The sun was coming up as we touched down at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam airport in Mahébourg, on the south side of Ile Maurice. After a twelve-hour flight from Zurich, I was happy to see that we were going to get what we came for.
It is winter in Mauritius, which means slightly cooler weather. We mostly had temps around 25 Celsius, a few clouds along with the odd raindrop. Perfect for me as while I love spending time on the beach I am not a huge fan of the heat.
Our destination was Trou aux Biches, a beautiful lagoon on the opposite end of the island. Our driver gave us a guided tour through the mountainous interior during the one-hour ride.
I was surprised to see that English rules of the road apply, with driving on the left side. All of the road signs are in English, but the place names are French. This is due to the island’s colonial past, which switched over several times from Dutch to French to British before becoming independent in 1968.
Most people speak French as well as English, along with Créole and Hindi. The island’s location in the Indian ocean, although it is considered part of the African continent, and its geographic proximity to Asia, make it a popular destination for international tourists.
‘Canne à sucre’ or sugar cane is traditionally the main industry on the island, and there are fields as far as the eye can see. It seems the crop has suffered of late from competition from the sugar beet, along with the world’s increasing aversion to sugar. Oddly, our driver told us there are also a great many call centers now in Mauritius, taking advantage of the multilingual workforce.
Our resort was a bit of a splurge, with infinity pools and waterfalls, gorgeous landscaping, a semi-private beach (there were still hawkers regularly flogging their wares) and as a bonus, bar service!
This was less of an adventure and more of a beach vacation. All I need is a shady lounger and a stack of books to be happy. It was heaven!
Ile Maurice is two hours ahead of France time-wise, so we woke a bit later than usual. Each day started with bright sunshine and the screeching of birds. Being in the southern hemisphere and the shortest days of the year also meant that the sun set rather early, around 5:30 pm.
The only inconvenience was mosquitos, which came out in force after dark. We tried to cover up and use deet (yuck) as there have been warnings about the risk of dengue fever. But we sat outside — hey, tropical vacation — and naturally still got bitten. They are tiny little buggers and I neither saw nor felt the bites until they started to itch the next day.
One of the things we enjoyed most on Mauritius was the variety of food. The Indian influence means a lot of spicier options, curries and such, which we both love. Plus the classic French cuisine, along with Italian.
The hotel bar had some fabulous cocktails. My favourite had ginger, brandy and rum. Not too sweet but with a nice kick!
The local beer is also excellent. That’s a Phoenix for me, and Monsieur will have his usual non-alcoholic option.
We left the hotel compound for dinner several times. Aside from the breakfast buffet, which was utterly decadent, the hotel restaurants were overpriced and the food only passable. Also, given the British influence, there was dress code for dinner which meant husband had to wear long pants and shirt with collar – not a win for Monsieur! Fortunately the hotel staff were happy to accommodate by driving us across the resort by golf cart to walking distance from the nearby restaurants. It was a fun ride: those electric ‘voiturettes’ as they call them can really go!
We went back to one place, Le Pescatore, twice. This beet sorbet amuse-bouche was amazing.
The fish was in a light coconut curry sauce. The desserts were to die for!
We took a day trip to visit some sights in the north part of the island. Port Louis, the capital city, served up a mix of old and new.
There was a wonderful market hall with all kinds of fresh produce and goods. As everywhere, the signs are in English.
We are terrible at negotiating so ended up paying way too much for some spices. Ah well, it was fun and at least we supported the local economy!
The surrounding beaches in the north end from Mont Choisy to Grand Baie offered beautiful expanses of white sand flanked by pine forest.
We stopped to see a fishing village called Cap Malheureux (Cape Misfortune) with a history of ships foundering on the rocks and lovely views out to the nearby mountainous islands.
One place on our route was called ‘Balaclava’ and husband asked the driver why. The guide seemed baffled and had no idea what the word actually meant. Turns out that the French had renamed certain places that had been historically dubbed with English names. Thus ‘black lava’ became ‘balaclava’. Nothing to do with the head gear!
