It was on the day I was checking out that I learnt that Veranda Tamarin is a surf hotel with a surf school since this uber cool boutique property is on the only beach in Mauritius where you can surf in the absence of coral reefs under the water.  I would spot the surfers on the beach silhouetted against the twilight sky walking back to their retreats with their surfboards.  

On an April evening this year when I checked into Domaine de Grand Baie with a group of friends, I was clueless where exactly I am and how far is the beach from where I am. 

When our car reached the periphery of Le Méridien Ile Maurice on the street by which it 'grandstands', I was expecting to be marvelled by the usually imposing porch of a starry Marriott property by the Indian ocean.