Honest review
Royal Palm is Mauritius at its most intimate: a boutique resort of 69 rooms and one villa on the north-west coast, 25 km from Port Louis. Powdery white sand lies between black rocks, the coves are small and quiet, and the sound of the ocean is simply soothing. Beaches in Mauritius are public, yet this one feels entirely private: every room has its own parasol and two sun loungers assigned to it.
Built in 1989, the resort went through a full renovation in 2021, with some buildings raised from scratch. There are eight categories: ground-floor Palm suites open straight onto the pool and beach, Junior and Ocean suites sit above, and on the third floor are three 295 m² penthouses — with a study corner, embroidered silk cushions and a terrace at palm-crown height, the ocean laid out below.
The cuisine is French and almost entirely à la carte — the buffet makes only a brief appearance at breakfast, and that is the character of the resort: they cook here rather than lay out lines. The wine room holds 500 labels; every week the chefs and a sommelier put together tasting dinners — from 3,700 rupees, around 8,000 roubles. On Thursdays there is a seafood grill on the sand.
The Valmont spa is the only outpost of this Swiss cosmetics house on the island: 18 treatment rooms, a heated indoor adults-only pool, a hammam and a Vichy shower free of charge by reservation. Tennis, padel and squash are free as well, and the gym is fresh Technogym equipment in a building from 2021. All five pools are heated to 30 degrees in the off-season.
Honestly: Royal Palm is not for everyone — this is quiet, grown-up intimacy, not scale and entertainment. But the kids' club for ages 3–11 is excellent and free, so families can settle in too. For couples and seasoned travellers who value calm and French cooking.
First-hand experience of the Maldives Expert team — we have been here ourselves
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