Anantara Iko Mauritius Resort & Villas
Anantara Iko on Mauritius´ Cambuse bay on the Southeast side of the island is so much more than a luxury resort with a stunning beach. The resort offers delicious food in its 3 dining areas and two bars, a wide variety of activities an excellent spa and an ozone-purified infinity pool, to name a few of the reasons why you´d want to visit this Anantara hotel.
Anantara Iko is located just a 15-minute drive from Blue Bay Marine Park, a government-protected habitat where you´ll find beautiful corals and stunning fishes. The hotel organizes complimentary snorkeling trips to the bay with a small glass bottom boat (so for those who don´t want to wet their feet, there is still plenty to see). Other activities offered are tai chi, yoga, wine tasting, bicycle rides, hiking (this list is not extensive) and at the beach you can use complimentary paddle boards and kayaks.
The 164 spacious and stylishly decorated rooms offer either sea or garden views. You´ll find local elements as well as Asian-style decorations, such as a handmade wooden screen behind the bed. All rooms come with a private terrace or balcony and bath tub. For families and groups the hotel offers two to four bedroom villas with private pools. The resort has been built in a modern style with strict ecological guidelines.
The hotel serves different types of cuisines in its various restaurants. At Sea.Fire. Salt you can enjoy fresh seafood grilled to perfection and tender meats sprinkled with salts from around the world. Enjoy the ocean views and let the gentle breeze at the open-air bar. At Horizon the hotels serves buffet for breakfast, lunch a la carte and both buffet and a la carte for dinner. Choose a seat inside or on the terrace overlooking the ocean and enjoy exotic dishes or stone-cooked pizzas. Bon Manzer (only open for lunch) offers a healthy menu gluten-free and veggie options. Natural goodness blends with great gastronomy to give you a nutritious and memorable meal. Private dining is possible at Zafran, which can host 6 to 18 guests. The resort´s talented chefs curate a creative tasting menu to entice your tastebuds and capture your senses. Bring romance to the next level with an intimate dining experience amid the filao trees or with your toes in the soft sand. Have a picnic delivered in the lush gardens or delve into a seafood extravaganza by your private pool in one of the villas. Your villa allows you to have a dedicated chef, butler and sommelier to ensure that your meal is an occasion to remember in Mauritius.
I briefly mentioned the ozone-purified pool, but Anantara Iko dedicates a lot more to sustainability, thankfully! While some sustainability efforts are obvious to the eye, such as no plastic bottles and straws, other efforts can be found in the operational area of the hotel. All these efforts are important in making and keeping travel sustainable for current and future generations. Anantara Iko is constantly reinforcing their commitment towards environmental, social, cultural and sustainable conservation in adherence to the requirements of Green Growth Standards:
Water conservation. Water consumption is reduced through the Green Bed program in which reusing options are offered for linens, bathrobes and towels and best practices for plant irrigation and outdoor landscape design (including an ultra-efficient wastewater treatment plant to recycle water for non-potable use such as irrigation).
Energy conservation. Energy consumption is reduced by installing solar streetlights at the hotel access and LED lights within the hotel premises. Hot water for the guests is heated using solar power and energy efficient equipment is procured, where available. Variable Refrigerant Volume (VRV) management systems have been installed for heat recovery, energy control and energy savings.
Waste management. The hotel combats pollution and minimizes waste through a reduce, reuse and recycle approach of waste disposal and responsible sourcing of environmentally-friendly options. Team members are educated on waste management and guests are offered recycling bins in their rooms. Solid waste is responsibly disposed of by cooperating with a local waste management contractor. A composting program is in place for garden waste and is reused for landscaping. Newly purchased products are chosen based on their durability, repairability and recyclability in order to prevent harm to the environment.
Social Culture. Before and during the construction and development of Anantara Iko, it was made sure that the cultural/archeaological features and natural surroundings were protected. The resort is built 100 meters back from the beach leaving the lush greens and sand dunes unharmed. The hotel partnered with local NGO´s to protect and preserve Blue Bay Marine Park and the endemic flora and fauna in the hotel´s surroundings.
Local experiences are promoted to the guests to integrate indigenous culture into their stay.
Within the Anantara group, 36 properties have been awarded Green Growth 2050 certification, based on a set of Global Sustainable Tourism Council-recognized hotel-industry standards. Awards received by Anantara recognize excellence in multiple areas, including human rights, child protection, employee protection, community development, environmental stewardship, and tourism ethics and sustainability.
During my stay I enjoyed the cocktail tasting, gym, Tai Chi classes, yoga, paddle board and snorkeling trip. There was so much more I wanted to do, but unfortunately I didn´t have time to try all of the amazing experiences. Plus sometimes it´s just so nice to just sit back and relax and take in all the beauty that Anantara Iko offers. I guess I´ll just have to come back for more…
Location: Blue Bay Marine Park, Le Chaland MU, Plaine Magnien 51510, Mauritius