Located in Mauritius, the Château de Labourdonnais is a museum that offers visitors a captivating glimpse into the country's rich history. In addition to exploring the museum, visitors can also take leisurely walks through the enchanting gardens and indulge in the delightful in-house Rum & Fruits Jams, which make for a delightful souvenir. During our visit, we had the opportunity to sample various flavors of rum, and the unique taste of "Calamondin" stood out, prompting us to bring a bottle home. While the overall experience was pleasant, I personally didn't find any standout features that made it particularly exceptional.

Excellent restoration of a very important part of the architectural heritage of Mauritius, le Château de Labourdonnais is a delight to visit. A lot of effort has gone into the restoration as the building fell into disrepair. A video on the upper floor shows the work in progress. One of the nice touches are the informative placards that describe the interiors of the building and how different generations of the family lived.

Had a wonderful day out visiting this magnificent house and plantation. The grounds are spectacular: plenty of flame trees, both red and yellow, the main driveway lined with banyan trees in the style of American plantations. Forget the Botanical Gardens: this IS the best garden we've seen in Mauritius. The interior is very well preserved and a lot of information is available on the history of the château, the island, the sugar trade and the families who built and dwelled in it. I did not try the restaurant but the entry ticket (Rs550) included a rum tasting. This one I recommend you don't miss: you get to choose up to 4 varieties of rum; portions are generous (better than at L'Aventure Du Sucre) and you finish off with a lovely glass of guava juice. Special thanks to our server, Megary, who was lovely throughout and took special care of us.

Ein wunderschönes Kolionalhaus. Sollte man unbedingt besuchen. Der Rum der hier hergestellt wird ist sehr lecker. Wir haben den spiced Gold gekauft. Ist im Supermarkt aber günstiger als direkt vor Ort.

Nice place, if you like to eat there book a table in advance. It is better to come during the week as not everything is open on the weekend Includes a rum tasting which was great, we added some premium rums for 100 rupees a shot which was well worth it Food was OK...

Ganz zauberhaftes kleines Schlösschen. Ein Herrenhaus aus 1858, das phantastisch restauriert ist. Liebevoll angelegter Garten. Unbedingt einen Besuch wert.

Loved spending around an hour visiting this colonial home. Located in a very nice garden with lots of trees, it was renovated with great care and features furniture of the time. Besides just being able to project oneself in that time, many panels explain quite well in English and French both the roles of rooms and furniture, but also the story of the family associated with the mansion. Great experience. We also had included a rum and fruit paste tasting. While this was executed without much explanation or inspiration, we did get the chance to try different varieties and found what we had been searching without success until then. We purchased then three bottles in the souvenir shop, at a price that ended up being better than the price of the duty free shop when flying off. Hence, quite satisfied as well.

Great attraction to visit. Gardens are amazing and the house is beautiful. Comes with the added bonus of rum tasting

Beautiful place to visit! They have room tasting

We saw the chateau online before we arrived on our holiday and it seemed very interesting to have a look around. The chateau is beautiful and has been well restored back to original style. The grounds around it really give it a feeling like your stepping back in time. It Feels like you walked into a scene in the movies. Interesting features around the house but we liked the garden and orchid best. Take your mosquito repellant though as it is dark and shaded in the orchid so my wife got bitten a few times. The giant tortoises are fantastic and huge in person. The rum tasting was very generous. They showed us seven options and practically had one of each. We only expected to be able to state a couple each. Although the rum wasn't too or taste my wife found 'fruit paste' sweets. Similar to her home in Mexico she sampled them with the rum and had to buy a kg for herself and friends. For 400rs excluding the gifts it's well worth the money.

It was beautiful, we got to see the chateau though it was very hard not to touch anything 😂. The gardens are very beautiful, the nature itself is peaceful. The restaurant is tres Bien, the service was exactly as I expected. The food was also to die for. It was a wonderful experience.

