The first SALT had to be in Mauritius. It’s our home, our love, and our pride and joy. It’s an undeniable, exotic beauty. Volcanic, white, blue and green. It’s Indian, French, Creole, Chinese and African. Its colours, stories, customs, sounds, and flavours form a brilliant, heady mix that is impossible to ignore or forget. If you experience it.
That’s why we created SALT of Palmar. Mauritius is ripe for exploration, drenched in history, and bursting with humbling heritage and modern culture. And we want to show you the real Mauritius.
SALT of Palmar is made to give both you and our local islanders inspiring experiences. Read on, and you’ll soon get our measure.
When designer Camille Walala saw our bright blue skies, pink sunsets, green sugarcane fields, and the explosion of diverse paint colours used to decorate the houses in our village, it was love at first sight. She was full of inspiration when she collaborated with local architecture studio JFA on the design of SALT of Palmar. Camille’s bold style meets Mauritius’ soulful style. And with local makers creating the furniture, art, and finer details, the Mauritian influence comes through loud and clear. It makes our boutique hotel completely unique. It’s inspiring. And it’s a very happy place to be.
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We love to travel because travel is about food. And we love food. Sharing it, exploring it, and learning how to prepare it – we make it all possible here. Our chefs cook up the super-healthy and the downright indulgent. Good food makes people happy – and that’s the point of SALT of Palmar.
Food is a huge part of Mauritian culture. It says it all about this island’s story. It’s African. It’s Indian. It’s Chinese. It’s French. It’s down to earth and high in flavour. It’s all those influences with their famous flavours and formats coming together. Our chefs start with the ingredients. Everything we need grows here. They receive what the suppliers deliver and go from there for specials. And everything is cooked from scratch. We don’t do waste, and we do do raw, healthy, vegan and vegetarian. There’s something so right about eating food at its freshest in front of the ocean. And if what your heart desires is not on the menu that doesn’t mean it’s not on the cards. Just ask.
Talented locals created our guidebook THIS IS MAURITIUS. They are the ones who know who there is to know and where we should all go. It’s about the people and places that make the island tick.
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The Mauritian great outdoors is greater than most outdoors. And, we don’t take it for granted. Sunrise run club and Sunset swim club say it all. Bike and hike, if you like. Take a Sega dance or yoga class. It’s all about moving and being in the fresh, open air, increasing focus and decreasing stress. Head to the nearby forest. Shinrin-yoku – just being in a forest – is medicine. Or take it further. We have a fleet of convertible cars for hire. Independent exploration of the island’s open roads is yours. Take one of our SIM cards and follow the map using our app or guidebook. Or if you’re feeling fit, we have bicycles you can borrow. Several neighbouring villages, temples, Flacq market, and our farm are all bikeable.
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The island pulses to the lively rhythm of Sega music. It comes from Madagascar. And Africa. It’s joy and happiness. Love and peace. Music with heart and soul. Our playlists for the beach bar and restaurant never miss a beat. And we invite local artists to come and play it live. They might play it pure. They might add a twist. They’ll never play it with a frown.
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Every day is learning day at SALT of Palmar. You can share one of your skills with a local, learn a new one from a local, or both. It’s all horizon broadening. It’s taking home more than a tan. And it connects you at a deep level to the people who make places what they are.
Teach whatever you can teach. We’ll find the local with your skill on their must-learn list. And learn a local skill. Pottery with Janine at her Pamplemousses studio, the art of early morning fishing with Kishor, or basket weaving with Mrs Bulleeram in Brisée Verdière are all available. SALT has friends doing incredible things all over the island and people are amazing.
Learning is part of life at the hotel too. Let our chef teach you how to prepare fish vindaye and chicken curry. It’ll stir your cooking up. Master the maravanne rattle and moutia drum. It’s an interactive percussion discussion. Get out into the SALT FARM and see how locals grow, maintain, and harvest the sustainable way. You’ll get to know nature all over again.
