I took my son to a honeymoon paradise. This is what happened

So here we are in Mauritius, much loved by the fly-and-flop brigade for its luxury hotels on the Indian Ocean coast. At Constance Belle Mare Plage on the east coast, not one but four pools glitter enticingly at me in the sun, stretched picturesquely along a waterfront with low-lying thatched buildings behind them. There's a swim-up bar, hammocks hanging over the water and huge inflatable cushions to float around on. You can see why honeymooners flock here. Teenagers, not so much.

But I have a secret weapon up my sleeve and as we look out at the sea view, beautifully framed by the hotel lobby, a speedboat comes into view towing a water skier. Sound expensive? There isn't much, you can water ski here as much as you want, and it doesn't cost a cent extra; both motorized and non-motorized water sports are free.

Do you want to learn? I ask Christianly. When he shakes his head, I mentally repack that blockbuster.

But they also do wakeboarding, which is way cooler, he says, waxing lyrical about what looks like snowboarding on the waves, along with impressive air jumps.

And so to the pier, where the friendly men from the water sports team explain the basics of water skiing to a couple of twenty-somethings, one of whom is trying to decide whether she should take her phone with her to film her progress. Luckily, she leaves it on land before spending the next ten minutes in the waves.

A stupid shoulder means I have the perfect excuse not to go with her; instead I watch as Christian manages to hoist himself up and stay standing for a nanosecond on his first attempt. Later, when he emerges from the water grinning and tells me he plans to make a jump before the week is out, that's my cue to sneak away to the blissfully quiet adult pool, where the symphony of birdsong is the loudest sound.

I spend hours here on the sun loungers and on the balcony of our spacious room, while Christian flutters between water sports and land activities. He attends the free golf initiation session while I go to the spa; the resort has two 18-hole golf courses and green fees are included if you know what you are doing, as is time on the driving range if you don't.

We both come back to a state of bliss. My aching back has been beaten into submission as he has been taught the theory and rules behind the game (who knew or cared that you were only allowed 14 clubs in your bag?) lesson (50 minutes: 63).

He's also busy, with grueling personal training at the gym (functional training and plyometrics, Mom; one hour:45), and time on the tennis court, where they have a tennis pro for lessons and a weekly tournament (one hour). hours of lessons: 58). And he makes friends while waiting his turn at the water sports pier and picking up tips from a man about his age who learned to mono-water ski here.

Of course he's hungry at meal times, so it's a good thing this hotel has really good food. We especially love the beachfront restaurant for lunch, with good salads for anyone who might not feel like they've earned the carb-fest of truffle pizza, pad thai and burgers that their dining partner enjoys.

At dinner, things go a step further; One evening we dress up for the exquisite Italian restaurant, the next we enjoy a lobster barbecue after lobster salad and lobster bisque, and tuck into the freshest sashimi at the Blu Sushi Lounge.

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My only criticism is that for those on half board and full board plans who are reimbursed for dinner in the specialty restaurants, this is not nearly enough for a meal; otherwise you're limited to a not-so-great restaurant on the golf course and the buffet (which is excellent on the Mauritian theme night we sample it).

After a few more days where the only part of me that works out is my face during a soothing spa treatment, I'm ready to get out of my lounge chair and explore this pear-shaped island. The manager of One&Only Le Saint Gran on the Bay once told me that eight out of ten guests never set foot outside the hotel gate. As tempting as it is, I don't plan on being one of them.

The nearby botanical gardens and shops of Port Louis, the capital, are not enough for a teenage boy, so we head south in search of adventure along roads between sugar cane fields with distant views of toothy mountains.

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You can go hiking in the hills, but we have something more exciting planned in the La Valle des Couleurs Natural Park, named after the colorful clay left in the wake of a defunct volcano. We explore the waterfalls and undulating landscape of the park, not on foot but by quad bike; to the delight of Christians, he gets to ride while I sit on the back as we follow our guide through the forest, making our way over impossibly steep slopes before hurtling down bumpy paths.

Then we view the park from another angle, this time from the air on a cable car. We've zipwired everywhere from Costa Rica to St Lucia and become more than a little blas about it, but the signature line here runs for an uninterrupted mile and impresses us both, not least because we do it side by side and shoot above it. the green jungle Superman style, with your head forward.

There's another aerial activity we can do besides a bicycle zip rope, where we pedal side by side and marvel at the unusual sensation of wobbling on wheels on the cables above the treetops. If you go too slow it will be difficult to get started again, if you go too fast you risk derailing your bike, leaving you shamefully dangling from your safety harness. Although the heavens open and we realize that we are cycling in the middle of a tropical storm, we reach the end of a 400 meter long cable and back intact (park entrance 8, activities extra; lvdc.mu).

Our outing was such a success that we made another attempt, this time to our hotel's sister hotel C Mauritius and its kitesurfing school, where everyone between the ages of nine and seventy can take lessons. At least when there is wind. Good thing it's only a ten minute drive to Constance Belle Mare Plage.

While there isn't enough wind for kitesurfing, there is more than enough to whip the sea into a frenzy and make wakeboarding more interesting. Christian takes up the challenge and rides the wave (sometimes literally) whenever he gets the chance. It takes him a while to master turning, following the turn of the speedboat, but his perseverance pays off and he manages to get airborne, jumping a few inches on his wakeboard . I'm glad I saw him do it just as I finished my book.

Jane Knight was a guest of Constance Belle Mare Plage (constancehotels.com), Mauritius Tourism (mymauritius.travel) and Holiday Extras, which has eight days of meet-and-greet parking from 115 (holidayextras.com). Seven nights half board from 1,599pp, including flights (trailfinders.com)

Three more Mauritius hotels for families with teenagers

By Lucy Thackray

1. Sugar Beach, Flic en Flac

Beach barbecues and pizza nights around the campfire will keep teenagers happy at this chic west coast resort, along with a whole program of free events and activities, water polo, table tennis or volleyball will all encourage bonding. A long sandy beach will keep them occupied for most of the day, especially if you factor in free paddleboarding, paddle boats and glass bottom boat tours. Restaurants will also please all ages with a chic Italian-Spanish beach lounge, citronellas and sushi at the Buddha Bar for the TikTok flavors. There is also a Padi open water diving school on the beach, where you can get acquainted with life beneath the waves.
Details B&B doubles from 395 (sugarbeachmauritius.com)

2. LUX* Grand Baie

Not only is Grand Baie a great starting point for exploring the island's street food at the Grand Baie Bazaar and catamaran cruises to nearby islands will stave off any cabin fever at the resort, but the LUX* Resort also has Studio 17, a 12-star hotel, here . 1917's clubhouse with vintage arcade games, gaming stations, photo booth and movie viewing pod. Beach volleyball tournaments can be fueled by daily raids on the breakfast buffet. Suites and two-bedroom villas allow the clan to stay together, while cooking workshops are the ideal bonding activity for all ages.
Details Room-only double rooms from 463 (luxresorts.com)

3. Fighting Stance, Calodyne

This cheerfully decorated northern resort has its own catamaran, so restless teens can take island trips or try a Hobie Cat sailing lesson. The food scene is also cooler than most island hotels, with crispy naans and spicy curries at Tadka; well-known Thai favorites near Manao; and Mauritian street food picked up from the yellow-and-blue painted beach huts. Crossing the water to the private island of Grand Zil for the beach barbecue is a must. Four pools mean there's room for everyone from little ones to grandparents, and there's no hint of snotty surrounding noisy pool and beach games. This is a very family friendly place.
Details Room-only doubles from 260 (hotels-attitude.com)

Lucy Thackray

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