Beachcomber vs LUX* vs Constance: which Mauritius hotel group suits you?

Who are Beachcomber, LUX* and Constance?

They are the three hotel groups South Africans ask us about most, and they are built differently. Beachcomber is the biggest by far: eight resorts and just over 2,000 rooms, all in Mauritius. LUX* and Constance each run four Mauritius hotels under their main name, at five-star or boutique level, with about 550 to 640 rooms each.

• Beachcomber opened its first hotel in 1952 and launched the brand in the late 1970s. It is Mauritian-owned, and seven of its eight resorts are on the west and north-west coasts. In South Africa it sells through its own office, Beachcomber Tours.
• LUX* hotels belong to Lux Island Resorts, a listed company, and are run by The Lux Collective. The four LUX* hotels are at Belle Mare, Le Morne, Grand Gaube and Grand Baie. The same owner also runs Tamassa (a four-star all-inclusive at Bel Ombre), and The Lux Collective manages SALT of Palmar (adults only).
• Constance has two long-standing resorts on the east coast, Prince Maurice and Belle Mare Plage, plus Le Chaland near the airport and the 16-suite Sakoa Boutik at Trou aux Biches. It also runs hotels in the Maldives, Seychelles, Madagascar and Rodrigues, and a separate brand, C Resorts (C Mauritius at Palmar).

We're an authorised Beachcomber partner, so read this with that in mind. We book all three groups. Every fact here comes from the groups' own brochures, fact sheets and websites, and we've listed Beachcomber's weaknesses as plainly as the others'.

How do the three groups compare at a glance?

What do the star levels mean at each group?

Beachcomber is the only one of the three with four-star resorts under its own name. LUX* and Constance are five-star in Mauritius, so a like-for-like comparison is Beachcomber's five-star resorts against theirs. The stars below are as each group states them.

• Beachcomber has four levels:
  • four-star: Canonnier and Mauricia;
  • four-star Superior: Victoria and Shandrani;
  • five-star: Trou aux Biches, Paradis and Dinarobin;
  • Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury, its flagship, with 68 suites and a villa.
• LUX*: all four are five-star. LUX* Belle Mare and LUX* Grand Baie hold the "5-Star Luxury" grade, LUX* says, from the Mauritius Tourism Authority. Its four-star option is Tamassa, a separate brand.
• Constance: Prince Maurice and Belle Mare Plage are five-star. Le Chaland is listed as five-star on Constance's booking site. Sakoa Boutik is sold as a boutique hotel, with no stars given.

Which hotels does each group have, and where?

Beachcomber is mainly a west-coast group; LUX* and Constance are strongest on the east coast. That matters more than most people expect, because of the winter wind (see the coast question below).

Beachcomber

• Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury: Grand Baie, north-west. 68 suites and a villa. About 70 minutes from the airport.
• Trou aux Biches: north-west. Five-star, 330 suites and villas, open again after its 2026 renovation. About 70 minutes.
• Paradis and Dinarobin: side by side on the Le Morne peninsula, south-west. Five-star, 293 and 175 rooms. About 70 minutes.
• Victoria: north-west, between Grand Baie and Port Louis. Four-star Superior, 295 rooms. About an hour.
• Shandrani: south-east, at Blue Bay. Four-star Superior, 327 rooms. About 10 minutes.
• Canonnier and Mauricia: near Grand Baie and in it, north-west. Four-star, 283 and 238 rooms. About 70 minutes.

LUX*

• LUX* Belle Mare: east coast, on more than a kilometre of beach. 186 suites and villas. Reopened in October 2023 after a renovation.
• LUX* Le Morne: south-west, at the foot of Le Morne Brabant. 149 rooms and suites, five pools. The owner plans works here in 2027.
• LUX* Grand Gaube: north coast, on a peninsula near Grand Gaube village. 186 rooms, suites and villas, with an adults-only area, the Banyan.
• LUX* Grand Baie: in Grand Baie town, north. 116 suites, residences and villas. About 1 hour 15 minutes from the airport. Opened in December 2021.

