Mauritius invites you not just to relax, but to feel something deeper

Green is a colour unfairly associated with jealousy.

- writes Jack Marshall.

But as your plane banks through speckled tropical clouds and the lush island paradise below finally comes into view, you soon come to realise something: green as it may be, Mauritius is an island nation defined by its happiness and its richness. By its life.

As always, it's the orchestra playing on your senses that hits you first. A young island, uninhabited and pristine until just 500 years ago, Mauritius immediately hums with heat and energy. Every winding turn unveils brand new shades of those striking greens alongside vivid reds and blues - hackneyed as it may sound, you honestly do find yourself checking twice to make sure that the water really is that blue.

For decades, lovestruck couples have flocked here for honeymoons under the hot sun and on soft sands lapped by clear seas. But beyond its obvious postcard-perfect charm, Mauritius also reveals a rich tapestry of culture, adventure, and natural wonder. There are constantly-emerging layers to this tropical idyll - layers which are well worth exploring.

Perched on a dreamy stretch of the Indian Ocean, the luxury adult-only hotel Riu Palace Hotel emerges from the dense Mauritian foliage like a mirage, all golden sand and dancing palm trees. Built using sustainable building practices and operated with local ecology in mind, the hotel is the dictionary definition of heaven.