This past weekend we decided to take a trip and explore a part of the island we haven’t spent much time in before, the East. Since this weekend was to celebrate our 6- year anniversary we wanted to find something different from the usual resorts you find on the island. After much research we settled on Otentic Eco Tents situated in the small village of Deux Freres in one of the least developed parts of Mauritius.
We took an easy 1.5 hours drive from Tamarin cutting directly across the island from west to east driving through Quatre Bornes, Quartier-Militaire and many sugar cane plantations.
We arrived at Otentic for the 14:00 check- in and were greeted by owner Julian who graciously showed us around the camp. We were immediately struck with the peace, serenity and honesty surrounding us. The bare roots and down to earth nature immediately inspires relaxation and letting go. All your worries seem to dissipate as you follow the sand paths from your tent, through the vegetable and herb gardens through to the honesty bar where you can grab yourself a Phoenix beer and sink into a bean bag chair over looking the Grande Riviere South East river.
What makes Otentic so special, is that it is the only Eco Tent Glamping site on the island. The “Bush” tents are straight out of an African safari, having being crafted and shipped from South Africa. The tents are raised on wooden platforms that seem to elevate the experience to that of sleeping amongst the palms. Each tent boasts a large outdoor terrace and can sleep four guests in a double bed and two single beds. The bathroom is crafted out of reclaimed wood enhancing the inside- outside connection, making you feel as though you are showering in a forest.
A continental breakfast of fruits, yoghurts, breads and cold meats is included in your stay and is served buffet style every morning from 7:00am- 10:00am. Omelettes can be made to order. Lunch and Dinner are both charged extra at Rs 700 ($16) per person for all you can eat. Unlimited non-alcoholic beverages are also included. A delicious Creole buffet is served each day for lunch featuring local delicacies, curries and chutneys. Dinner is typically a fish or meat braai or “BBQ” served buffet style with many local side dishes. It is our understanding that there are many restaurants in the area to sample but the dishes prepared on site looked far too good to turn down and so we opted to have all our meals at the camp. Alcohol works on an honesty bar system, you are able to help yourself at the wooden cabin bar along side the pool.
The camp is absolutely suited to the adventurous types. The East coast of Mauritius is still fairly undeveloped and Otentic makes it easy to explore the natural surrounds with the free to use mountain bikes, stand up paddle boards and kayaks. The communal area boasts plenty seating around a plunge pool, perfect to cool off for those hot summer days.
Everyday at 9:30am there is a free 30 minute shuttle boat to the small island of Ile Aux Cerfs and it returns at 1:00pm, just in time for lunch. We felt incredibly grateful to be able to explore the island just before the full reopening of Mauritius as we felt as though we were the only visitors. This island with its turquoise blue oceans and palm trees truly embodies a rural tropical paradise. There are a few bars and restaurants on site that offer the opportunity to relax with a cocktail under the palms. On-water activities such as tubing can also be booked. We spent a few hours relaxing in the sun and cooling off in pool- like ocean water.
On our last day we decided to take one of the kayaks provided and make the 1km paddle to visit the beautiful Beau Champs Waterfall. It is an extremely easy paddle up the river. Pulling our kayak to safety along the banks of the river so we could scramble up the rocks to the top of the waterfall where we took a refreshing dip in one of the many rock pools.
Otentic Eco Tents really is, as advertised, an immersive experience. We could have easily spent a few more nights exploring the area and making use of the facilities. The stay could only be described as refreshingly unique and an incredible option that provides a completely different experience from the islands usual 5 star resorts. The camps down to earth energy makes it the perfect place to leave all pretences behind, kick off your shoes, relax and just be free.
Stay Adventurous, Keep Exploring & Play more,
Until Next time, Sarah and JP.
We had heard a lot about Le Morne mountain, it dominates the south western peninsula and its striking presences have always made us keen to hike to the top.
The rocky cliffs and steep ascends makes the climb very technical and extremely dangerous. This is why up until recently you were not allowed to hike the mountain without a guide. Here we explain how you can hike this mountain safely.
In May of this year, we celebrated spreading our wings by heading off on a whirlwind 14 day round trip exploration from Cape Town up to the Kalagadi. However this road trip wasn’t just about time on the road or nights spent in the tent. We had a little bucket list of activities and sights to cross off.
The Northern Cape was a previously unknown stretch of land for us and so we decided to slowly make our way up the West coast of South Africa, stopping in Paternoster, Springbok, Richtersveld and Augrabies before spending 3 days exploring the Kgalagadi.
Welcome to our life, we are just “a couple of architects.”
Almost two years ago, we left our corporate careers to set off on a journey to find ourselves, to find our place. During that time we took our passion for design, architecture and life and merged them to create our own creative studio, ACOARCH Studio. We now live on the beautiful island of Mauritius, offering a multitude of design and architectural resource packages to both individuals and companies all over the world.
Here we share our personal life experiences, stories of travel and island living.
