Shangri-La unveils new-look Le Touessrok

If you listen carefully, you can just about hear them coming: the summer holidays, I mean, and you know we all need them after this rollercoaster of a year.

For a proper dose of R&R, nothing tops a beach holiday. Cape Town is always a good idea (but hell, the water’s cold) and KwaZulu-Natal can be nice (oh, the crowds). But if you’ve got a 13th cheque burning a hole in your pocket, then it’s hard to beat Mauritius; the island of sandy beaches and gin-clear ocean and no end of luxury resorts ready to pamper you.

And good news for travellers who enjoy a dose of island chic with their sparkling seas and white sands: one of the island’s iconic resorts has just reopened after a floor-to-ceiling revamp.

Set on the fringes of the spectacular bay of Trou d’Eau Douce, Shangri-La le Touessrok is something of a grande dame on Ile Maurice. The resort has been around for 45 years and has long set the bar high for understated luxury on the island.

This latest revamp raises it higher, with a complete reimagining of the rooms and public spaces.

“From our newly reimagined sensory dining experiences to the artistic storytelling woven into every room, this redesign is a celebration of our guests’ desires for both adventure and relaxation in a place they can call their Shangri-La,” said Gregory Coquet, GM of Shangri-La le Touessrok, Shangri-La’s only resort in Africa.

The island brings most of the inspiration for the new look and feel, with a serene palette taking cues from the resort’s choice of beaches, while a flourish of colour echoes the lush flora of the interior. There’s also plenty of space for local craftsmanship, with furniture, sculptural pieces and accessories created for the resort by island artisans. That sense of place is a central thread in the new-look rooms and suites — there are 185 keys at Shangri-La Le Touessrok — where classical textures of rattan sit neatly alongside vintage photographs to create a contemporary aesthetic global in ambitions, but firmly rooted in the island.

The same could be said for the reinvented dining experiences, with two brand-new restaurants among the resort’s five dining options.

TSK — Touessrok Soul Kitchen — is a must, offering a luxury take on a traditional Mauritian dining experience. TSK echoes the layout of a Mauritian home, given a contemporary spin — from a lively kitchen and airy terrace to the more formal dining room. With a range of live cooking stations, the menu focuses on hyperlocal Mauritian flavours, with the occasional global flourish.

A more intimate option is the new Coco’s, created as a deeply chic beach house boasting views out across Hibiscus Beach and the Trou d’Eau Douce lagoon. Here an abundance of seafood pairs neatly with the wine list drawn from the on-site Vinoteca wine cellar.

Alongside these two new additions remain the much-loved classics that have been refreshed: Japanese cuisine at Kushi, Indian flavours fresh from the tandoor ovens at Safran, and Sega bar for live music and cocktails that throw a spotlight on local rums.

In step with the revamped resort is a suite of new ways to while away your days. New and reinvented experiences include a glimpse into local traditions with honey harvesting, guided e-bike tours of the island and bespoke beach dinners under the stars. Shangri-La is known globally for its wellness offering, and at Le Touessrok Chi, the spa offers a menu ranging from reiki sessions to detoxifying Iyashi dome therapies. Of course, you’ll also find the usual array of resort activities, from stand-up paddleboarding to exclusive access to the legendary championship golf course on the private island of Île aux Cerfs.

And there we have two of my favourite words: private island.

I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy them across a few oceans worldwide, and the one that lies just offshore from Shangri-La Le Touessrok remains one of my most memorable.

Îlot Mangenie is a tiny slip of sand just a 10-minute boat ride from the jetty at Le Touessrok but feels a world apart. Step ashore, shoes in hand, and the attendants will show you the lie of the land. Loungers stretch out on the shoreline in the shade of whispering casuarina trees, with a beachfront bar and restaurant on hand to ensure you don’t go hungry.

But here’s the trick: even a private island has its VIP zone, and on Îlot Mangenie those are the private cabanas set up a short walk from the main area. Large daybeds are set beneath the shade of palm-frond umbrellas, spaced well apart to ensure perfect privacy. The ice bucket off to one side? Well, that’s for the bottle of French rosé included with the cabana, of course. And that waiter wandering down the beach? Ah yes, that would be your truffle pizza on its way.

It's a slice of castaway luxury amid a resort experience that has long traded in island indulgence. And with a fresh new look, there is perhaps no finer destination for a summer escape on Île Maurice.