Contance Belle Mare

We had the pleasure of staying at a nice resort on the east coast of the island where all our meals were served up in gargantuan buffets. It wasn’t the “local” experience but we still had the opportunity to sample local dishes each evening.


The Constance Belle Mare is one of the island’s top resorts and aside from the buffet restaurant which was included in our package, there were also 3 other high-end restaurants on site.

As part of our honeymoon package, we were invited to a candle-lit dinner on the beach on the first night. This started with a welcome cocktail of raspberry vodka, litchi juice and orange juice.

A variety of breads (with olives, sundried tomatoes or plain) were served with a mix of olives oils – mild, peppery and chilli.

The amuse bouche was a small cheese-puff: although well made, it was rather ordinary and unimaginative.

As a starter, we had a seafood rillette with mild spices and star anis, preserved pineapple, reduced balsamic foam and crustacean foam. Meat-based rillettes can be a little heavy but this seafood one was light and soft with a little twist of spice which was easy on the palate and added a layer of flavour. The preserved pineapple may look a little unsavoury but it was the best bit about the dish: crispy coating and a slightly sweet and chewy pineapple inside.

For the main course we were served steamed tropical seabass, roasted prawn and braised calamari, preserved garlic and pomelos pearls in a light curry sauce. This was really good. The seabass was firm but moist and cooked to perfection. The sauce was well spiced but very delicate and foamy so it complimented the seafood well.

The desert was a rich chocolate cake topped with a mango coating and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A bit too rich and heavy for my taste but I’m reliably informed that this was a simple but excellent desert.

The buffet dinners for the rest of the trip were so good that we didn’t even eat at the other restaurants on site.

There was a variety of local fish grilled to order, cold seafood selection, typical local curries, rotis, and Asian inspired dishes.

There was also a carvery and pasta bar for the less adventurous and a massive selection of desserts each evening.

Read more in my next entry about tips for buffet do’s and dont’s!