It's supposedly one of the must-dos on the island, but the history of labourdonnais and their contributions to the island is far more interesting than the history of the house itself. While it's a well kept colonial house..The house itself isn't particularly impressive if you've seen any other Wood framed colonial architecture, or any other architecture from elsewhere of the same period in the world. While the attention to detail on the restoration should be commended and holds historical significance, the old lava rock chimney that's free to see next door, is more interesting! There wasn't much emphasis on labordonnais and their contributions to the development on this island to this day are severely understated here. The juices and Rhum were delicious, as always, but are also available at any supermarket on the island, so I wouldn't come just for those. If you'd like, there's a cafe next door to the exhibit on the grounds also sells all of these along with a fantastic food menu. Do not--and I cannot emphasize this enough-- come during school pick up or drop off. The traffic on the road is one of the largest sources of congestion on the north of the island. You're safe after 8:30 am, until 11:30 on half days, and until 3pm when the school has a full day.

We visited on 11 May 2022. So expensive - 400 rupees each to enter the site and do the tour. We elected not to do so. But we had lunch at their restaurant - also very expensive. While the place is OK for a quick visit you will find it hard to justify the prices for entry and food / drinks. But if you can work your head around these high prices then you are likely to enjoy your visit. Find Nomadic Charles and / or Luxury Travel Camel on Instagram for more comments and photo’s.

Peaceful place for visit any day of the week. I feel the ticket cost is bit expensive compared to it has to offer to the visitors. The cost was 500 MUR per person (Mar 2023) which includes only the Chateau, garden and rum/juice testing. The Underground museum was closed due to renovation. Animal farm and the underground museum tickets are of additional prices. Kids' ticket price was 350 MUR. Anyway, it was good trip, cameras allowed. No flash photography though. The Chateau building is restored nicely and quite well maintained. Chateau is the main and centre of attraction. You may enjoy the spectacular view of the Chateau building and the front garden. We can access both ground floor and first floor. First floor has the bedroom. Colonial era utensils, arts, design and furnitures. You can easily spend around 3-4 hours there overall or maybe more. The garden where the trees and plants are more condensed, there more of mosquitoes. There is also an enclosure of big tortoises. An old big tortoise did walked upto me near the locked gate of that enclosure. Also there's a restaurant for snacks, drinks and meal. A boutique shop. But prices are bit on higher side. One more thing, if underground museum is available, it is required to visit there with a guide which is included in your ticket price.

Very interesting place, historic. Lovely gardens.

Lovely restored building full of industrial history and hidden in well kept gardens

Chateau Labourdonnais is a step back in time to admire an impressive mid-1800s French colonial building and former main house for surrounding sugar cane fields. The sugar cane fields remain on and around the grounds today. Tall grassy reeds swaying and rustling around this beautifully manicured ground. I am from the West Indies so we are spoiled with these old plantation homes where European came to set up grand mansions from which they managed their expansive estates. The estates varied between cocoa, tea, sugar or other commodities but the manor house remained as a statement of grandeur. I am reminded when I travel abroad that other countries really invest in restoring and managing these historical monuments in a way that we have forgotten in Trinidad (except for the Magnificent Seven). The Domaine Labourdonnais existed since the 1770s but the Chateau followed. Some careful restoration resulted in a striking building. Things to do at Chateau Labourdonnais There is a lot to do here beyond just admiring a time capsule of architecture. 1. Labourdonnais Express (Estate Train Ride): this is worth doing but you need to be organized. A train ride available around 2pm which tours you around the Chateau, the immediate gardens, the expanding fruit orchards, sugar cane fields and restaurant. The tour includes a fruit tasting from the orchard of Mauritian grapefruit varietals etc. This is very popular with children including colourful booklet with the local orchard fruit (in English & French). A guide helps to explain the history and ongoing activities within the estate. There are clearly plans to expand and diversify into wider nursery and orchard activities. 2. Plant Nursery: you can buy local plants, seeds and other gardening equipment here. There is a large garden shop here where locals were coming to buy plants etc. 3. La Table du Chateau: this is the main restaurant on site. The food is Mauritian creole for the most part (and very good too). It is an open air restaurant with uninterrupted views of the main house and surrounding gardens. Wine and cocktails are also available. You may want to eat here AFTER the train ride for a late lunch; we heard it was PACKED before coming to the train ride leading to some delays. 4. Rum degustation: The Chateau has a distillery on site allowing them to make their own rum. There is a bar adjacent to La Table where rum tasting is available. You can either buy the rum tasting at the bar or it can be bought together with some ticket packages (you pay more for this). There are a few types of white and dark rum available at the Chateau. We bought two bottles of the dark rum home with us. 5. Giant tortoises: there are four large Seychellois tortoises on site within a generous field area. I do not think you can pet them or approach them directly. The tortoises are just after the nursery behind a wall and trees. This is included as part of the train tour. 6. The Main House: impressed this is left for last but it is a museum retaining the original furniture and decor of the house from when it was actively managing the Domaine. Prices start from a modest EUR11. If you get the train tour, you also get the rum tasting and nursey tours included and the house visit. It is actually good value as you could easily spend 2-3 hours here. I recommend coming for the 2pm train starting with a house tour first and the continuing with the train tour. You will usually be done around 3pm with the Labourdonnais Express but this depends on the speed of your group. There was a family insistent on buying everything in the nursery so we just left the group to check out the tortoises and grab lunch at La Table. It is a good activity for kids or anyone interested in the history of Mauritius. It is very close to Pamplemousses

