Stayed in off-season period in May.
We were upgraded to the Pansy room which was nice of them as we stopped there for 12 nights.
Pros:
- Access to Blue Bay beach via a little stairway as you come out of the guesthouse and the main public beach is about 10 mins stroll along the beach from the guesthouse where local food can be bought from local eateries or the Bougainville restaurant.
- Staff are very helpful and welcoming.
- Every morning fresh crepes and omelets are made upon request, by the lovely ladies who work there along with the Continental style breakfast.
Cons:
- Although the room was an upgrade it was at the front of the property so we had all the noises of people coming and going.
- There was a constant water trickling noise which could be heard from the room which the staff fixed once we advised them after the first night.
- The shower fixtures and fittings can do with a refurb as the overhead showerhead was hanging loose off the wall.
- The hot water temperature also had a mind of its own in the shower which we eventually cracked.
- The guesthouse is on the flight path of the airport so be prepared for air traffic noise which I've noticed is inbetween the hours of 9 am and 11.30 pm.
The first night we stopped over the fridge alarm was going off in the adjacent store room and the guard on duty didn't have access to turn it off as everywhere was locked by the evening staff which caused a disturbed night for us. However, this was fixed the next day.
The hotel is walking distance to the beach where you can snorkel out to the Marine Park. The staff was willing to set up all of our excursions plus help with travel to local restaurants. The wifi in the lobby area was strong. Overall wonderful experience. Just be sure to confirm your reservation with them.
We had a great time at Explora. After reading the reviews I was a little concern about making the reservation, but I am glad I did. We booked two rooms for our last night in Mauritius and we chose the area because it was near the airport and we had an early flight to South Africa. The place is not exactly the easiest to find, because the GPS does not find the street name, and the street you have to turn right onto from the Blue Bay Road says that it is a private road. You have to see the name of the hotel painted on a Blue Rock with an arrow indicating that you can indeed drive that direction. Our check in time was 2pm, but we arrived at noon and they took us directly to our room. They were very friendly and offered us coffee, juice and then gave us the towels to go to the beach. The rooms were comfortable, clean, but definitely cheap. It is not a 5 star hotel. Our safe didn't work, but we just locked our stuff inside a suitcase, the beds were comfortable. They had just cut some fresh yellow coconuts, so they offered us some, so a after a little while she came over to the rooms with the coconuts opened and with a straw for us. The beach is gorgeous and literally a few steps from the place.They also gave us some recommendations for dinner in Mahebourg, which was great. We had to leave early, so we didn't have the breakfast that was included, therefore I cannot comment on that. I think if you don't keep your expectation too high, you will have a great time here.