Tropical Rhythm

At LUX* Belle Mare, Jean-Marc Tang crafts island hospitality through a uniquely Mauritian lens

- WORDS VARUNI MOHAN

There's a rhythm to LUX* Belle Mare that unfolds slowly, like the ocean breeze just beyond the arches of the lobby which isn't a lobby in the traditional sense, but a layered courtyard wrapped in tropical green hand-glazed tiles with a softly echoing fountain and gabled roof made of wooden tiles. Jean-Marc Tang, the Mauritian designer behind the resort's transformation after its post-fire rebuild, walks through this space with a quiet pride. “Sometimes,” he says, gesturing to the geometry of the arches, “it’s not the interiors themselves, but how you perceive the exteriors and how the inside connects you to the landscape.”

The new LUX* Belle Mare is a layered story told in pastels, sand textures, rope, resin, and coral hues. Here, the mood is light, luminous, and distinctly modern. But more importantly, it’s personal, shaped by Jean-Marc’s childhood memories of colonial homes in Port Louis and his global design education under names like Ian Schrager and David Rockwell. “I always like to have a story behind what I design,” he says.