BEHIND THE SCENES.

Today I spoke to the manager: Raymond Duvergé. He's the general manager at Récif Attitude Hotel. His light eyes and friendly attitude made me want to ask him some questions. Or well, I want to get more info about Mauritius, but also how Mauritians think.

Describe Mauritius in three words

Social Case Study. Mauritius is one of the most rare places in the world. It’s a mixture of cultures, colours and religions. Elements where SCS could be based on.

Ha ha, I would have said ‘Sun, Sea, Zen’, I think.

True. But it’s way more than that. Mauritius is an island with huge history. And we have so many religions that can live next to each other (Muslim, Hindu, Catholics, Creoles). That’s quite special.

Now I know why people come here. It has nothing to do with honeymoons, blue skies and the white sand. It’s a ‘Mauritian feeling’.

It’s not very romantic what I’m gonna say now, but it’s nice here. I mean, beside the nature is beautiful, it’s not dangerous at all; no dangerous animals, so no vaccination. There’s a small time difference between here and Europe (2 hours with Holland) and we speak English and French. These things make the whole package.

What’s the biggest lesson your parents have taught you?

My dad always said: Un bon jour honor celui qui le donne et non celui qui le recoir. This will say that to give a ‘good morning’ or a compliment is in fact much more honorific to the people who’re given it than to the ones who’re receiving it. Let’s say: it’s important to be nice to people so it makes you also a more happy person.

I will practice this proverb everyday. In French. It is gorgeous! Is that why you like your job?

Serving guests is satisfying. Mauritians grew up with an open mind. We are small, so we are open. It’s much more than a job. To please people is something beautiful and it gives a good feeling.

What did you dream of when you were young?

To become a football professional. I’m forty-four years old right now and I’ve played soccer for like thirty-four years with number fourteen on my back. And you may guess why…

It’s a big guess as far as Sebastiaan (boyfriend) knows more about football than I do. Okay, it’s a Dutch football player. Cruijff? Am I right?

He nodded. A big smile appeared on his face. You can see he’s proud. Proud of being number fourteen. For thirty-four years. Proud of having a child dream like this.

Which place of country would you like to visit?

Last year we visited The States. First New York and then the West Coast. It was so nice that I want to go back. You see it on television or in films, but in real-life you take full of it.

Like I was browsing Google Images for Mauritius. I could only dream of it and now I’m here in Récif Attitude Hotel.

Récif has an atypical design: Mediterranean & zen. The hotel is the body. The employees are well floating blood and the guests? The guests are dancing with this body and enjoying it.