Shape Magazine
July 2004

An Idyllic Retreat
Some of us go to Blackpool for our beach holidays; others like to jet off to Mauritius on a regular basis. Judging by the number of five-star resorts on the island quite a large number are in the latter category. I'm not. For hoi polloi like me, a visit to a playground of the rich and famous like this is a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse into how the other half lives. One to feed off for a long time.

A ROYAL RETREAT
Mauritius is very green -that's because most of the island, just east of Madagascar, is covered in sugar cane. It's also uniquely peaceful, thanks to its population of Muslims, Hindus and Christians who see no point in squabbling over their different religions. They make their living from sugar, textiles, and increasingly, luxury tourism.

And you can see why: the weather's utterly gorgeous throughout the year, the reef surrounding the island keeps the Indian Ocean calm and a long tradition of proud and impeccable service makes every visitor feel like royalty. Of course at my hotel, Le Prince Maurice, half the guests are royalty-or at least live like them. It's not always easy trying not to look as though you come here often; Insisting on moving your own sun lounger or carrying your cocktail glass to the dinner table all by yourself is a dead giveaway that you don't. Plus my wardrobe of Top shop 'pieces' never quite fitted the bill. But no matter; when staff say every guest is important to them, they really do mean it.

That's not to say some don't need slightly more attention than others. The manager tells stories of his security guards having to doggedly circle paparazzi boats in an attempt to keep them snapping their celebrity prey. No names were divulged, but Claudia Schiffer, Ewan McGregor and Catherine Zeta Jones are all known to have gazed over the infinity pool-no doubt contemplating their good fortune. While we were there, singer Patrick Bruel wandered round; very exciting if you're French, I'm sure.

LOSING WEIGHT IN LUXURY
Le Prince Maurice is suite-only and quite beautifully done. I imagined I was lounging in my old colonial plantation house, only with a DVD player and power shower. The place boasts a serene Guerlain spa, flash shops, two world-class restaurants (one of them floating on rafts) and pursuits such as waterskiing, golf arid snorkelling, all freely available to guests- But with a coast lined with resorts this extravagant, it needs something special to set it apart, and does so by offering the world's easiest way to get in shape. David Marshall's The Bodydoctor programme is one of the most no-nonsense - and most effective - exercise plans around. Its simple premise is to teach you to listen to your body and perform exercises correctly and precisely, preferably with no more equipment than a pair of dumbbells. Results are guaranteed, and fast-witness the incredible shrinking Sophie Dahl. Now he's trained a Prince Maurice team so they can pass on his toning techniques to guests, and boy, do they get you where it hurts.

Marshall has visited the hotel kitchen: too, getting the rather talented chefs to create a permanent 'Bodydoctor Menu', which is just as unbelievable as the rest of the food, only a whole lot lighter. It pretty much means you can stuff your face without a single pang of guilt, especially if you've spent the morning Bodydoctoring yourself in the gym. Being virtuous suddenly isn't half as off-putting.

Not that I stuck to the healthy option, as there were lavender macaroons, pineapple, carpaccio, barbecued lobster, local spice cake (you must try it) and the best Australian beef to devour. All in the name of research, of course. Gordon Ramsay recently came over to steal some recipe ideas from head chef Jacques Leon, which should give you some idea of the latter's cooking skills.

In between meals, I had massages and a pedicure complete with tropical breezes and tiny birds flying through the open windows. I drank cocktails and pottered in my gigantic suite (definitely bigger than my London flat). I tried reading a book on the beach, but mostly I looked at the sun setting over the lagoon, thinking I was lucky. And I certainly was.

MUST DOS
Things to do (when not chilling out). The small town of Flacq, less than 10 minutes by car from the hotel, holds a weekly food market where you can marvel at peculiar exotic vegetables and stock up on lethal chillies. A Visit to Pamplemousse Botanical Gardens in the north for the giant waterlilies and even more giant turtles. The capital, Port Louis, has designer outlets (most famously Ralph Lauren) full of bargains that are, well, bargains. La Prince Louis' sister hotel, Belle Mare Place, has a diving centre where one short lesson prepares you for a 45-minute lagoon dive. You can tour the coast in a speedboat and compare rival resorts' reaches. For a more thrilling experience, ask the captain to exit the reef and take you onto the bumpy waves of the open sea.

ITC Classics (01244 355527 or www.itcclassics.co.uk) offers seven nights bed and breakfast in a junior suite at Le Prince Maurice, return flights from London Heathrow with Air Mauritius (020 7434 4375), plus return transfers to the hotel, from £1,800 per person based on two sharing. For more information on the Bodydoctor, visit www.bodydoctor.com.