An Island Appetite: The Westin Turtle Bay, Mauritius
A good holiday has a way of becoming a series of conversations about the next meal. Breakfast runs into a discussion about lunch; an afternoon by the water leaves just enough time to settle the question of dinner. In Mauritius, where Indian, Chinese and Creole influences have shaped a particularly generous food culture, those conversations can take a little longer.
At The Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa in Balaclava, there is plenty to talk about. Five restaurants take guests from seaside breakfasts to tandoori grills and Japanese-inspired dinners, while a chef’s garden and Mauritian cooking workshops invite a closer look at what goes into the food. For anyone who tends to remember a holiday through the things they ate, this stretch of the island has an appealing amount to offer.
Start slowly
There is something deeply pleasing about breakfast beside the sea, particularly when the day ahead contains very little that cannot wait. Seasonal Tastes provides that starting point, with cooking stations and tables overlooking the shoreline. It is also somewhere to return in the evening, when themed buffets bring Mauritian influences into a changing mix of international dishes.
That flexibility has its uses. Travel with family or friends and the chances of everyone wanting the same thing at the same time are slim. Here, breakfast and dinner can accommodate a little indecision.
By lunchtime, Beach Grill makes a persuasive case for staying close to the water. Chef Khabirsingh Bundhoo’s restaurant focuses on fresh seafood and grilled dishes with Mauritian influences, served in a setting that lends itself to taking your time. A beachfront lunch is hardly a novel idea in Mauritius, but it remains a very good one; something from the grill, an ocean view and no particular incentive to hurry back to the sun-lounger.
Follow the spice
As evening approaches, Kangan takes the appetite in another direction. Aromatic curries and tandoori grills sit at the heart of its contemporary Indian cooking, alongside modern interpretations of familiar dishes.
India's influence is woven through Mauritian food, carried across the ocean and developed over generations into something with its own island identity. It is there in everyday cooking and the street snacks that make exploring Mauritius such a pleasure. Kangan gives Indian cuisine an evening of its own, with the focus firmly on spice and the tandoor.
It also introduces a welcome change of pace after a day outdoors; a reason to leave the beach behind, settle at a table and give dinner your attention.
At Fusion, that attention turns towards the cooking itself. Chef Akash Prayag works with Japanese-inspired flavours, sushi and live teppanyaki, bringing the preparation into view. There is an easy fascination in watching a chef at work, following the movements and timing that usually disappear behind a kitchen door.
With ocean views beyond the restaurant, the setting supplies plenty of distraction, but the teppanyaki gives guests good reason to keep their eyes on dinner. Across a longer stay, it is this shift between restaurants that keeps the evenings interesting: spice one night, sushi and a seat near the action the next.
A detour through the garden
For a different introduction to the kitchen, head to the Chef's Garden. The resort’s herb and vegetable garden offers guests the chance to discover local herbs, pick tropical produce and prepare a salad alongside a chef.
It is a small but meaningful change in perspective. An ingredient becomes easier to remember when you have seen where it grows and had a hand in preparing it. For curious cooks, time spent here could prove just as absorbing as another restaurant reservation.
That interest in produce continues at Mystique, where Pan-Asian cooking with a Thai twist shares space with a daily Plant-Based Discovery Menu. Elsewhere, the resort’s Taste of Mauritius menu brings local ingredients into recipes developed with its in-house nutritionist as part of Westin’s Eat Well approach.
There are further opportunities to get involved through workshops exploring Mauritian cooking, mixology, coconut and infusions. Sushi and wine sessions are also available with a supplement. They give an afternoon some gentle purpose, particularly for the sort of traveller who inevitably comes home wanting to recreate something from the trip.
Leave room to explore
The wider island offers plenty of inspiration. Port Louis’s Central Market is a place to browse fruit, vegetables and spices, while street-food favourites such as dholl puri and gateaux piment introduce another side of Mauritian eating. Making time for those discoveries adds depth to a holiday built around food, connecting restaurant meals with the everyday life beyond the resort.
Back at Turtle Bay, Mystique’s beachfront bar offers somewhere to pause before dinner, while Retreat Bar leaves room for a final cocktail and live evening entertainment.
By then, tomorrow’s plans may already be forming. A morning in the garden, perhaps, or another long lunch at Beach Grill. Dinner at Kangan still to come. The pleasure of a stay here lies in having enough choice to follow your appetite, with time to give each meal its due.
