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Mauritius- Day 4 – The Maritimm Resort and Spa

Published on September 17, 2026 by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

Today was intended as a R&R day….a do nothing day. We breakfasted earlier today with the hope that the food would be better….there was more variety available but the same as the day before items like bacon were cold and cooked to a crisp…tough and tasteless….but never mind there was plenty of other items on offer…the pancakes are delicious especially with raw pure honey dripping from the cone…I sussed out the toasting machine, put the bread in twice and if it gets stuck turn it off and carefully use the bread knife to punch it over and get it to drop,…yeah cracked it !!!

After breakfast we went to reception and asked for transport up to the animal farm and Equestrian Centre. This transport is by way of a Golf buggy.

It’s here the giant tortoises have some large enclosures to roam in….

You could go in with them and feed them leaves.

There was just one dog in the stray dog sanctuary.

We asked about horse riding. The horses were very nicely kept. However they were ex-racehorses, thoroughbreds and light-framed so not used to weight bearing…Unfortunatly I am 9kg over the very low weight limit they set for riding !!! He did say we could give it a go and see how the horse felt but as a horse lover that was not something I wanted to do….my dream of riding along a beach will have to wait until I have lost some more weight.

There was also a cow and rabbits in the “animal farm”….but that seemed about it. It was all set in nice surroundings with several mango trees …

And a little Madagascar Giant Day Gecko which is considered an invasive species in Mauritius.

We wandered down to the Ruins of Balaclava. These are protected as a national monument…all very interesting.

Then we wandered around the cascades…although I think I would have referred to it as a babbling brook, or its proper name of the Citron river, rather than cascades!!

Then on we walked past the chateau Mon Desir – the fine dining restaurant.

In the beautiful chateau’s gardens, were fabulously well manicured, vibrantly coloured bougainvillea…a picture not to be missed.

We wandered down to the Old Mill and passed by the events field.

Continuing to ramble along by the River edge watching kayaking we passed by the obligatory- because all good hotels have one – giant chess set… and The Anno 1743 Restaurant and Nest Rooftop and distillery bar.

On we wandered up to the boat house where we sat for a while. We watched a lady of slightly lesser proportions to me struggle to sit on a kayak…doable but difficult…her fit daughter hopped on the front and off they went…or did they…no they just couldn’t synchronise….ummm yes enough to put John and me off…too much like hard work.

We were thinking of asking about a glass bottom boat when we saw an sign saying none today as it was too rough…an anti-cyclone is approaching…

The “Looky-Looky man fed some birds with a bag of bread…loads of sparrows, pigeons, Myna Birds, Red Fody, Red whiskered bulbul’s, and yellow orals came flying in.

We rewarded the “Looky-Looky” man by buying two shell ankle bracelets from him…John enjoyed watching me haggle the price which at £8.00 was still a bit to much…but the sob story came out… “he hadn’t had a sale all day” and the deal was done.

Passing a local fisherman…….

We walked back to our room, donned our swimming gear and took up residency on a lounger around the pool. We had a swim even though the water was a tad chilly.

Before going for a siesta we went to reception and read the speciality restaurant menus. Deciding on the Seafood restaurant we made a reservation and then we went for a snooze.

All, too soon it was time to get ready for our 7pm reservation, fortunately the heavy rain shower had passed . We wandered along the seafront path until we got to La Maree.

A lovely thatched restaurant with tables on decking in bomas on the sea shore.

We both selected prawn cocktail with pinapple to start with

….and Seafood, butternut Risotto as our main course….

John had a lovely coconut, mango and papaya cake and I had a sponge soaked in lemongrass and ginger with fresh fruit as dessert.

It was all truly scrumptious. We both had a soda…when the bill came they had subtracted our MUR5000 meal allowance from the total and we had less than £10 to pay….great deal…lovely meal.

We had once again dodged a heavy shower… the bomas we were in were about 99% waterproof….the 1% that wasn’t dripped down the back of Johns neck! A dog came and took refuge from the rain, sitting with pleading eyes at a couples table who were eating meat …!!!!

We ambled back to our room before turning in for an early night .

Mauritius 2026 Getting there, Day 1 & 2

Published on September 15, 2026 by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

Finally we are off on an Adventure. Jonathan Kilroy – Kilroy cars & Driven – picked us up at 8.50 am….we’ve used Jonathan’s companies for many years to get us to and from the airport…totally professional and reliable and although an added cost well worth it for the security you get knowing they will reroute you if necessary to get you to your plane on time…all his drivers are good and nice characters…today it was the man himself….He loaded our bulging 2 cases and 2 hand luggage’s with ease and without any pomp or ceremony we were off by 9.00 am. By 10.36: Jonathan was dropping us off at the North terminal Gatwick Airport.