Local authors set the tone for our library. They pack it full of the best Mauritius-related literature. Books documenting the incredible story of the island’s heritage. Books celebrating our food, music, craft, culture, and nature. Photography books. Illustrated books. Fiction, fact, fantasy, and folklore. We’ll have it – your perfect holiday read.
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Holiday time. It’s a good time to focus on you being soothed, hydrated, detoxified, and energised. That’s why we created SALT Equilibrium. It’s a concept, but it’s not lofty (or compulsory). It’s simple. And salt – humble salt – plays a big part in it.
Our wellness concept is not a run-of-the-mill thing. It’s based on our belief that simplicity holds the answer to happiness. In our spa, different salts bring different benefits. There’s the salt stir bar. The mix is made to fix. And our room made of salt is an island first. In its warm crystal glow, you breathe deeply while salt vapour boosts your respiratory system, skin, immunity, and energy levels.
But the concept is about more than the spa. There’s a yoga mat in your room. Then, outside, the slow sports, run routes, and location-inspired action get your body active. Equilibrium is about embracing nature and eating raw, plant-based food. You’ll be balanced in no time.
Some Mauritian communities need help. Non-profit organisation Island Bio does it by empowering them through three-year skill-building programmes followed by training in permaculture and agro-ecology. We’ve given part of our farm over to help the cause. We’ve set up a farm school in the neighbouring village through which our farmers share their knowledge. It’s a partnership based on the shared belief that fresh, high-quality food is the right of each and every Mauritian citizen.
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Single-use plastic is a problem. In fact, problem is too gentle a word – it’s a crisis. It takes up to 1000 years for plastic bottles to decompose. We’re not going to add to that pressure on the planet.
That’s why we partnered with Nordaq FRESH to have water stations for guests to help themselves to. It’s the closest thing we have to a buffet. You’ll find perfectly chilled still, sparkling and alkaline taps plus freshly cut fruits and herbs for you to flavour your water with (if that’s your thing).
It’s local too. This is the island’s water filtered at SALT. Impurities are out, and natural salts and minerals are king. Without additives, you just get fresh, clean, thirst-quenching deliciousness. Fill the bottle we give every guest or the reusable cups next to the taps. It’s pure in quality and principle. Great taste meets zero waste. We’ll drink to that.
We bring out the French side of Mauritius’s character at our bakery. Superstar pâtissier Christophe Vasseur, founder of go-to Parisian boulangerie Du Pain et des Idées, came to the island, stayed with us, and trained our bakers to create moreish sourdough bread, golden, buttery, light-as-a-feather croissants, and indulgent pastries just like his.
His philosophy is: bake it slow, and you bake it better. And only bake at all if you’re using the very best ingredients. 48 hr fermentation breaks the gluten down so that it digests beautifully. And premium traditional French flour mixed with a little rye makes it tastes heavenly. And decidedly French. But then, there’s how we make it local. We introduce whatever fruits are ripe from the island’s trees. It could be jackfruit, papaya, banana, lychee or pineapple that flavours the breads and pastries. The best local sugar, spices and chocolate are in the mix too. And our homemade butter and jams top it all off.
Sleep is our repairer, mood-lifter, stress-reliever and immunity booster. It’s a serious business. So, when we designed SALT of Palmar, we hunted out the best beds to help our guests get quality dream time. We wanted beds that were comfortable for everyone. Beds that understand the body. The answer was Carpe Diem.
Designed by a Swedish chiropractor, Carpe Diem beds feature a clever contour pocket system that (without getting too technical) puts the padding that is usually on top of springs into springs. It makes bed feel cloud-like and pressure free yet supportive in all the right areas. It’s genius.
With excellent beds in place, we turned our attention to bedding. We wanted it to be soft and cooling. Luxurious and organic. Sustainably made and sourced.
The upshot is: everybody sleeps well at SALT of Palmar. It’s the talk of the breakfast table.
Curious? Hungry? Sleepy?
We have everything you need. Or didn’t know you did.
