A Day in the Life of the Rich & Famous

One of the few times we left our hotel in Mauritius was an excursion to Flat Island.  The owners of our hotel also have several watercrafts and rights to the ruins of a Governor's house on a tiny island off the coast of Mauritius.  Anytime I read a review of our hotel, the guests were always quick to say, "DO THE FLAT ISLAND TRIP.  IT IS WORTH IT!"  So, we did.

We departed first thing in the morning on the hotel's private catamaran.  We cruised for just over an hour before stopping off at an island right beside Flat Island to snorkel.  After half an hour there, the masses started rolling in.  Commercial catamaran after commercial catamaran packed with people started arriving and soon the ocean looked like a parking lot.  It was then that Joe and I looked at each other and thought, 'This is exactly what we didn't want."  Luckily, almost immediately after, we left our catamaran and cruised off to Flat Island.

After a 20 minute walk, our guide directed us down a set of stairs and told us our bartender would be with us momentarily.  We reached the bottom of the stairs and it was like angels singing.  Bean bag beach loungers, parasols and a bar greeted us on this beautiful, white sand beach.  It was like an oasis on an uninhabited island.  Aside from the 5 of us and the bartender and chef, there was not a soul to be seen.  We swam, relaxed, drank and enjoyed absolute tranquility.  At noon, the chef came down to tell us our lunch was ready.

We walked up the stairs to the Governor's House where tables were set for us.  There we were served wine and the most delicious fresh lobster all while overlooking the Indian Ocean.  Afterwards, we returned to the beach.  It was the PERFECT day.  We felt like celebrities as we were pampered, wined and dined.

**Yes, that is a lovely sunburn on my face - small price to pay.**