The bag drop off was seamless…no queues for Emirate Air and we booked our 2 medium sized cases all the way through to Mauritius. We went through security, which gets easier and easier….no more having to take electrics out of bags malarkey…although I did have to take my watch and bangle off…why ? Who knows ….because I didn’t have to take my gold chains off…there seemed no rhyme or reason but hey ho …we were quickly in the departure lounge.

Emirate air sent me a text giving me the gate number so we strolled down. The gate wasn’t open. In fact there was absolutely no one there….the gate didn’t open for another hour. Once again it was an easy process and we were soon sitting on our plane. It wasn’t full so we moved to either side of the aisle and had 2 seats each. What a comfortable flight, with smiling service and great food.

My only criticism was that the cabins air conditioning was cold and blew right on the top of my head…but where there’s the will there’s the way so much to Johns’ amusement I turned a spare blanket into a head scarf and snuggled down to watch 3 films and a documentary.

Johns details about the flight –
We boarded EmIrates’ Airbus, A380-800 registration number A6-EED for the 3,400 mile first leg of our journey, One of the world’s largest passenger aircrafts, complete with double-deck design.

Arriving in Dubai, some 6.5 hours later, we transferred by bus to the well signed C gate. Even at 2.00 am the airport is a hive of activity. After completing another security body scan we embarked the plane a little late. It was a completely full plane but once again comfortable….the menu cards said we got a snack and breakfast…Emirate Air certainly like to feed you well.

Another 3 movies later, 6/7 hours, and we were touching down in Mauritius.

Johns flight information – At Dubai airport, we joined our second Airbus for the southerly run down to Mauritius. This time, the airline provided A380-800 registration number A6-EEN for this 3,200 mile flight.
Just over six hours later, we touched down at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. It is named after the well-respected gentleman who led the country into independence, became its first Prime Minister and, later, became Governor-General. The said gentleman can’t be responsible for his ‘mouthful’ of a name but it’s no wonder it gets shortened to ‘SSR’ by those in the know!

Passport control, seemed slow, although it seemed to be the computer systems slowing it all down, but as we were one of the first off the plane we didn’t actually queue for very long. You then go to health control. I had printed our declaration health and landing cards Q codes off…this meant unlike others I didn’t have to struggle to get internet to do it electronically….sometimes the old ways are the easiest ways…The luggage pick up was a bit of a nightmare with two conveyor belts chucking the cases out but not joined….so I stood at one and John stood at another…some 25 minutes later I spied one of our cases and retrieved it….I must say it looked very small compared to its travel mates…some 10 minutes later the other one arrived. They had both been tagged as “short transfere time”…Well done Emirate, we always breath a sigh of relief when we actually have our baggage on the trolly. With nothing to declare we quickly accessed the arrivals lounge and scoured the many company reps, all holding signs, for one saying ‘Mercury”…Got ya..a nice young man greeted us and ushered us to a taxi/ private hire. The trip to our hotel was about and hour, through some wonderfully scenic mountains and countryside.

Lovely views as we transferred from the airport to our hotel.

Driving through some pretty impressive gates we passed by lovely green manicured lawns, wooded areas, croquet lawn, mini golf and tennis courts before we arrived at the Maritim Resort and Spa reception.

We were greeted by a hostess and a porter who took our bags….ushered to a very comfortable sofa ( which actually I could have curled up and gone to sleep on!!). We filled out the formalities and were given a very refreshing glass of lemongrass infused water. Expecting to go to our room we were told our room was available from 3.00 pm on wards….oh no!!….that was another 3 hours and we’d already been without sleep for 27 hours…..never mind…we grabbed our cameras and went to sit in the bar and watch the world go by…

A couple of hours later we wandered through a wooded area, along the coast a little then circled back to reception.

We made an enquiry at the tour desk about a couple of excursions we fancied doing…..One was the highlights of the South East and the other was Port Louis and the North West…..ummm both seemed fairly expensive at €125 per person per trip….and the tours were for 15-20 people….not really our idea of fun…hanging about waiting for that one person whose always late!!!….So Nirmala our tour agent/ concierge, decided we’d do better having private tours for €170 each day including a driver who is also a guide…great !! She also told us that tomorrow was a Public holiday because it is Ganesh Chaturthi day – a major Hindu Festival…she invited us to attend a festival in a local town the next day….sounded good…at this point our lovely hostess from earlier took pity on our tired old bodies and told us our room was ready…..

