Mauritius! Le Meridien Ile Maurice 13/11/18

I managed a final Monday morning Square One class before the last bits got packed 

and then we took a TanyaTaxi to Manchester for the 8pm flight to Dubai and then on to Mauritius.

I watched "Swimming with Men" and "MammaMia2" 

 (well, it was mum's birthday, 13th Nov) 

and ate a lot of almonded dates in Dubai(!)

and we finally arrived at Le Meridien Ile Maurice, 

a 4 star hotel on the north coast of Mauritius in the bay of Pointe Aux Piments.

It was a beautiful hotel but we didn't get off to a very good start as our door card didn't work (and that meant a massive trek back to reception), the food was cold by the time we got booked in and the manager was pretty hopeless. 

But I had an ellie on my bed so things were looking up.

We enjoyed a lazy day on the beach next day.

I'm sure I was bitten by a fish. I was nipped anyway.

I've never been defeated by a fish before but it definitely led to a fast exit.

Which was a pity, because the sea was so warm. 

We strolled along to the couples only Nirvana area with its infinity pool.

Well, of course.

And that was about all we had time to do really as we had a Fred.Olsen to catch.

We got off to a very good start on Boudicca...

 ...nice cabin, good company on our table, (Mike and Jane were a hoot) delicious meal, no garlic.

We had nipped into Port Louis for an hour before dinner but didn't get very far..there were roadworks everywhere and consequently car madness.

There would be more time later.

The people of Mauritius are multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual. The island's government is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system, and Mauritius is highly ranked for democracy and for economic and political freedom. The Human Development Index of Mauritius is one of the highest in Africa. Mauritius is ranked as the most competitive and one of the most developed economies in the African region. The main pillars of the Mauritian economy are manufacturing, financial services, tourism, and information and communications technology.Mauritius is a welfare state; the government provides free universal health care, free education up to tertiary level and free public transport for students, senior citizens, and the disabled.Along with the other Mascarene Islands, Mauritius is known for its varied flora and fauna, with many species endemic to the island. The island was the only known home of the dodo, which, along with several other avian species, was made extinct by human activities relatively shortly after the island's settlement.