Very nice place to visit. The house is typical from its period and really cool to visit. The garden are beautiful and after the visit you can taste some rhum. Highly recommend trying the rhum as it's not being exported from what I could see back home and its a very good rhum. Their fruit juice os also quite nice

Amazing property with exceptionally well looked after museum. Complete with original furniture. Fantastic rum tasting experience and up-market restaurant on the grounds. Residents discounts available.

The chateau of the Domaine de Labourdonnais is a historic jewel of the Mauritian heritage. Built in 1856, was inhabited by a Mauritian family, the Wiehe, for over 150 years. The chateau and his real estate are extremely well maintained and is a must to visit when on the island.

(Translated by Google) Very beautiful neoclassical house! We travel back in time leaving us dreaming of becoming an explorer. Beautiful garden, plantation. At the end you could taste colds and juices in a very nice frame, we took 3 different ones each, it's very pleasant. There is the possibility to eat on site. Gravel path to access the property so if you have strollers with small wheels it is not ideal. (Original) Très belle demeure néoclassique ! On voyage dans le temps nous laissant réver à devenir explorateur. Beau jardin, plantation. A la fin vous pourriez déguster des rhumes et des jus dans un très joli cadres nous en avons pris 3 différents chacun c'est fort agréable. Il y a la possibilité de se restaurer sur place. Chemin en gravier pour accéder à la propriété donc si vous avec des poussettes avec des petites roues c'est pas idéal.

(Translated by Google) A timeless place, a haven of calm to spend a few hours, lunch or have a drink as well. (Original) Un lieu hors du temps, un havre de calme pour y passer quelques heures, déjeuner ou prendre un verre également.

If you enjoy: - History - Architecture - Nature - Elegance and class You should definetly check this place out. Alot of work has gone into preserving not only the structure but overall beauty of the place. From the paint colours, artifacts to the on going business in the area. It is crazy to see how such an old place rich for it's history can still cope up with modern business and continue to flourish. It's a great place for a days trip, spectacular views, definetly insta worthy place. A great place to bring family and friends, to enjoy and learn of the deep history of the building and it's previous occupants. For me personally the highlight was well preserves accounting invoices, receipts and journals. As an accountant it's amazing to see that the technique and skill of recording ones finances has lasted so many years. Truly worth the trip and would highly recommend to check the place out. Apart from the main house, the area has multiple attractions. From Old tortoises to various types of plants grown in the back ground that makes it ideal for the business to thrive on the production of sweets, alcohol, fresh juice etc. Do make the trip.

The colonial house is beautiful! Although all the info and recordings are in French. The rum tasting was disappointing though, was expecting a full tasting experience but only got to taste 2 rums and had to pay extra if you want more.