Constance

• Constance Prince Maurice: north-east, at Poste de Flacq, on 60 hectares with a fish reserve. 89 suites and villas. About 1 hour 15 minutes from the airport. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
• Constance Belle Mare Plage: east coast, on a 2 km beach. 278 rooms, suites and villas, and two 18-hole golf courses. About an hour from the airport.
• Constance Le Chaland: south-east, beside the Blue Bay Marine Park. 170 rooms, suites and villas. About 15 minutes from the airport, and new to Constance.
• Constance Sakoa Boutik: Trou aux Biches, north-west. 16 suites, no kids' club, bed and breakfast or half board only.

Which group has the best kids' clubs?

For most South African families, Beachcomber: its Kids Club is free at all eight resorts for ages 3 to 11, four resorts have something free for teenagers, and Trou aux Biches babysits 1- and 2-year-olds free on weekday afternoons. LUX* has a teens' club at three of its four hotels, and every PLAY club has a toddlers' space. Constance's club starts at four, and it has no teens' club.

• Beachcomber:
  • Kids Club Beachcomber, ages 3-11, free at every resort. Every club opens at 09:00 and closes at 21:00, 22:00 or 23:00, depending on the resort. Activities are split for 3-6 and 7-11, and the team takes the children to lunch and dinner.
  • Babysitting: €7 to €12 an hour per child (about R130 to R220), booked a day ahead.
  • Toddlers: free babysitting at the Trou aux Biches Kids Club on weekday afternoons (13:00 to 16:00) for 1- and 2-year-olds, booked a day ahead. Shandrani's paid Petit Club for 2- and 3-year-olds, on Beachcomber's 2025-26 sheet, has gone from the 2026-27 one.
  • Babies: free baby care rooms at Victoria, Canonnier and Mauricia, and free baby corners at Shandrani and Paradis, for under-2s; a baby care corner at Dinarobin's Kids Club; baby care amenities on request at Trou aux Biches and Royal Palm.
  • Teens: free Teens Clubs (12-17) at Victoria and Canonnier, a free Teens Programme at Trou aux Biches and a free activity programme for teenagers at Royal Palm. The fact sheets don't limit them to any season.
• LUX*:
  • PLAY, ages 3-11, at all four hotels, each with a toddlers' space. At Belle Mare under-3s can join with an adult.
  • Studio 17 for 12- to 17-year-olds at Belle Mare, Grand Gaube and Grand Baie, open daily on the fact sheets. There's no teens' club at Le Morne.
  • LUX* doesn't say on its site whether PLAY is free.
• Constance:
  • Coconut Tribe, ages 4-11, at Prince Maurice, Belle Mare Plage and Le Chaland, with a programme built on themes such as nature, science and local culture. Under-4s can join if a parent or babysitter stays.
  • Constance says the club is free at Le Chaland; its pages for the other two don't say.
  • No teens' club, and no kids' club at Sakoa Boutik.

Do children stay free?

On the all-inclusive, Beachcomber is the most generous of the three: children aged 11 and under get it free. LUX* is generous for under-6s, but older children are only free on bed and breakfast. We found no standing children-free offer on Constance's own site.

• Beachcomber:
  • the all-inclusive is free for children aged 11 and under when their parents take it, at the seven resorts that sell it, for stays from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027. From 12 it's charged, and everyone sharing a room must be on the same meal plan;
  • the room and meals: Beachcomber's 2026 brochure offered under-12s sharing their parents' room a free stay and meals all year on its family rate. Its 2026-27 fact sheets don't repeat that, so we confirm the children's rate in your quote;
  • specials, for children sharing their parents' room: for travel from 31 January to 27 February 2027 (book by 31 December 2026), one child under 6 stays and eats free at Mauricia, Victoria, Shandrani, Paradis and Royal Palm, and two under-6s pay only flights and transfers at Dinarobin. For 1 to 20 June 2027 (book by 1 May 2027), one child under 18 pays only flights and transfers at Victoria, Shandrani, Paradis and Royal Palm, and one under-6 stays and eats free at Mauricia. Canonnier and Trou aux Biches have no children's offer in either window;
  • there's no general free stay for teenagers.
• LUX* (Kids Stay Free, to 31 October 2027, on the hotels' standard flexible rate only):
  • children of 0-5 stay free in their parents' room, on the parents' meal plan, whatever it is;
  • the first child of 6-11 is free only when the parents are on bed and breakfast. On half board, full board or all-inclusive there's a supplement;
  • a second child can be free from May to September in some rooms.
• Constance: children are priced per stay. Offers come and go, so we check what applies when we quote.