Other than that, we did very little. Was it because we had only a week with a long flight on either end? I’m not sure but for some reason, for once I was happy to just kick back and relax. The explorations of the mountains and remote islands will have to wait for a return visit.
On our flight out, despite the clouds playing peek-a-boo, you could see the coral reef that surrounds Mauritius, making it a safe haven for shark-free swimming and snorkeling.
Au revoir, Ile Maurice! Hope to visit your beautiful shores again one day.
FranceSays 
Great photos! So many of my French friends have gone to Ile Maurice, but your photos win the prize.
Thanks! There were so many beautiful pictures to be taken, it felt like a no brainer!
Looks fantastic!! A well deserved holiday, I’m sure!
Yes, it had been awhile, at least in French terms. 🙂 We all deserve a nice holiday now and then!
popular destination I told you it was Maurice island from previous post ::)
Right you were! A bit less popular with the French tourists now that the weather here is getting nice but I think it’s pretty well booked year-round.
Yes it is.thanks
Sound like a wonderful place and we definitively have to include it on our list though for us it would a very long flight to get there. Nice pics & story. (Suzanne)
You are right, Suzanne, it is a long flight even for us. Much like certain destinations like west coast of North America are for us — too far to do very often. But well worth it if you get the chance! Glad you enjoyed (I find selecting the pics the hardest part!).
Selecting pictures is also our toughest task. We also find it very difficult both when we decide which ones we will process and which ones to present onto the blog to tell the story we want to tell. Plus, we have to pick pictures from both of us. We present more pictures on our Flickr accounts…
Wow! Such a beautiful place and scenic beaches…a lovely place you chose for a holiday!
Yes, it was indeed beautiful and a great choice for a beach holiday. Not too far for you from lil red dot if you get the chance!
I must try to get there! Glad you had a break but really wished you stayed there a bit longer.
Me too!
What a wonderful trip; your photos are gorgeous!
Thanks Becky! There was so much beautiful scenery to be captured, I had to curtail myself!
welcome back. It sounds you had a great time . For me its always a beach holiday as a I am a townie . Getting away break from the high rise buildings , traffic and crowded pavements to the sea is sheer bliss. My Mauritian wife has not been back there for about five years . we usually holiday in Spain where you get just as many mosquitoes .
It was indeed a lovely holiday. I agree with you that when you live in the city, the escape to the seaside is that much more essential. It is a long flight, so I can see why you and your wife would not go back often. Spain is that much closer along maybe a bit more crowded!
Yes the real reason is I don’t like flying and can just about mange the flight to Spain but she would go to Mauritius at the drop of a hat. There was bad conflict there between Creole and Asian in 1968 when the family left and came to the UK but now it a bit more peaceful
Welcome home! Loved your cheerful play-by-play (except maybe the part about the dengue fever). Mauritius sounds as interesting culturally as it is beautiful. Hope the vacation vibes last well into the weeks ahead.
Thank you, Heide! I feel like we probably needed another few days as I am struggling to get my brain back to work this week. A bit far for one week but definitely a culturally interesting place and well worth exploring with some hiking in the interior. Next time! 🙏🏻
Beautiful—I want to go there!
It is a great place to visit and you should go if you get the chance! It’s a long flight though, at least 24 hours travel from the US…a good add-on if you travel to Europe!
Beautiful!
🤗 It was!
I’ve a colleague from Mauritius. I know him and his wife are living here – London – to shore up enough cash to buy a home and land in Mauritius but… still. Why leave such a place!
It seems a lot of people know someone from Mauritius! Many left before the independence in 1968 and I can only imagine that the earning potential there would be limited…but you are right, tough to leave!
What a gorgeous place. I’d never heard of it (being too American). You’ve taught me about an amazing tropical island away from it all. Glad you relaxed and let the ‘let it be’ bug bite you.
Well I probably would never have heard of it either if I hadn’t moved to France! Even after so many years here, I am geographically challenged…but husband keeps me on my toes as he knows the world far better than I ever will. Glad to have introduced you to Mauritius. And as for letting it be, the problem is transitioning back to ‘getting it done!’ 😉
So true!