Mauritius
More than a beach: a whole island beyond the lagoon, and four coasts to choose between.
Mauritius is often mentioned in the same breath as the Maldives, and the two could hardly be more different. This is a real island, about forty miles long, with mountains, forests, fields of sugar cane, towns and well over a million people whose roots are in India, Africa, China and Europe. The beaches and lagoons are as fine as the photographs suggest, and behind them is a place to explore.
It is, above all, a resort destination, and a very good one: hotels here are known for their service, their food and how well they look after families, couples and honeymooners alike. What differs is the coast. North, east, west and south each have their own character, their own beaches and, at certain times of year, their own weather, and the choice of resort follows from that.
Auria Travel is an independent UK travel agency, and we arrange holidays to Mauritius for couples, families and honeymooners. For most people the right holiday is a package from a tour operator, with flights, transfers and a well-chosen resort, and our part is to help you choose it and book it. Where a trip calls for something more, such as two coasts or a private tour of the island, we can arrange that as well.
How Auria can help you choose your coast and resort
What we do first is listen. Is this a honeymoon, a family holiday, an anniversary? Do you want a quiet beach, or a little life nearby? Will you play golf, dive or kitesurf, or do as little as possible? Do you want all-inclusive, or to try different restaurants? When are you travelling? Each answer points towards a coast and a kind of hotel.
From there our travel professionals suggest two or three resorts and explain how they differ, including what each board basis really covers. In most cases the holiday exists as a package, and we will find it and book it, with flights from the airport that suits you and the transfer arranged. A week or two in one excellent resort is what most visitors want, and nothing more complicated is needed.
If you would like to see two sides of the island, or to add something to the holiday, we can put it together: a stay divided between two coasts, a few nights somewhere else on the way, or days out arranged before you go.
Where it helps, we work with trusted local experts in Mauritius for the things that are easier arranged in advance: a private transfer, a driver and guide for a day in the south-west or the capital, a day on a catamaran, a round of golf. Hotels arrange much of this too, and for many holidays the resort and its transfer are all that is required.
Ways to holiday in Mauritius
- All-inclusive
- Widely offered here, from simple to very generous, and worth comparing closely: what is included differs from one hotel to the next. It suits families and anyone who would rather not think about the bill.
- Luxury
- Mauritius has long been known for its grand resorts: spacious suites and villas, several restaurants, spas, golf and polished service.
- Honeymoons and couples
- Hotels and wings for adults only, private dinners on the beach and rooms with their own pools. Many hotels add something for honeymooners, which is worth asking about.
- Family holidays
- Children’s clubs are a real strength here, with family suites, shallow lagoons and plenty to do. The flight is long but usually overnight.
- Golf, diving and kitesurfing
- Several resorts have golf courses of their own. The lagoons suit learners of most water sports, and the south-west is known for kitesurfing in the windier months.
- Two coasts
- A stay divided between two parts of the island, for those who would like a change of scene.
The right resort first. More, if you want it
Most Mauritius holidays do not need tailoring: they need choosing well. The suggestions below are for travellers who want more than one base, or who want the long flight to count twice.
Two coasts
A week or more divided between, say, the livelier north and the quieter south-west, to see two sides of the island.
A resort, and the island
One base, with two or three days out arranged with a driver and guide: the capital and its market, the botanical garden, and the mountains and waterfalls of the south-west.
A stopover on the way
Two or three nights in Dubai or another city where flights connect, in either direction.
Safari and beach
A week on safari in southern or eastern Africa, then Mauritius to rest afterwards. A classic combination, and one in which the flights need planning with care.
The four coasts, and the island behind them
Where you stay shapes the holiday more than anything. Then there is an island to see.
The north
The liveliest part of the coast, around Grand Baie, with restaurants, shops and boat trips to the small islands offshore. The beaches at Trou aux Biches and Mont Choisy have calm, sheltered water. A good choice if you like somewhere to go in the evening.