How does all-inclusive work at each group?

Beachcomber sells half board as standard and all-inclusive as a top-up that you can use across sister resorts. LUX* and Constance sell bed and breakfast, half board and all-inclusive, hotel by hotel. At LUX*, the signature restaurants sit outside the package.

• Beachcomber:
  • an optional all-inclusive at every resort except Royal Palm, and each resort has its own package. Canonnier and Mauricia pour local brands and Beachcomber's house wines. Victoria and Shandrani add imported brands. The five-star packages at Trou aux Biches, Paradis and Dinarobin pour imported wines, local and imported spirits and sparkling wine by the glass; Trou aux Biches's adds a daily green fee at Mont Choisy Le Golf and Dinarobin's one at Paradis Golf Club, while Paradis's leaves green fees out;
  • Shandrani alone has a second, richer package, Serenity Plus, with French champagne by the glass from 18:00 and a wider list of imported wines and spirits. Room service isn't included in either;
  • you can use your package at other Beachcomber resorts, on that resort's own package: the four-star packages at the other three four-stars, and the five-star packages at all six other resorts that sell one;
  • children aged 11 and under get it free, and everyone in your party must be on the same plan.
• LUX*:
  • an all-inclusive at all four hotels, covering that hotel only;
  • it leaves out the signature restaurants: Amari and Duck Laundry at Belle Mare, KAWAII and EAST at Le Morne, INTI at Grand Gaube. You get 30% off food there instead;
  • LUX* Grand Baie sells a richer "Premium" version with house champagne, in-room dining and a dining credit at Ai KISU or Walima;
  • the brochures we have ran to 31 October 2026, so we confirm the current terms for your dates.
• Constance: all-inclusive is sold at Prince Maurice, Belle Mare Plage and Le Chaland, not at Sakoa Boutik. Constance doesn't publish what the package includes, so we get the details for your quote. Golfers don't need it for golf: green fees are free on half board too (see below).

Which group has the best food?

For restaurants with real ambition, LUX*. For wine, Constance. For variety at a family price, Beachcomber, because you can eat across its resorts.

• LUX* builds its hotels around named concepts and guest chefs:
  • Amari by Vineet (Indian, from Vineet Bhatia), Duck Laundry (Chinese) and a street-food truck in a 1933 Rolls-Royce at Belle Mare;
  • KAWAII, an eight-seat omakase counter, at Le Morne;
  • INTI (Peruvian) and Bodrum Blue (Turkish, over the water) at Grand Gaube;
  • a rooftop restaurant, Bisou, and a Moroccan, Walima, at Grand Baie, which won five World Culinary Awards titles in 2026;
  • rum bars at Le Morne and Grand Gaube, and ICI ice cream at all four.
• Constance:
  • Prince Maurice has a floating seafood restaurant, Le Barachois, and a cellar of more than 25,000 bottles, which it calls the largest in the Indian Ocean;
  • Belle Mare Plage has eight restaurants, including Blue Penny Cellar inside its wine cellar, and a bar with more than 200 rums;
  • both take part in the Constance Festival Culinaire, whose 20th edition runs from 19 to 27 February 2027.
• Beachcomber:
  • each resort has a main buffet with live cooking, plus à la carte restaurants;
  • its big advantage is the dine-around: about 30 restaurants across the eight resorts, booked in the resort, with a supplement at a higher category of resort. Paradis and Dinarobin guests share eight restaurants without leaving the peninsula;
  • there's no dine-around between LUX* hotels, and Constance doesn't publish one.