The entrance fee that includes rum tasting is 150 rupees for residents. (Great value for money) The museum (the château) was home to the owner family for 150 years. It’s a museum since 2010. The history of the family and the château well explained. If you take your time to read all, you can easily spend 2+ hours.

Family friendly, green with a beautiful grocery shop and gorgeous views. Make sure you take mosquito repellent

Beautiful garden. Nice restaurant. Very good food!

There's no tour, you just have to create your own story from what you see and what you read. Beautiful home, high ceilings. Same with the rum tasting, unprofessional setup, I recommend the premium though you have to pay extra but the taste is worth it.

Beautifully restored house in well tended gardens, not busy. A pleasure to visit.

Pretty decent place. The rum tasting was pretty neat and recommend you pass by if you are into rum not forgetting the architecture and the history that has been restored in the chateau over the years. Must see if you are into history. There is a restaurant which have some pretty interesting menu. Loved the salad by the way and not as pricey as I thought.Overall great experience, recommend 😜

A great place to visit, lots of parking, beautiful gardens, a great example of the old plantation houses. Plus a rum and juice tasting is included. You are only allowed to go through the house once, so savour every room. Unfortunately most of the information boards are only in French.

Nice and peaceful. Only went to the restaurant for coffee and dessert. Good coffee and dessert. Not cheap. Worth a visit.

Splendid view. Enjoy having a romantic walk

antique lovers will love it. and a nice location for those looking for some fresh air. very nice garden. and dnt for the tortoise. giants ones.

Nice to had a look! But not worth it! The ticket includes a free fruit juice, or rhum...

A colonial house with a small restaurant and rum degustation house. I was offered 2 glasses of rum to taste.

Lovely place to wander around and take in the atmosphere for what it must have been like so many years ago. Very interesting video to watch too. Restaurant and rum tasting... Excellent!

Great place ... beautiful scenery...well maintained château....Rhum tasting also.....great place to visit....

Worth to visit during yoir stay, it is stunning, goinv back in time... the rum tasting is also nice. You can purchase beautiful but ecprensive goods at the shop.

Enchanting environment. Peaceful. Beautiful plants and gardens. Superb food at the Resto and good service.

Beautiful colonial mansion reminding us of times long ago. Try the rum, is delicious

The beautiful and well-preserved house gives a wonderful peek into history. The grounds are also well-kept and a joy to be in. Rum tasting was a great additional experience. The restaurant looks and smells so good, it would be great to have a meal there, too. Highly recommend a visit to this place.

Awesome place to visit.. great architecture.. learnt lots about our history thanks to the guided visit.. kids enjoyed juice and fruit paste tasting

Ex-Residence of French Governor. Also a nice Restaurant with delicious dishes from Mauritius.

Amazing colonial home, beautiful design and architecture. Lots of history well explained and presented. The fruit orchards ate beautiful and I would recommend buying the tasting package so you can try some of the estates great produce.

Beautiful natural surroundings of the château. The tour of the house was interesting and a must see for someone interested in history and even Botany. We found the room about fruits grown at the château interesting. The rum tasting was quite nice and the staff were friendly. There was also a lot to choose from in the gift shop.

Attended an event by night. Very charming place.

Charming villa with lots of informations and historical facts. The distillery tasting is a bit overrated. We got juice and one shot to share for 2 people because everything else was out. For the restaurant I can say, they had the best coffee on the whole island. Definitely worth a visit!!

A good place to learn about the history of Mauritius during the French colony under the Governor Mahe de Labourdonnais. The chateau is well maintained with clear details of how it was run by its protagonists. A bit pricy for what the visit is, but it gives you a narrow peak of what a visit to Chateau Versailles or Chateau Fontainebleau in France would be like.

Just felt in love with this place. His history is very interesting. The gardens, the restaurant , the bar.. everything was great. Yes, it is quite expensive, but you receive quality and great view!

Beautiful chateau to visit. The chateau as well as the gardens are super maintained. Definitely visit if you are in Mauritius.

