As most of you know, I have just returned from my vacation at Le Touessrok Resort aka paradise.

I have been agonising over what first to blog about, I’ve had requests for lists of products I take on vacation, what I pack into my suitcase, but mostly you guys have asked me for pretty pictures. I am not a photographer, and took these shots with a little canon powershot given to me by the lovely Robert Miller instead of my SLR, but I think they serve the purpose of illustrating some of my favorite things about the resort. Check out the Le Touessrok Resort site to look at more photos and to look at the golf course and other manly things that fail to interest Lady Kaye.

Before you look, try to remember that however lovely it may look in photographs, it is infinitely more impressive in real life and it took me about 48 hours to feel more like myself and less like alice walking into a postcard of holiday wonderland.

So without further delay, here are some of the things about the resort that grant it Lady Kaye’s stamp of approval:

1) Location – and the weather that goes with it.

Created by a volcanic eruption over 8 million years ago, Mauritius is a lush and tropical island covered in thick forested mountains, waterfalls and glades. The volcanic eruptions left large amounts of volcanic rock, which are what gave Le Touessrok its name (which translates loosely in french as “the whole of it is rock”) and also provided a unique building material for the designers and developers to work with, incorporating it into the architecture of the buildings and used to mark out paths in the gardens. Here is a picture of said volcanic rock with a pair of Miu Miu ‘s from their new summer 2011 range. I got this pair from Sunglass Hut and if you would like to win them you should enter the competition to do so.

Le Touessrok Resort is situated on the east coast of Mauritius, away from the cluster of generic happy-meal type resorts strewn along the west coast. The gentle lagoon of Trou d’Eau Douce is protected by a coral reef beyond the resort islands, resulting in still and calm water. I stayed in a suite on Frangipani Island/the frangipani wing of the island and this was the view from my balcony. That is the sea. I have never seen the sea as still or as clear as this. Experience has taught me that July/August is a fabulous time to visit Mauritius. Though there are occasional showers they are brief and warm and nothing like the torrential downpours that occur during the rainy season between December and April. Temperatures range between 22°C and 31°C out of the water and 22°C and 27°C in the water.

2) My view from my breakfast table every morning:

3) Dammann Frères Tea.

I love tea and I love variety, yet I would be happy to exclusively drink Dammann Frères tea for the rest of my life. I would like to thank the hotel for introducing me to Dammann Frères and for allowing me to drink 6 of these pots daily (3 with breakfast, 3 with dinner) without judgement.

4) An adult only garden and an adult only pool. Before the words “adult only” send the scandalous minds on fantasy tangents allow me to clarify. No children are allowed here. Clothing is compulsory, but you can suntan, swim in the pool, stretch out on the lawn and read your book without any shrieking or splashing from rug-rats. Situated next to the spa, this was my favorite pool and it featured a rim-flow infinity edge, followed by a magnificent view of the beach.

5) A Jacuzzi in an adult only pool made from volcanic rock.

If you look at the quiet pool/garden area you will notice a dark square protruding from the center of the pool :

This “privacy wall”, carefully disguised with water features, protects the jacuzzi enthusiast situated on the other side of the wall from curious eyes. That said, there were no curious eyes at Le Touessrok but that’s just another benefit of going in the Mauritian winter instead of the summer when it is fully booked with Europeans. The Jacuzzi I speak of is built from volcanic rock and has a wavy base (think elongated sine graph) to maximize sitting and lying pleasure.

. 6) Yoga in the garden.

I don’t like to go away for more than a weekend without access to some form of yoga. Le Touessrok anticipates such requirements and hosts a 9pm and 5pm yoga class on the grass in the garden of the quiet area mentioned in point 4. Yoga was never crowded; at best I was the only pupil and at worst I was one of five. The instructor was inventive and we stretched to a natural soundtrack of rustling palm leaves and the tropical birdsong.

7) The Givenchy Spa One of only a select few in the world, the Givenchy spa features both familiar and innovative treatments created by Givenchy. The Swisscare products used for treatments, were developed by LVMH Laboratories specifically for Givenchy. No holiday is complete without a fabulous spa day.

8)Special Baths

One of the perks of staying in a suite is the egg shaped bath standing in the middle of your bathroom. Big enough for two, this bath is designed for luxury and can be specially prepared by a  butler whilst you dine so that once finished with dinner, you can return to a candle-lit oil bath and a decorated bathroom. This photograph was of the “exotic bath” and featured heavenly smells, rose petals, oils and candles. The “lovers bath” featured bougainvillea blossoms, ylang ylang, jasmine and vanilla oil, candles and towels sculpted into kissing swans.

For those of you who are not into baths, or who simply fear having to wash your hair in the bath there is also a massive shower included in your bathroom of pleasurable delights.

Here I show you the size of the one half of shower and the nifty shower chair. I am pretending to shave my legs, when in paradise everything seems hilarious.

9) Mervin’s Marvelous Mauritian Macaroons

I don’t know if it’s the humidity or the french heritage but goodness gracious Mauritian men make amazing macaroons. I can honestly say that the macaroons I ate on this vacation were the best macaroons to have ever passed my lips. The pastry chefs took a shine to me (probably because I was one of the only women who ate desert) and by the end of my vacation I was able to obtain a secret copy of their complicated macaroon recipe. They also gave me a plate of macaroons (featured above) to tide me over whilst I mastered the baking.

10) The 6 Restaurants and Bars

Catering for a range of taste, the resort features six different restaurants and bars. My regular lunch spot was a restaurant called “Barlen’s” :

Though Saffran prepared the tastiest lobster:

11) Friendly Feline Frequenting Barlen’s

This kitty was available for pets and strokes and seafood donation requests every day around noon at the Barlen’s restaurant. If I am ever reincarnated into a stray cat I pray I be born near to Le Touessrok. I think this cat may have a life almost as lovely as mine.

12) Fabulous Cocktails

13) Service

Great service is a requirement for any successful resort, but Le Touessrok staff really go above and beyond the call of duty. Every sun lounger is equipped with a “service flag” which can be waved or stuck into the sand when one wants a cocktail, a cold towel, a tape measure or any other random errata a waiter or concierge might arrange.

14) Creativity

Not only do the Le Touessrok staff want to cater to your every whim and desire, but they also strive to find their own inventive and creative ways to enhance your holiday experience. This is manifested through the presentation of fresh cold fruit kebabs, coconut cocktails and portable dvd players.

This is a photograph of one of the employees trying to offer me a DVD and portable DVD player on the beach. Why one would rather watch a DVD than look out at the waves lapping paradise is beyond me.

15) Sunglass cleaning staff

This is Michael, one of the many staff whose sole job is to clean your sunglasses. Sunscreen and perspiration can taint the glamour one’s sunglasses provide, but with this nifty service finger-marks and grease marked frames are a thing of the past. Michael is cleaning a pair of Salvatore Ferragamo Summer 2011 shades that I got from Sunglass Hut. If you are jealous, and would like your own pair of designer sunglasses you should enter the competition on Cape Town Girl’s Blog to win this pair of 2011 Miu Miu shades:

So there you have a list of reasons why I l♥ve Le Touessrok and why I think it is a fantastic holiday destination. Come back soon to see a list of what Lady Kaye believes you simply cannot go on holiday without . . . and in the mean time, go have a cocktail and enjoy your home for the holiday destination it is to others.