Which group is best for golfers?

Constance, clearly. Guests at Belle Mare Plage and Prince Maurice get free green fees on Belle Mare Plage's two 18-hole courses.

• Constance: the Legend (par 72, 1994, designed by South African golfer Hugh Baiocchi) and the Links (par 71, 2002, by Rodney Wright and Peter Alliss), with a free shuttle from Prince Maurice. Carts are charged at Belle Mare Plage.
• Beachcomber: an 18-hole, par-72 course inside Paradis, shared with Dinarobin, and Mont Choisy Le Golf in the north for Trou aux Biches, Canonnier and Royal Palm guests. A daily green fee is in the all-inclusive at Trou aux Biches (at Mont Choisy) and Dinarobin (at Paradis), and adults at Royal Palm play Mont Choisy free every day on half board, cart included. At Paradis itself a round costs Rs 1,620 (about R570), and at Mont Choisy Rs 3,510 (about R1,230) with the compulsory cart. Guests at any Beachcomber resort also get set rates at six partner courses, among them Anahita and Ile aux Cerfs on the east coast: Rs 6,450 and Rs 6,700 (about R2,260 and R2,350) a round with a shared cart, paid at the club and not prepayable.
• LUX*: none of its own; the hotels arrange golf at nearby courses, for a fee.

Does the coast matter?

Yes, in the South African winter. From about June to September the trade winds blow from the east-south-east, strongest in July and August, so the east coast is breezier. The west coast is the sheltered side and has the sunsets.

• The Mauritius Meteorological Services' 2026 winter outlook expected the winds mainly from the east-south-east, with gusts in exposed areas in July and August, and most winter rain over the central plateau, the east and the south.
• That puts LUX* Belle Mare, Constance Belle Mare Plage and Prince Maurice, Constance Le Chaland and Beachcomber's Shandrani on the windward side in winter. Prince Maurice describes its own grounds as sheltered from the wind.
• Seven of Beachcomber's eight resorts are on the west and north-west coasts, as is LUX* Le Morne.
• From October to April the difference fades, and the east coast's long beaches and sunrises come into their own.

Who does each group suit?

In one line each: Beachcomber for families and value, LUX* for food lovers and families with teenagers who want five-star, Constance for golfers, wine lovers and couples.

• Beachcomber suits:
  • families with children aged 11 and under, especially on the all-inclusive;
  • families who can travel in the windows of Beachcomber's children's specials (31 January to 27 February and 1 to 20 June 2027);
  • first-timers who want a choice of level, from four-star to Royal Palm;
  • anyone who wants the west coast in winter, or one package that works across several resorts.
• LUX* suits:
  • couples and families who put food, design and a contemporary feel first;
  • families with teenagers, at Belle Mare, Grand Gaube or Grand Baie;
  • families with under-6s, who stay free on any meal plan;
  • couples at Le Morne, where many suites take no children over three.
• Constance suits:
  • golfers;
  • wine lovers;
  • honeymooners and couples who want a small, quiet five-star (Prince Maurice has 89 suites and villas);
  • families with children of 4 to 11 who don't need a teens' club;
  • anyone who wants the east coast's beaches.

What are the weaknesses of each group?

Each group has trade-offs, and Beachcomber has as many as the other two. Here they are plainly.

