The Lux* Resort Grand Gaube in Mauritius has undergone a US$32m (€27m, £23.8m) renovation and is set to reopen in December with a “wellness centre like no other,” according to the company.
The new Lux* Me spa has been developed with an aim to connect guests to nature, and will feature tailor-made treatments focusing on anti-ageing, fitness and weight loss. Guests will be able to book treatments in African-style outdoor huts, and the spa also includes a hydrotherapy pool, aromatic steam room and sauna. Joelle Valloo is regional spa and wellness manager.
Life coach Kamran Bedi of the Mind Body Method has partnered with the resort to bring certified expertise as a NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) practitioner, hypnotherapist, meditation teacher and Pilates instructor. His specialised programme, centred around balance and being mindful, offers a mind/body experience through guided meditations and stretch-based classes, as well as barre-style workouts and a new Pilates practice, Movement on the Roller, designed to work the whole body.
Lux* has chosen Carita for its skincare, and the spa will also have a Kerastase flagship hairdressing salon, and will offer manicures and pedicures using Essie products. The spa also houses a Murdock barbershop with a London barber.
A wellness concierge is also on-hand to offer nutritional advice, and a state-of-the-art Artis Technogym fitness centre has been added, along with open-air calisthenic workout programmes, cardio boot camp circuits, meditation, yoga, and a tennis academy.
Located on the African island’s north coast, the Lux* Grand Gaube has been reimagined by creative duo Kelly Hoppen and Mauritian architect Jean-Francois Adam, who aimed to create comfortable tropical living through contemporary spaces.
“It’s with huge enthusiasm and passion that we’ve created an entirely new resort at Lux* Grand Gaube unlike anything else on the island,” said Brice Lunot, general manager. “Kelly Hoppen’s vision of eclectic retro-chic is effortlessly sophisticated and blissfully informal.”
Hoppen – who also designed the Lux* Belle Mare on Mauritius's southern coast – has channelled memories of her favourite holidays in Cape Town, Capri, Mallorca and Antigua, and layered the rooms and public spaces with ceramics, hand-picked accessories, vintage rattan and soft furnishings. Bedrooms are spindrift-white with hand-painted navy blue lines, woven African baskets, wicker tables and geometric tiles.
Chelsea Flower Show winner Stephen Woodhams has designed the gardens, which feature yellow, orange and pink bougainvillaea, green araucaria and grand banyans.
London street artist Camille Walala is painting original murals at the resort, bringing her much-Instagrammed brightly coloured designs to Mauritius for the first time.
