When asked to move my belongings, staff said "We are not your slaves". The private pool was filthy, attracting stray dogs from the beach to eat items in it. The TV didn't work. Although it showed "aerial cable disconnected", the manager blamed me for disconnecting the Wifi (it uses ethernet) and removing the key card from the power slot (untouched all stay). They fixed the antenna on the last day. An aggressive head massage pulled out my hair and left my scalp covered in whiteheads. The private hammam's bathtub tap was broken. Constant pointless "courtesy checks" interrupted us. At checkout, after condescendingly offering one night's refund and 5% off for an NDA & waiving all claims from the stay, they tried to charge me tourist tax for days I wasn't in the country and for the massage the spa had agreed to waive, This delayed my departure to the airport. A once-in-a-lifetime trip we can never get back.

The larger 4-bed villa that I booked was lovely; we also saw the inside of a smaller 3-bed unit, and it looks like the 3-bed ones have had a bit of a refurb that hasn’t reached the 4-bed villa yet, but it was honestly lovely. The staff were really friendly and helpful, especially our cleaner Marie, who was an absolute star. Would thoroughly recommend.

When I’m spending £1150 per night at a hotel I expect a little positive engagement from the staff. We’ve stayed in dozens of hotels in Mauritius so have a pretty good barometer of what to expect. This is the first hotel that the staff really weren’t helpful or friendly. Which is absolutely bizarre. One caveat to that Vinnaey(?) at the pool was fantastic and what we’ve come to expect from Mauritius. My view is that this isn’t really a hotel, more a residents site with some available rooms / suites. Whilst all other hotels at this time of year are packed due to both European and Mauritius holidays. The place was pretty quiet. I learnt from staff that this is because it is mainly resident driven. We found engagement from the staff was pretty absent and in some cases rude. Although their behaviour to guests who appeared to be residents was completely different. We felt like we were an inconvenience to the staff. Food standards were very good, however service was appalling. Our suite whilst spacious, was dated and appeared to be more of a residence. I’m not sure what they use in the rooms my wife says it was some sort of frangipani. My wife liked the smell however my daughter and I felt it overpowering and made us feel nauseous. The focus of the place is clearly around golf and for an older clientele. departure pretty much sums up the stay. We were not even asked how our stay was at check out. Hardly even an acknowledgment. It’s called the club, one we clearly weren’t part of.