Beachcomber

• All-inclusive costs extra, and it isn't the same everywhere. Half board is standard. The four-star package at Canonnier and Mauricia pours local spirits, and Royal Palm has no all-inclusive at all.
• You'll be among South Africans. Beachcomber says most South Africans who stay at resort hotels in Mauritius book with its South African office. In our school holidays the big resorts are full of South African families. That's a plus for some families and a minus for couples after a change of scene.
• Teens' Clubs are limited. Only Victoria and Canonnier have a Teens Club; Trou aux Biches has a Teens Programme and Royal Palm an activity programme. Shandrani, Mauricia, Paradis and Dinarobin have nothing for teenagers beyond the free sports.
• No free stay for teenagers. From 12, children are charged, all-inclusive included, apart from a few time-limited specials.
• The Kids Club starts at three. Under-3s have paid babysitting (€7 to €12 an hour, about R130 to R220) and Trou aux Biches's free weekday-afternoon sessions for 1- and 2-year-olds. Shandrani's Petit Club for 2- and 3-year-olds isn't on the 2026-27 sheet.
• Royal Palm is the exception. There's no all-inclusive, so no free children's package; children are priced into the booking, apart from its current specials.
• One resort on the east side. Seven of the eight are west and north-west. If you want the long beaches of Belle Mare, Beachcomber has nothing there.
• Pack long trousers. Most resorts expect men and boys of 12 and over in trousers in the evening.
• Family rooms go first. Some rooms take only one child or a baby: Mauricia's Standard Rooms one child under six, Canonnier's Standard Rooms and Trou aux Biches's Junior Suites and Tropical Junior Suites a baby only. Families compete for the family units.

LUX*

• Older children cost more on half board or all-inclusive. Only under-6s are free on every meal plan.
• The all-inclusive leaves out the best restaurants. You pay for them, less 30% off the food.
• No eating at sister hotels. Each package covers one hotel.
• Five-star only. The cheaper option, Tamassa, is a different brand with a different feel.
• Le Morne is not for every family. 60 of its suites take no child of three or older, there's no teens' club, and works are planned there in 2027.
• Grand Baie is a town hotel. Junior Suites take one child at most, the rooftop pool is adults-only by day, and there's a nightclub on weekends.
• Details to confirm. LUX* doesn't say whether PLAY is free, and the 2026-27 all-inclusive terms weren't out when we wrote this.

Constance

• No teens' club, and the kids' club starts at four. That makes it less suited to families with teens or toddlers.
• The all-inclusive isn't published. You can't compare it on paper until we get it for your quote.
• No standing free-children offer on its site.
• The windward side in winter. Prince Maurice and Belle Mare Plage are about an hour or more from the airport, on the coast that catches the trade winds.
• No lifts at Belle Mare Plage. Its buildings are up to three floors, which matters with a pram or for older guests.
• Dressier in places. Some restaurants ask for long trousers and closed shoes for men.
• Le Chaland is new to the group. Its restaurant line-up is still changing.

How we'd choose

Start with who's travelling and when, not with the brand.

• Family with children aged 11 and under, on a budget: a Beachcomber four-star on the all-inclusive: Victoria, Canonnier, Shandrani or Mauricia.
• Family with toddlers: Shandrani, for the 10-minute transfer and the free baby corner, or Trou aux Biches, for free babysitting for 1- and 2-year-olds. On bed and breakfast, LUX* is also good value with under-6s.
• Family with teenagers: Beachcomber's Victoria or Canonnier (Teens Clubs) or Trou aux Biches (Teens Programme), or LUX* Belle Mare, Grand Gaube or Grand Baie (Studio 17). Neither group gives teenagers a general free stay, so we compare the full family price.
• Honeymoon or a couple's trip: Constance Prince Maurice, LUX* Le Morne, Royal Palm, or the adults-only areas at Dinarobin and Victoria.
• Food first: LUX*.
• Golf first: Constance Belle Mare Plage, or Prince Maurice for a smaller hotel with the same free golf.
• An all-inclusive that travels: a Beachcomber five-star package at Trou aux Biches, Paradis or Dinarobin can be used at the six other Beachcomber resorts that sell one, on each resort's own package. Trou aux Biches's and Dinarobin's include a daily green fee, and children aged 11 and under get it free.
• Travelling in July or August: the west coast, with Beachcomber or LUX* Le Morne.

Tell us who's travelling, when and what matters most. We'll put the closest options from each group side by side in rand.

Related

• Mauritius holidays
• Shandrani Beachcomber Resort & Spa
• Victoria Beachcomber Resort & Spa
• Trou aux Biches Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa
• Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa
• Dinarobin Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa
• Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury
• Canonnier Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa
• Mauricia Beachcomber Resort & Spa