In Conversation with Sidhant Jahul from Shanti Maurice

‘We’ve been here since 2006,’ Sidhant says, ‘with 61 rooms, 44 suites and 17 villas. Each of the villas are private and guests in them have access to their own dedicated butler service.’ We’re beginning to take a slightly White Lotus turn. I instantly think of Valentin, the handsome Adonis in the show, but I’m only 3 episode in and I’m fairly sure he’s about to turn into a wrong’un, so I bite my tongue. Sidhant continues. ‘We’ve got 3 restaurants, 7 international cuisines and a rum-centric bar and grill with over 250 rums from more than 30 countries around the world. We mix it in food, pair it with a rum tasting menu and have a mixologist on-hand to help you prepare any rum-based drink you want.’

A quick browse of the website throws up all number of snaps of perfectly-seared fish, tender meat and immaculately-conceived dishes. The Rum Shed is exactly as described by Sidhant: a rustic charm and authentic wooden decor creating a warm and laid-back island vibe with dozens of amber-filled bottles lining the walls and where, I imagine, you’d encounter stiff competition to prop up the bar.

There’s golf, too, for those who’d rather not sip rum for the entire duration of their trip. Guests at Shanti have full, complimentary access to Avalon Golf Estate, an 18-holer with an epic backdrop of Mauritian highlands and on-tap transfers to and from the tee box.

Where Shanti really begins to stand out, though, and where we go full White Lotus, is in its wellness offering. ‘Shanti has the largest spa in the Indian Ocean,’ Sidhant informs me, ‘it’s 7500 square metres with 25 treatment rooms, skilled therapists and an extraordinary range of holistic treatments available to guests.’ Of course, there are all the usual trappings of a luxury spa: 3 complimentary yoga sessions a day, access to a yoga master, a gym and adults-only pool with adjacent jacuzzi and massage treatments on tap. What’s unusual about wellness at Shanti is its specialisation in Ayurvedic treatment and the spa programmes that it constructs around it.

The central concept of Ayurvedic medicine is that the mind, body and spirit work as a holistic trio and that health is a state of balance between them. It’s a traditional Indian system of medicine and it encompasses a wide range of natural treatments, lifestyle tweaks and a hyper-personalised approach. At Shanti, that hyper-personalisation hits new heights. For guests on one of the spa packages – ranging anywhere between one and three weeks – they’ll begin with a consultation with the in-house doctor, who’ll prod and poke and generally work out what’s working well – or not so well – with their health.

Then, the doctor will help form part of the next phase, which is working out how their consultee’s exercise programme should look, right down to the very last press up. In conjunction with this, he’ll have a conflab with the consultee’s dedicated chef, helping them to create a unique menu across the course of the stay that’s tailored to their overall health profile. You see, hyper-personalised. The programmes are hugely popular, with plenty of repeaters each year returning just for the packages. Even if it’s not what you’ve initially booked for, Sidhant says that adding on a programme to a booking can be done on the day of arrival.

In fact, there’s a lot of Shanti that feels slightly new-agey, something I mean as a good thing. Sidhant, as the resort’s Digital & Marketing Manager, has a broad remit. His background is in both marketing and hospitality and he’s worked abroad and on Mauritius throughout his career. His big innovation whilst at Shanti has been the roll-out of its app. ‘It’s almost unique in the region and we’ve seen really high use by guests,’ he tells me, ‘they can order everything on there as soon as they check in. They can book restaurants, treatments, room service, book tennis courts, even archery, all from the comfort of their sunbed – or Ayurvedic treatment room.’ It’s a great idea and, oddly, not a particularly common one. ‘There’s always a follow up message so that nothing gets missed by human error. Even our internal teams are all connected through the app.’

That internal team is a big one. There are about 270 staff at Shanti, spread across its teams of landscapers, culinary, kids club, housekeeping and management. Not that you’ll feel overly crowded, though. The hotel is set across a site of some 36 acres and, even with 100% occupancy, ‘we never feel full and guests are assured of their privacy.’ In line with the wellness vibe of the resort and its reef conservation programme, motorised boats aren’t allowed in the sea by Shanti, something that Sidhant says is a blessing: ‘our beach is very isolated and the lack of engine noise is brilliant. In fact, the reef on the southern coast is incredibly rich, which is why we don’t disturb it.’

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Shanti team could rest on their laurels. Alas, no—their journey toward continuously refining the branding, services, and offerings to enhance the guest experience remains ongoing. While there’s no planned renovation in the pipeline at the moment, Sidhant will undoubtedly have his work cut out, ensuring that the high standards they’ve set are upheld. That’s not something he seems to mind, though, as he chuckles at the remark. ‘Yes I will. But let’s keep doing what we’re doing for now, bringing in the business, keeping our guests happy – and well.’