Wow!! What a lovely room…and we only had to go down two flights of stairs ….. which considering the rest of the hotels’ number of stairs which are absolutely everywhere…..our room was was very good…our room has a super view of the gardens and the sea, the design is also very aesthetic, you can shut the bathroom sliding doors but why bother….the loo and the shower have doors….the former is a wooden door for privacy!!…..we were soon in bed fast asleep.

After a couple of hours of “shut eye”, I got up unpacked, had a shower, John went for a swim in the big bath and we were ready for supper.

We went to the buffet, it was really nice, lots of, freshly cooked food, variety, different tastes…etc. John was impressed with the different flavoured ice-creams he had for his dessert……we may be on holiday but his habits of trying all the flavours never change!!!!A very nice meal. The hotel has definitely surpassed our expectations…needless to say straight after supper we went to bed for a proper nights sleep.

A few of our favourite sunset photos…..

Published on February 28, 2026March 4, 2026 by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

Unfortunately we can no longer offer them at the very cheap price we did previously because our printer had stopped trading …however we have found another printer with top studio Fine Art quality paper -Baryta Rag (cotton310gm) with Lustre finish to help prevent reflections and fading but still give vibrant colours…..
So our prints are now back up for sale as A3, mounted and framed ( black or white frames, white mounts) for £49.95 inclusive of UK mainland postage.
We can print any of the sunsets or wildlife photos… just message us or email us at
2jsworldofadventure@gmail.com

Goodnight – Kruger National Park South Africa

Evening Safari Drive Kruger National Park South Africa

Another Wonderful Day Draws to an End – Kruger National Park South Africa

From Botswana to Namibia Sleep Well- Chobe River Botswana

Another Beautiful Day says Goodnight- Chobe River South Africa

Unforgettable Moments – Chobe River Botswana

New Forest – UK – 2025 – Day 3

Published on November 20, 2025November 22, 2025 by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

Well! actually I’ll stat on Day 2 evening. We had an absolutely splendid meal at The Royal Oak HillTops, Beaulieu…. It’s a quaint, quirky pub/ restaurant.

On arriving we were greeted warmly by the lady who both waitresses and ran the bar. She seated us at a really nice table, gave us menus and pointed out the specials board. I took a photo of the specials board…a little trick my sister taught me to save everyone getting up to look…..

The menu was extensive and there was nothing on it or the specials board which cost more than £19.99…..what a pleasure so many places now charge the earth for just mediocre food. We all found something we fancied. I had the pheasant from the specials board. It was absolutely delicious, the mash was properly freshly home cooked and the pheasants breast very tasty and tender…pheasant legs are always more for decoration than eating and this one was no exception it had obviously walked a long way 🤣…a perfect meal leaving some wonderful tastes in my mouth …yummmy

Dad had his favourite Sea Bass with smashed potatoes and samphire, followed by ice cream.

John had Beef cooked in Guinness with a dumpling, parsnips, mash and carrots…followed by a large ice cream.

An absolutely great meal, with superb service…even with drinks the bill was only £81.00, very reasonable for what we had…needless to say we’ve booked again for tonight. It is only a 10 minute drive from our hotel.

Day 3

We started the day with a very similar continental breakfast to the previous day. The only difference was I asked them to make the coffee much stronger…this time at least I could taste that it was coffee…scoring it 6/10, John gave it a 7/10 and Dad a 5/10…. To be honest the beans blend was not too our liking they were very bitter…we prefer pure Costa Rica coffee beans which is strong, powerful and doesn’t leave you with a bitter taste like cheaper coffee beans and blends do …..yes we are coffee snobs🤣🤣

We set off to Hythe Marina, another favourite haunt of ours and one which Mum and Dad introduced us too. On the way we saw a couple of deer.

On arriving at The Marina John and I got out of the car and I took a very bracing walk along the promenade…..it was bitter and I had to jog back fearing that my watering eyes might freeze on my cheeks….

John took a variety of pictures ..

Dad very sensibly stayed in the car…it was 1 degrees Celsius….a tad chilly.