Great place to visit to learn about the history the island, great selection of local rum to taste and a great restaurant to take a break from the heat of the day. Highly recommended

Going around the château without the guide is nice. You can take your time for photos and reading. Don't forget the 'dégustation': It's an amazing experience

(Translated by Google) Very well. Very nice staff (Original) Très bien. Personel très sympa

(Translated by Google) Beautiful place (Original) Magnifique place

(Translated by Google) Housed in a castle furnished in both a regional and contemporary style, the restaurant has an elegant lobby and a remarkable dining room which offers a splendid view of the castle. Perfect staff, and dishes that keep all their promises, a meeting and a fusion in time of the modern and the classic accompanied by local dishes that demonstrate the know-how of several generations. Card that has the ability to put your taste buds in "boiling"! Impossible to qualify the wonderful wine list which allows you to discover bottles at all prices. It's the place to be if you're in the North of Mauritius and looking for a restaurant with a peace of mind :) (Original) Logé dans un château aménagé dans un style à la fois régional et contemporain, le restaurant possède un hall élégant et une remarquable salle à manger qui offre une splendide vue sur le château. Un personnel parfait,et des plats qui tiennent toutes leurs promesses, une rencontre et une fusion dans le temps du moderne et du classique accompagné de plat locaux qui démontre le savoir faire de plusieurs générations. Carte qui a une capacité à vous mettre les papilles gustatives en « ébullitions »! Impossible de qualifier la merveilleuse carte des vins qui vous permet de découvrir des bouteilles à tous les prix. It's the place to be if you're in the North of Mauritius and looking for a restaurant with a peace of mind :)

(Translated by Google) Delicious very warm personal lunch I highly recommend this beautiful place (Original) Délicieux déjeuner personnel très chaleureux je conseille fortement ce magnifique endroit

Nice event held.

Antique

A stunning and captivating place... It's like you're stepping in another era. Gorgeous!

A real piece of history and a real Mauritian gem

We've been for the Halloween party in the garden of le Chateau de Labourdonnais. Such a big and amazing place. The garden is very peaceful

Nice place & good food

Interesting place. Rum degustation could be more informative. Nice restaurant

A bit pricey for what it is...

(Translated by Google) Exceptional place in Mauritius, I would even say essential if you want to find French gastronomy. Nothing to do with our last visit to this establishment, premises tastefully redone, staff up to the task, helpful, smiling and available. Foie gras worthy of Gascony, (Original) Lieu exceptionnel à l'île Maurice, je dirais même incontournable si vous souhaitez retrouver la gastronomie à la française. Rien à voir avec notre dernier passage dans cet établissement, locaux refaits avec goût, personnel à la hauteur, serviable, souriant et disponible. Foie gras digne de la Gascogne,

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Visit, enjoy. Went for lunch twice this month. Food excellent, service superb. Quite a walk from car park but a quick phone call will allow easier parking for those less mobile. Booking recommended.

(Translated by Google) Magnificent residence and park to visit. Pleasant restaurant and possibility to taste rums Interesting visit (Original) Magnifique résidence et parc à visiter. Restaurant agréable et possibilité de déguster les rhums Visite interessante

Heaps of places to visit there, greenery and good food. I have been there both with relatives and with colleagues for staff functions.

Been there twice. Definitely worth a visit, was lucky to be there when a guided tour was just starting. The staff are very nice and knowledgeable.

Very good to visit as it gives a perfect glimpse of ancient colonial times, architecture and about the tough life out there a few centuries ago. Ok the side, enjoy their rhum. Very good and tasty.

Quiet place and oxygenated place

Nice place, excellent rum.

Lovely villa, easy safe parking. Some interesting history of the estate and island. Giant tortoises to look at and a restaurant and rum tasting at the end. Not a large place but a great afternoon.

If you love to get some information about the history of Mauritius than you have to visit this place. After you visit the house, you can also taste some traditional rum.

(Translated by Google) Beautifully located has a great garden (Original) Wunderschön gelegen hat einen tollen Garten

Absolutely fabulous place. The mansion is a delight and a lazy walk in the gardens is a must. Also, find stylish souvenirs at the shop. Finish your visit with some rum, juice and homemade jelly for a very sweet end of the experience.

