Mauritius holiday, tailor made

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION:
LUX* Le Morne holds an Earthcheck 5-Earth sustainability rating (held since 2020) and signed the UNFCCC's Business Ambition for 1.5°C Pledge in 2019. The resort converts all of its used cooking oil into biofuel and has cut single-use plastics entirely, by its own estimate avoiding close to a million plastic bottles a year. It also holds an All-Star rating under the Zero Food Waste Pledge, redirecting untouched buffet food to local schoolchildren and food waste to local pig farmers rather than sending it to landfill. Lakaz Chamarel describes a 'Lakaz Go Green' ethos running through its operations, though its own site doesn't break this down into specific measures.

All three accommodations can cater to vegetarian, vegan and other dietary requirements on request.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE:
LUX* Le Morne partners with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation on rare plant conservation at Île aux Aigrettes and with the marine NGO EcoSud on reef and lagoon protection work along this stretch of coast. The resort also runs its own desalination plant, meeting all of its water needs without drawing on local supply, and treats and reuses all of its wastewater for irrigating its gardens rather than releasing it. Lakaz Chamarel's own grounds have been developed over two decades into a garden its owners describe as a haven for endemic trees and birds, and the trip visits several nearby protected sites directly (the Seven Coloured Earths and the Ebony Forest reserve).

People

LOCAL ECONOMY:
Lakaz Chamarel is independently and privately owned rather than run by an international chain: the property began as its owners' own family home in the late 1990s before opening as a small lodge in 2004, and it remains family-run today. LUX* Le Morne's food-waste programme has a direct local-economy element too, since its untouched buffet surplus goes to local schoolchildren and its food waste and by-products (coffee grounds, eggshells, cooking oil, wet waste) are shared with local farmers rather than binned.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY:
LUX* Le Morne runs mandatory orientation for all team members covering human rights, labour rights, environmental rights, CSR and non-discrimination, refreshed annually rather than delivered once at induction. Mauritius is a welcoming destination for LGBTQ+ travellers, and likewise the hotels on this trip. Accessibility varies across the island as a whole, but the three properties chosen for this trip are built to a five-star and Relais & Châteaux standard that accommodates guests with additional needs.