We carried on to Calshot …another favourite “walk down memory lane” for me….when I was 18 I had spent three weeks at the activity centre before going off to college. The first week I had been taught the basic skills in a variety of activities..cycling in a velodrome, skiing on a dry ski slope, rock climbing on a wall, canoeing/kayaking, skating etc…then the following two weeks I had been a carer/ mentor/ coach and general dogs body for 2 different groups of disabled children….i still remember my fear as I taught a blind boy to rock climbing and took a wheelchair bound girl in a sledge down the ski slope, they loved it but I was petrified …I bottled the velodrome because I couldn’t peddle fast enough to stop the bike slipping down the wall, I’ve never been any good on a bike….but I was a superstar on the skates safely taking my protégés around and I managed the kayaks without drowning anyone🤣🤣🤣 They were days I shall always remember with immense fondness and consequently Calshot spit holds a special place in my heart…..but today it was cold and inhospitable and non of us ventured out of the car.

Driving back along the Spit we saw an egret in the stream

We drove back along the Lepe waterfront, past the lighthouse.

Having picked up petrol and sandwiches we headed for Horseshoe Bottom carpark. Today we had all the correct components to make coffee. We ate our sandwiches in the car, snug and warm, while watching the ponies, dog walkers, riders and generally just enjoying my mums special place and a little Robin kept us entertained …

After a nice relaxation, people, pony and robin watching we headed on towards Nomansland…another quirky village at the edge of the forest. We past by many New Forest Ponies and some Shetland Ponies and of course the off spring of The Grey Stallion.

It’s a lot more foresty than moorland on this side of the forest.

Whilst going through one of the picturesque villages we came across a group of donkeys…they are the first we have seen this trip. This is unusual as we usually see a lot. But we are later visiting this year and during the winter many of them are taken into farms for protection.

We were just commenting that we were unlikely to see any free roaming pigs at this time of year, because the pannage was over – that is when the pigs are let out free roaming so they can eat the acorns which are poisonous to the ponies – Then suddenly walking down the edge of the road was a massive pig…

Wow! now the only thing we haven’t seen, which we usually do is free roaming cows…We headed back to our hotel. Parking up we were about to return to our rooms when we caught sight of 4/5 cows just coming out of the wooded area opposite the hotel…

…Our checklist was complete…we can rest up in peace. This evening we are going back to the Royal Oak, I’ll blog about it tomorrow. Tomorrow we are returning home…it is also our 11th Wedding Anniversary…

After our South Africa Safari 2025 – Our recommendations of places to stay on the way to, in and around Kruger.

Published on October 24, 2025November 22, 2025 by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

Masodini Private Game Lodge – (now called Zazu)

Several years ago we came across this absolute gem of a Game Lodge…….it was Johns first time on Safari and I really wanted him to fall in love with the bush. I couldn’t have chosen better….

Masodini Private Game Lodge is ideally located in the 40 000-hectare Balule Nature Reserve. It is situated in the Greater Kruger National Park, and offers visitors a true feeling of Africa. It is in a Big 5 Conservation area. It is a bush lover’s paradise and the lodge is surrounded by fever trees and evergreen African date palms which create a perfect oasis. Guests of the lodge can immerse themselves in the untamed beauty of the African landscape while enjoying superb amenities and fantastic service.

The camp overlooks the waterhole it is safe and fenced-in, providing protection against unwanted animal intruders. This was the view from our chalet veranda.

We could have opted for game walks but we preferred to enjoy game drives with an experienced ranger…..there were wonderful birding opportunities as well as getting up close and personal to a range of wildlife…..

Our evenings were spent enjoying the company of the other guests, eating superb food and watching the semi tame, shy bush babies come and go…all of which took place in the boma.

We had dinner bed and breakfast, now their package is Full board + 2 game drives a day….during the day we sat on the viewing platform watching wildlife come and go at the water hole or we went out and visited a local attraction.

There are so many places to visit using Masodini/ Zazu as your base, such as the Kruger National Park, Khamai Reptile Park, Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre, the Cheetah Project, the Panorama Route and local villages to name a few. We visited the Cheetah Project and on another day we went to the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre….and we still managed to fit in the morning and sunset drives at Masodini.

All accommodation is in private, secluded and elegantly furnished chalets. Since our visit all the chalets/suites and communal areas have been upgraded and the Safari vehicle has also been replaced, its name has changed to Zazu. However …when we stayed it was all very nice indeed…we can only imagine that the upgrades will have made it even more magical… Masodini is both private and intimate, the staff provide guests with a very warm welcome all guests can use the camp facilities. They only have a maximum of 14 guests at a time, which makes it feel very exclusive.The accommodation was really nice with a traditional African theme ….

