On the idyllic Mascarene island, find a replenishing home away from home.

Sometimes, you really do only need the three S’s: sea, sun and sand. Fortunately, The Residence Mauritius has all three in abundance. Set along one of the island’s most delicious stretches of east-coast beach, where velvety white sands meet the warm, impossibly blue waters of the Indian Ocean, this five-star grande dame is a palm-fringed oasis in Belle Mare, built for doing very little – and doing it beautifully.

Choose from a constellation of villas, some seemingly floating above the ocean, others opening via private terraces onto the tropical gardens that surround the hotel. Then do the obvious thing: find a lounger on the private beach, order something cold and disappear into your latest literary obsession.

When hunger inevitably calls, head to The Plantation, the hotel’s beachfront restaurant, for seafood and Creole classics – the sort of food that makes a strong case for extending lunch indefinitely. The Verandah is the more casual affair, with toasted sandwiches, oven-fired pizzas, salads and homemade ice cream, while The Dining Room brings together the spices of Mauritius and international recipes in a generous collision of exotic flavours. Later, decamp to The Bar for local rum, cold beers, and cocktails, accompanied by the hotel’s live music, dangerously conducive to one more tipple.

And should you find yourself restless on your own little patch of paradise, the hotel offers an array of opportunities to see the rest of Mauritius. Glide across glittering lagoons, dive in some of the island’s world-class underwater sites or spend two hours cooking with a resident chef. You can also head to a local market to select fresh produce before taking it to a host’s home for an authentic local dinner, or venture south for a day trip along the island’s expansive coast. Think of the hotel as your extremely well-connected personal tour guide.

Then there is The Sanctuary, the hotel’s relaxing spa, where Zen philosophy takes lying horizontal to a new territory. Choose from massages, skincare treatments and personalised therapies, or retreat to the garden spa pavilion overlooking the lagoon, where the sea breeze does much of the work for you. Here, life’s stresses seem to evaporate on contact.

And then, naturally, it’s back to the beach. White sand between your toes, warm water in front of you, and absolutely nowhere else you need to be.

Words by Ella Bardsley