Staying in a plastic bubble on a personal island only a few metres from the rolling waves of the Indian Ocean was an incredible expertise in itself, however the true magic occurred at evening time.
Once I switched off the sunshine and lay again in my mattress, all the ceiling vanished fully, giving the phantasm that I used to be mendacity immediately beneath the cover of treetops and, glowing above them, the celebs.
The one sounds I might hear have been the crash of the surf and the wind rustling by way of the swaying branches above me and it was so unusual, so surreal, so sense-defying that there was little else I might do however gaze on the skies and marvel at all of it.
The wonderful Mauritian ‘Ocean Paradise’ beachside lodge that MailOnline’s Sarah Bridge stayed in
Sarah writes of her nocturnal expertise on the Ocean Paradise lodge (pictured): ‘Once I switched off the sunshine and lay again in my mattress, all the ceiling vanished fully, giving the phantasm that I used to be mendacity immediately beneath the cover of treetops and, glowing above them, the celebs’
Mauritius boasts not one however two eco-friendly ‘Bubble Lodges’: one is inland on the well-known Bois Cheri tea plantation, whereas the opposite is on the personal ‘golf island’ of Ile aux Cerfs (pictured)
The Bubble Lodges are aptly named, says Sarah, as they’re constructed out of a plastic tent-like materials. Pictured right here is the Lake and Sea View bubble lodge
My eyes instructed me I used to be mendacity on the forest flooring – but at evening, within the heat, with a comfortable mattress beneath me – or on the ground of a planetarium the place the skies unfold in a dramatic reconstruction above you.
However this was no computer-generated picture, it was the true factor. With no curtains I used to be uncovered to no matter was outdoors, however I felt very secure and safe. As I stated, a surreal evening.
The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius boasts not one however two eco-friendly ‘Bubble Lodges’: one is inland on the well-known Bois Cheri tea plantation, whereas the opposite, the place I used to be staying, is on the personal ‘golf island’ of Ile aux Cerfs, an exquisite tiny island with an 18-hole championship golf course simply off Mauritius’s east coast that is reached by way of a ten-minute boat journey from the jetty at Pointe Maurice, by way of a lagoon.
On arrival at Ile aux Cerfs golf membership and restaurant I used to be greeted by my butler, Niko, who provided me a refreshing welcome cocktail whereas I checked in.
I used to be then whisked away on a golf buggy by way of the golf course to find my new house for the evening.
Sarah describes the expertise of sleeping in a bubble lodge as unusual, surreal and sense-defying. Pictured is the Lake and Sea View lodge
Facilities within the bubble lodges embrace a toilet, a bed room with a big double mattress and a lounge space. Pictured is the Lake and sea View lodge
The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, pictured, boasts not one, however two eco-friendly bubble lodge websites
Ile aux Cerfs, pictured, is an exquisite tiny island with an 18-hole championship golf course simply off Mauritius’s east coast
The golf course at Ile aux Cerf covers greater than a 3rd of the island and is immaculately maintained, with lush foliage and precision-mown greens and fairways, however I solely had eyes for the bubble lodges.
I used to be making an attempt to identify them by way of the timber however they’re so discretely hidden within the panorama that it was a shock when Niko pulled up by every one.
One lodge, ‘Banyan Tree’, is hidden deep within the woods, whereas there are two by a sweeping sandy seashore, and one, ‘Tidal Lake Eco Lodge’, with a singular cylinder form, overlooking a lake.
The 2-room luxurious lodges are adorned in a ‘sensible, virtually Scandinavian type’, in keeping with Sarah. Pictured is the Tidal Lake Eco Lodge
Tidal Lake Eco Lodge has a singular cylinder form and, because the identify suggests, overlooks a lake
I opted for ‘Ocean Paradise’ lodge simply by the seashore – which meant night and early morning swims have been on the playing cards – and I couldn’t have been extra delighted by my little house for the evening. The Bubble Lodges are aptly named, actually being constructed out of a plastic tent-like materials, however there the similarity with tenting and even glamping ended.
These are two-room luxurious lodges adorned in a wise, virtually Scandinavian type, with facilities together with a toilet (with sink, mirror, hairdryer, ample robes and fluffy towels), bed room with a big double mattress and high-thread-count mattress linen and a lounge space with a settee, espresso desk, espresso and tea-making services.
There’s additionally a wardrobe, a minibar fridge, cellphone, good lighting and an entrance corridor for sneakers, suitcases and umbrellas. The one factor to recollect was that when opening the surface door, you need to be certain the interior door is closed, like an airlock, or the bubble was liable to deflating.
They have been constructed to have minimal affect on the setting whereas being absolutely immersed in it, and are perfect for nature lovers or simply these trying to get away from all of it for an evening.
The Banyan Tree lodge, pictured above, is hidden deep within the woods. Sarah says there’s a great feeling of remoteness on the lodges
Discrete air-conditioning means the lodges don’t get too scorching or too chilly, whereas every has its personal personal decking with chairs and loungers and an out of doors rainfall bathe (with a lot of scorching water). Mine even had a sliding fence that you would push throughout the entrance of your bubble should you wished extra privateness, however I used to be completely happy to look out on the sea and benefit from the luxurious of getting nothing else to do however chill out.
There’s no wifi within the lodges however there’s wifi on the seashore bar only a brief stroll away if it’s very important to communicate, and again on the primary restaurant and golf store.
After a day enjoyable in my Teletubby-style bubble, I phoned Niko for a carry again to the restaurant the place I loved a wonderful three-course meal of Greek salad, seared tuna steaks with greens and fondant potato, and an enormous crème brulee. To accompany was an enormous Caipirinha cocktail (fortunately Niko was readily available to scoot me again by way of the darkness to my bubble after my big meal).
Earlier than delivering for the evening, I went for a stroll on the seashore, loving the nice and cozy breeze, complete absence of visitors noise and the sensation of utter remoteness.
I popped over to the hut on the seashore the place I might see a lightweight, and had a stunning chat with the evening safety guard who together with 5 different guards would patrol the island all evening in case of rogue campers or fisherman touchdown on the island. Understanding he was there made me really feel extremely safe as in any other case I used to be basically alone on the island, nevertheless it felt very secure and – in case you are fortunate to remain right here with a companion – extremely romantic. What might be higher than snuggling up below the celebs collectively?
In accordance with Sarah, the pods are ‘preferrred for nature lovers or simply these trying to get away from all of it for an evening’. The image above reveals the inside of the Banyan Tree lodge
I fell asleep nonetheless gazing on the unbelievable view of the evening sky above me (they advocate you obtain the Skyview app so you realize what Southern hemisphere stars you’re looking at) and awoke with the dawn not lengthy after 5. I dozed in mattress watching the sky lighten and fell asleep as soon as extra, solely to lastly rouse myself for a morning swim on the abandoned seashore earlier than a prolonged out of doors bathe and breakfast again on the primary restaurant.
Selecting to sit down outdoors on the terrace whereas having fun with espresso, pastries, omelette and contemporary fruit won’t have been smart as a dozen brightly-coloured birds immediately joined me to share within the feast, nevertheless it solely added to the sensation of surreal serenity as I soaked up the beautiful views together with the sunshine. I even managed a fast golf lesson with the resident professional – that or inexperienced charges are complimentary to friends – earlier than reluctantly trying out of my lodge and taking the boat again to the mainland.
It was a brief keep, however the reminiscence of my evening below the celebs will stick with me for an extended whereas.
Sarah Bridge is a journey author and founding father of the journey evaluations web site ALadyofLeisure.com.