My Hotel Review of the SALT of Palmar, Mauritius
Location & Arrival
The SALT is located in Palmar, at the Belle Mare beach. Here you can enjoy a fine sandy beach, snorkeling opportunities and a gorgeous view of the sunrise.
Located on the northern east coast, about 48 km from the airport, the drive to the hotel took us roughly an hour after picking up our rental car. Another option is to take a driver. However, having your own car in Mauritius is very worthwhile as the island is very large and there is plenty to explore!
→ Here you can find my post with the best things to do & see in Mauritius!
After arriving at the hotel, we were not only welcomed with a welcome drink, but also with a short and relaxing meditation with the feet in the sand, which I found very soothing after the long flight.
The Rooms at the SALT of Palmar
With only 59 rooms, the SALT is a small and cozy boutique hotel. From the inside, the rooms look almost all the same – there are no suites. They are each designed for two people, with a double bed, large closet, open bathroom with separate toilet, and a balcony. There are also great details like tea, coffee, snacks and hot chocolate, a beach bag awaits you in the room, a yoga mat and a welcome card. The only difference between the room categories is the location as well as the view:
The hotel’s design is reminiscent of a Moroccan riad with a pool in the courtyard. As a result, the room either have Pool View (with the sea directly behind), Beach View, or Garden View. Without question, the Beach View offers the best view and the most privacy. Especially on the first floor, you feel particularly close to the ocean. The Pool View also has its charms, but I would make sure not to stay on the ground floor, because further up you can also see the sea and not directly look at the pool deck chairs. The Garden View refers to the rooms at the back of the building, which is why they are also very quiet, but sometimes look out onto the parking lot.
Overall, the rooms are not ultra luxurious, but top modern, cozy and with “beach house feeling”. On a very positive note, the water in the room is offered in recycled glass bottles. Both sparkling and still water. Amenities such as shower gel, shampoo and conditioner are also offered in refillable containers, which saves a lot of plastic waste.
The concept of the SALT of Palmar
SALT is a new brand of LUX* Collective, of which SALT of Palmar is the first and so far the only hotel worldwide. The concept of SALT are boutique hotels for adults, which offer the ideal starting point to explore the respective destination and at the same time a relaxed and quiet retreat. Furthermore, the focus is on sustainability as well as supporting the local community.
In fact, I felt and enjoyed this vibe immediately upon our arrival. The hotel exudes a certain lightness. Be it the Moroccan-inspired design, the friendly staff or the palm trees blowing in the wind and the blue sea – the feel-good factor at SALT is remarkable!
Pool & Beach
In the courtyard of the complex is the heart of the hotel: the pool, bar and restaurant. The courtyard is U-shaped, with one side open to the sea and the pool facing the beach. There are a few sun loungers and beds by the pool and many more on the beach. Unfortunately, it was the case here – as in almost all beach hotels worldwide – that most guests spread their belongings out on the pool loungers early in the morning, reserving them for the entire day. But on the beach you could still find a quiet place even in the afternoon.
The sandy beach is very fine and flows into a shallow lagoon, which is suitable for snorkeling, as well as kayaking and stand up paddle. The equipment can be used free of charge.
There is no need to be afraid of strong currents on this side of the island, as the swell is very calm. In the early morning, the hotel beach is the best place on the entire island to admire the sunrise while dreaming in a hammock.
I liked the drinking water station, where you can get still and sparkling water day and night. I find this very important! In other hotels there is often only one bottle of water available per day, which is much too little in sunny weather. In the SALT, however, you stay well hydrated throughout the day.
SALT Equilibrium Spa
The spa area SALT Equilibrium of the boutique hotel is very small and clearly arranged, but definitely worth a visit. In accordance with the name, salt is the focus of the treatments and care products here. For example, you can choose from umpteen different types of salt for a scrub. There’s also a salt room, which is supposed to be health-giving for the respiratory tract and in which it’s so relaxing that I fell right asleep.
There is no gym, but there is a fitness trainer on site who offers outdoor sessions. For example, yoga or kickboxing on the beach or a round of beach volleyball in the afternoon. Thanks to the yoga mats in the room, you can also work out or meditate at any time.
Breakfast & Restaurant
The Good Kitchen
Due to the compact size of the hotel and the small number of guests, there is only one restaurant at SALT, which offers an à la carte menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Good Kitchen is internationally inspired, but with a focus on local ingredients, and there’s a good selection of vegan dishes. For breakfast, a small buffet is added to the menu, which includes pastries from the in-house bakery SALT Bakery.
I absolutely loved the breakfast as it was better than any buffet in other hotels. There are numerous dishes on the menu from Açai Bowl to classic Eggs Benedict. A booking rate including breakfast is therefore highly recommended. The lunch menu was also top. Only for dinner we ordered pizza and pasta on the first day, which were solid in taste, but did not “knock our socks off”.
For our second evening, the SALT organized a private dinner for us on the beach, which was beautiful: under a gazebo in the sand, with the gentle waves right in front of us. The highlight of the meal was the homemade chocolate cake with liquid heart! By far the best lava cake we have ever eaten.
Bars
The main bar is located by the pool and offers a great selection of drinks. We were even invited to participate in a cocktail class, during which we created our own drink. Especially before dinner, we found it nice to enjoy a cocktail at the beach. Although you don’t look directly at the sunset on the east side of the island, the sky is still colored in orange and pink tones.
Additionally, there is a rooftop bar on top of the building that offers a great view. This was accessible during our two-day stay, but the bar was not open on either evening. Therefore, we took drinks from the pool bar upstairs to enjoy the view anyway. Normally, the bar should be open from late afternoon – otherwise the hotel misses a great opportunity for a sundowner cocktail for guests.
My Review of our stay at the SALT of Palmar in Mauritius
Pure relaxation and letting your soul dangle. Whether you want to relax all day in the sun or use the SALT as a starting point for exploration – I can highly recommend the hotel. The price-performance ratio here is more than just very good! The SALT is very affordable compared to other hotels in Mauritius and at the same time offers a great 5-star experience!
Both the design, the location, the breakfast, and the service delighted us!
The SALT is not an ultra luxury resort – but we did not miss that at any point. The focus is much more on carefreeness and tranquility, in a paradisiacal ambience. This makes the SALT a great choice for couples or friends who want to enjoy a break from everyday life.
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We had a sponsored stay at the SALT of Palmar in Mauritius, but this does not affect my opinion and review about the hotel.