Our visit was perfect….the price per night for full board including two game drives a day is:

RACK RATES

FEB ’25 TO JAN ‘26

Adult Rate PPS R5 900.00

13 years and under R3 540.00

3 years and under R1 770.00

Single Adult Rate R8 850.00

FEB ’26 TO JAN ‘27

Adult Rate PPS R6 400.00

13 years and under R3 840.00

3 years and under R1 920.00

Single Adult Rate R9 600.00

Prices can of course occasionally fluctuate when circumstances beyond the lodges control occur…..but this is a guideline to help with holiday budgeting.

……for something so private and so personal with a maximum capacity of 14 guests, this is a superb price ….we loved it and sometime in the near future we will be returning ….

What Zazu Private Bush Lodge has to offer…

Chalet-Style Accommodations and Privacy

• Zazu Private Bush Lodge offers 5 Individual Chalets, of which, 2 are Family Chalets (accommodating four guests), and 3 are Double Chalets (ideal for two guests). Each chalet ensures privacy, surrounded by the natural beauty of the African bush.

Family-Friendly Experiences

• At Zazu Private Bush Lodge, they pride themselves on creating a family-friendly environment. They welcome children and offer safaris where children can join Big 5 game drives when accompanied by a parent.

Included Experiences

• Enjoy 2 game drives per day and the freedom to explore the bush in a Big Five reserve, all while guided by expert rangers.

• Venture outside of the fence line on a guided daytime bush walk to track wildlife and discover the hidden wonders of the bush.

• Full-Board Dining: Indulge in an English breakfast, lunch, and a three-course dinner prepared by Chef Bianca, served around the campfire or on our scenic viewing terrace.

• Zazu offers excursions and outings into the surrounding areas allowing guests to experience all that Limpopo has to offer, including the famous Kruger National Park.

Additional Details

• Conservation Fee: A once-off fee of R115 per vehicle and R285 per person applies at the gate. (subject to changes by the reserve)

• Check-In: 2:00 PM | Check-Out: 10:00 AM (flexible by arrangement).

For more information, please contact the bookings team:

Email: bookings@Zazubushlodge.co.za Call or WhatsApp: +27 73 187 0882

This definitely is “A piece of paradise”….a little bit of heaven which has fallen to earth….if this falls within your budget we totally and thoroughly recommend staying here…be spoilt, be pampered and enjoy a real safari experience…thank you Masodini….you hooked my husband on the African bush.

Pestana Lodge Hotel, Malalani Gate KrugerNational Park.- The price of Bed and Breakfast in a deluxe room is about £120.00 for 2. This is far more a hotel than our other two recommendations. It is superbly situated within a 2 minute drive of Krugers Malalane gate. The deluxe rooms all over look the river, bridge and the far banks of the river are in Kruger …

The restaurant is mediocre…in that the buffets are like most places luke warm and unappetising. However the A La carte menu was very reasonably priced and the food was pleasant enough…it’s the deluxe room view and the convenience to Kruger which makes this a good place to stay….we will use it again…just remember not to go for the £30 a night cheaper option of £90 because your room could end up overlooking a construction site…

Another benefit of Pestana Lodge is that you can book a Kruger Parks Sunset drive and it will pick you up and return you to the hotel.

Kruger Park Camp Accommodation- the accommodation throughout Kruger is very basic…not for the faint hearted or even those who have to have 4 star plus facilities …ummmm may be 3 star plus….Kruger camp accommodation is not this sort of standard…having said this some camps are better than others….always go for the huts with a kitchen, utensils, bathroom…for 2 people go for a 3 bedded accommodation then you’ll have somewhere other than the floor to put your bags. Berg-en-dal has good, well maintained chalets. As is Lower Sabi ….. at lower Sabi our chalet had a Kitchenette…..it was a separate room to the bedroom..a kitchen and dinning room with a third bed…great for the cases, it opened out on to the veranda…very comfortable. Shingwedzi Camp has newish chalets which we were told were lovely…our old one was nice enough everything worked and it was well maintained. The accommodation in Kruger is about £80 per night depending on the style you book…get the more expensive ones as they are in better condition.

Well that’s our only recommendations……we’re happy recommending the ones we have…secure in the knowledge that if you pick the one which suits your budget you won’t be disappointed.