In researching Mauritius hotels, I came across the Dinarobin Beachcomber. The Arabic-sounding name right away cast a spell on me, so that is how the Dinarobin wound up on my bucket list for this trip.
This review first appeared in German on reisememo.ch
You know how it goes: you hear a name, and before you know it you can’t let it go! Even as you keep searching for more alternatives, your subconscious is already deciding where you will stay during your holiday — all because of a name with a nice ring to it.
This is how it happened for me with the Dinarobin Beachcomber. Somehow, I instantly made a connection between ‘Dinarobin’ and ‘Robinson’ and, in my mind’s eye, not far behind was ‘Crusoe’, to complete the image of being an island castaway surrounded by palms, exotic shrubbery, and a turquoise-colored ocean…
As it turns out, of course, Dinarobin has nothing to do with our shipwrecked hero. The hotel’s name was derived from Dina Harobi, the name Arab seafarers coined for Mauritius Island. It means something like “deserted island” and refers to Mauritius being unpopulated when they first landed here.
So, later the name supposedly evolved into Dina Robin. To the Beachcomber Hotel Group, this seemed quite apt when it came to naming one of their flagship hotels.
Beachcomber Dinarobin Hotel
Together with the neighboring Beachcomber Paradis Hotel, the Beachcomber Dinarobin, situated at the foot of Mont Brabant — the landmark in the southwestern part of the island — sets the tone for hotel row on the sand beach at Le Morne. Falling into line behind them are other renowned brands like LUX or St. Regis.
That tells you how white the sand must be here and how clean the water is…
Anybody who loves digging their toes deep in fine white beach sand, better yet during a romantic sunset, could not choose a more perfect address!
Palm-shaded beach, pools, and a tropical garden without end
Located on the beach, the resort, which is set in a spacious tropical garden filled with exotic flowers, occupies a vast swath of coastline. Nowhere is anything in sight that might resemble Crusoe’s wildly overgrown island; here, the greenery is manicured, the grounds are impeccable.
And the grounds are so expansive that every 15 minutes an electrocart glides by, whisking hotel guests from reception or the restaurants to their lodgings. Or to the sister Paradis Hotel next door, where guests have reciprocal privileges.
And, so you don’t have to walk to the main hotel pool just for a dip, they expressly located other pools between the bungalows…perfect for taking that pre-breakfast morning plunge just steps from your door.
Although the hotel is almost completely booked in November, the guests are so well dispersed over the expansive grounds and occupied with various activities, that I get the feeling from time to time that paradise has emptied out or, as it were, that we have it all to ourselves.
We definitely like having the whole beach for ourselves. No need to reserve a beach lounge here… ;-)
Colonial-style suites
More than 150 of these elegant suites are divided among the handsome bungalows arranged in a semi-circle. As I cross the veranda and step into our suite, a soft ‘wow’ escapes my lips.
The suites are appointed in colonial style, with a noble design in beige and dark precious wood tones, just the way I like it. The bedroom is huge — naturally. Just like the elegant bathroom with shower, tub, and dressing area.
Were it not for the white sand beach with its lounge chairs waiting for me under the palm trees, I could absolutely see myself kicking back in the suite, not to mention that we could also while away the hours on our private veranda overlooking the tropical garden.
Restaurants for different tastes
The main restaurant offers a well-rounded all-day buffet. We mostly take our meals on the terrace, on the beach, at poolside — in other words, in a different beguiling setting each time.
The breakfast at the Dinarobin, naturally, is a shoe-in for our ‘Breakfast in Paradise’ Pinterest pin-wall ;-)
For a change in the evening, we occasionally switch to Italian or the Japanese ‘Umami.’ Then, we also have the restaurants in the neighboring Beachcomber Paradise to choose from. The fish restaurant ‘Blue Marlin’ there is highly recommended, to name just one!
You could easily spend an entire week here without having to eat twice in the same restaurant. That said, you will need reservations for the à la carte restaurants, because they get fully booked very quickly. So high is the demand, projecting a weekly dining schedule is an absolute necessity!
Oh! by the way, guys are required to wear trousers and dress otherwise respectably in the luxury resorts after 6:30 in the evening…as far as I’m concerned, I could do without the 6:30, but it’s otherwise something to be grateful for — no more muscle shirts in the restaurants at dinner time and no flip flops either. It really enhances the view…
The Paradis golf course
The golf course here is straight out of paradise, too! It has to be… with that name! The best way to get to it is by hotel shuttle. Even that is a five-minute trip, so extensive is the course.
Once arrived in the club house, the well-seasoned golfer will grab a golf cart: the landscape may be totally flat, but the humidity and strong sun combined have such an effect, even in the shaded golf cart, that lugging a golf bag on a carrier or, worse, on your shoulder, is only recommended for our super-fit contemporaries.
The course is beautifully laid out along the coastline beside a spectacular bay. However, expect fairways that are often quite narrow and lots of water obstacles! Situated as it is on a small peninsula, the course has plenty of natural wet hazards. And, what’s more, they are concentrated at the end of a round, when fatigue takes an increasing toll. I lost count of of how many balls I “sank” there…
You can thank the international golf legend Tony Johnstone for the 5,924 meter long, 18-hole par 72 course. He apparently was the pro here for several years.
Other sports activities
The non-golfer who nevertheless likes to stay active first has the agony of choice: besides snorkeling, water skiing, kite or wind surfing over kayak, on offer are also non-watersports, specifically tennis, ping pong, badminton or yoga. Most of them you can even enjoy at no extra charge!
So, looks like he chose to do some surfing…
Let’s hope it will turn out ok :-)
Our take
First, there is absolutely nothing reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe’s island about the Dinarobin Beachcomber. It is way too comfortable in the hotel, and the resort is not nearly as deserted as Crusoe’s island either ;-)
What is more, the Dinarobin is not just made for beach lovers and sun worshipers. Water rats and active vacationers also get their money’s worth here. For the wellness aspirants among you, we should mention that there is also a spacious spa with sauna, hammam and more. We, however, skipped the spa to take full advantage of the beautiful outdoor weather and the variety of activities.
Thanks are due…
… to Patricia Röösli, marketing director for Manta Reisen travel agency, for organizing everything and, of course, to the Dinarobin Beachcomber for inviting us.
We detailed all the other things you can do on Mauritius in a separate article. Enjoy!