Its a gem, beautifully renovated

Immersive experience into the Mauritius 🇲🇺 of the French period. Definitely a must for history lovers!

A very nice landscape. Food was good too.

(Translated by Google) Nice visit! Very well maintained colonial house with period furniture and crockery. The gardens are sublime and the rums produced on site are excellent. (Original) Belle visite ! Maison coloniale très bien entretenue comprenant mobilier et vaisselle d'époque. Les jardins sont sublimes et les rhums fabriqués sur place excellents.

(Translated by Google) Very beautiful house carefully restored, 5 rooms visible, but taking us back to the past. Nice but small garden, not easy to identify the species. Turtle park. Very good restaurant on the property. Paid entry 400 rupees per person (Original) Très belle demeure restaurée avec soin,5 pièces de visible, mais nous ramenant dans le passé. Jardin agréable mais petits, pas facile d'identifier les espèces. Parc pour tortues. Très bon restaurant dans la propriété. Entrée payante 400 roupies par personnes

great place

Felt like going back in time ... nice place to spend the afternoon.

(Translated by Google) I liked it so much !!! A blast from the past, well preserved environment, clean, the staff were helpful and very attentive! We tasted their rum, and we stopped for brunch, in a very elegant and rich and interesting buffet menu! He left me a feeling of "good" !!!! (Original) Mi è piaciuto tanto tanto!!! Un tuffo nel passato, ambienti conservati bene, puliti, il personale è disponibile e molto attento! Abbiamo degustato il loro rum, e ci siamo fermati per il brunch, in un'atmosfera molto elegante e dal menù a buffet ricco ed interessante! Mi ha lasciato una sensazione di "bello"!!!!

Nice atmosphere. Bad food. Vegetarian main course tastes like vomit and deserts are above tolerable amount of sugar

Beautifully curated 19th century plantation chateau with impeccable furnishings and French/English tour info. The spiral staircase and beautiful study were the highlights for me.

(Translated by Google) Ssssssplendide! Just beautiful colonial house super well maintained. beautiful garden. Resto but not well stocked shop. Photos to come 😉 (Original) Ssssssplendide ! Juste beau, maison coloniale super bien entretenue. Jardin magnifique. Resto pas fait mais boutique bien achalandée. Photos à venir 😉

(Translated by Google) The energy that prevails there can only give the urge to be 🤗 yet ... (Original) L'energie qui y regne ne peut que donner l'envie d'y etre 🤗 encore ...

(Translated by Google) Superb Creole house renovated with the concern for authenticity. The garden is very well maintained, horticultural specimens are well identified (better than in the botanical garden). (Original) Superbe maison créole rénovée avec le soucie de l’authenticité. Le jardin est très bien entretenu, les spécimens horticoles sont bien identifiés (mieux qu’au jardin botanique).

(Translated by Google) Magnificent colonial estate perfectly restored. Very decent restaurant in an exceptional quiet setting (Original) Magnifique domaine colonial parfaitement restauré. Restaurant très correct dans un cadre exceptionnel au calme

(Translated by Google) Very interesting. Beautiful house, well maintained which immerses us in the past. (Original) Très intéressant. Belle demeure, bien entretenu qui nous plonge dans le passé.

Beautiful place, it has lost a bit of its appeal but lots of green space

(Translated by Google) Loved this place !!! The interiors of the plantation owner's house are well preserved. Beautiful garden! I definitely advise you to visit. (Original) Очень понравилось это место!!! Отлично сохранены интерьры дома хозяина плантации. Красивый сад! Обязательно советую посетить.

Mansion and rum tasting super. Gift shop experience awful. Purchased 3 items and was told about $40 US each. Clerk neatly removed the price tag and put the receipt in the bag. When I got home the bill was for Mur 14190/ $354.75 US. RIP OFF...!!!! Guess she removed the tag so I had no proof of actual cost. I have traveled all Europe, S Amer, Asia and never had this happen. Shame on you.

Calm and beautiful garden.

Ancient!