The 12 bedrooms lack nothing, apart from a clear view from most of them. The solution: get one of the 4 rooms overlooking the patio-garden. It is not always possible to book them when the hotel is full, even once you get there. You will notice the attention paid to the small comfortable "extras", such as the tea and coffee-making facilities and the ceiling fan in addition to the air-conditioning. Be careful, too, with the category you choose: if you come as a couple to stay in a higher category, the bathroom (apart from the toilet) is incorporated into the bedroom. As far as floor area is concerned, you come here as a modern traveller (without too much baggage), as one or two people have to stay here in 129 to 172 sq ft. There is no furnished balcony, which is an extra. The television broadcasts the 3 Mauritian channels (no more) and there is a safe deposit box and mini-bar; the bathroom has a shower, hair-dryer and 2 small bars of soap. It is fine for one or two nights; beyond that, it is rather a squeeze.

Chez Vaco takes its name from a contemporary Mauritian painter and sculptor, Vaco Baissac. His colourful canvases (if they have not been sold since!) decorate the patio walls and the bedrooms (there is a framed painting above the headboard). If you like them, you can go and visit the painter's gallery, which is in Grand-Baie, Dodo Square, on the Route Royale. Once you have seen the canvases in the exhibition-sale, you will then have seen the hotel. There is just this area, with a reception desk and bar and a few tables where you have breakfast in the morning and then a drink during the day. In the shade, under the semi-covered part, or in the garden livened up by a fountain-pond and green plants.

The hotel only serves breakfast. After this, the bar takes over (but only for drinks) from 6pm to 11pm: even if you are not staying at the hotel, you should try it, as the atmosphere is very pleasant. In the morning, breakfast is served at the table or in the form of a continental buffet (depending on the number of guests - the fuller the hotel is, the more chance you have of serving yourself at the buffet). What do you have to eat? Yoghurt, cheese, bread and Viennese pastries (croissants, currant buns, etc.). There is also fruit juice (in cans - fresh juices are now only found in 5* hotels). Seated at one of the patio tables with high brick-coloured walls supplying the decor: of course, you see nothing of the surrounding areas (residential houses and their gardens) when staying at the hotel.

The seafront is 164 ft from the hotel. There used to be mangroves in this area. The water is therefore naturally muddy and not suitable for swimming. You cannot laze around on the grass on the seafront either, as it has not been designed for this. On the other hand, the pirogue moored to the pontoon belongs to the hotel: It transports guests from the other side of the bay, where there is a public beach called "La Cuvette", 3 times a day free of charge. Take your beach towel with you as there are no facilities there. Shade is provided by a few filao trees. The water is clear and the slope gradual: you can have a quick dip. However, this small sandy beach is far from being the prettiest on the island.

Chez Vaco is a hotel recommended for a few days' stay when exploring Mauritius. The hotel has no swimming pool or lawn with deckchairs. This disadvantage is partly compensated for by the pirogue service (3 times a day) to the closest public beach, La Cuvette, alongside the Royal Palm private beach.
Accommodation advice
Ask for a room overlooking the patio: there are only 4 out of the 12, so the choice is limited. Otherwise, your view is rather restricted: by other buildings or even a wooden awning completely obstructing the view. This is rather a shame on a tropical island.