The east
Long white beaches and a wide lagoon around Belle Mare and Trou d’Eau Douce, with many of the island’s grandest resorts and the boat to Île aux Cerfs. It faces the prevailing wind, which is welcome in the heat of summer and can be brisk in the cooler months.
The west
Sheltered and usually drier, with sunsets over the sea. Flic en Flac has a long public beach and a choice of hotels; further south, Tamarin and Black River are close to the mountains, and dolphins are often seen offshore.
Le Morne and the south-west
A peninsula beneath a great rock, with a lagoon on both sides and resorts at its foot. Le Morne Brabant, the mountain, is a World Heritage Site, remembered as a refuge for people who had escaped slavery. The lagoon is known for kitesurfing.
The south
Greener, quieter and wilder. Around Bel Ombre are resorts set in old sugar estates, with golf and nature reserves. Along stretches of this coast the reef is broken and the sea is rougher, so swimming is in the lagoons the hotels sit beside.
The interior
The forested hills and gorges of the Black River Gorges National Park, the waterfall and coloured earth at Chamarel, tea estates, and Grand Bassin, a crater lake that is a place of pilgrimage for Mauritian Hindus and should be visited as such.
- Port Louis and the north-west
- The capital, with its covered market, its waterfront and the Aapravasi Ghat, the World Heritage Site where indentured labourers first landed. The botanical garden at Pamplemousses, with its giant water lilies, is a short drive away.
- Food
- Creole, Indian, Chinese and French cooking side by side, from street food at a market stall to the restaurants of the grand hotels. Rum and tea are made on the island, and both can be tasted where they are produced.
- On the water
- A day on a catamaran, snorkelling inside the reef, diving, and boats with glass bottoms for those who would rather stay dry.
When to go
Mauritius is in the southern hemisphere, so its seasons are the reverse of ours, and it is warm enough for a beach holiday all year. The differences are of heat, humidity, rain and wind, and they are not the same on every coast.
- Summer (November to April)
- Warm to hot and humid, with the warmest sea. It is also the wetter half of the year, with February and March usually the wettest months, and the season in which tropical cyclones can form in this part of the Indian Ocean. Most pass at a distance. When one comes close, travel can be disrupted for a few days.
- Winter (June to September)
- Cooler, drier and less humid: warm days and fresh evenings. The south-east trade winds blow more strongly, so the east and south coasts are breezier and the north and west more sheltered.
- May and October
- The months of change between the two, and often a good balance of warmth, lower humidity and lighter winds. October is usually the driest month.
- Busy times
- Christmas and New Year are the peak, and priced accordingly. The UK school holidays are busy in the family resorts.
- Coast and season together
- If you are travelling in the British summer, a sheltered coast is worth favouring. In the hotter months the breeze on the east is welcome. Tell us your dates and we will match the two.
Planning your trip
A few things that shape a Mauritius holiday.
- The flight
- Around twelve hours direct from the UK, usually overnight, and longer with a change on the way. The time difference is only three or four hours, so there is little jet lag.
- Transfers
- The airport is in the south-east. Most resorts are between about three-quarters of an hour and an hour and a quarter away by road, depending on the coast, and the transfer is arranged with the holiday.
- Board basis
- Half board and all-inclusive are both common. Many resorts are some way from other restaurants, so think about how often you will want to eat out before you choose.
- How long
- Ten nights to two weeks is usual, given the length of the flight. A week is possible. That is a guide, not a rule.
- One resort or two
- One is enough for most people. A second coast adds variety on a stay of twelve nights or more.
- Getting around
- Taxis, the hotel’s excursions, or a car with a driver for the day. Driving is on the left, and some visitors hire a car for a day or two.
- Booking ahead
- Christmas, honeymoon suites and family rooms in the school holidays go first. For those, the earlier the better.
Thinking about Mauritius?
Tell us what the holiday is for, who is travelling, when you would like to go and how you like to spend your days. If all-inclusive matters, or a particular kind of room, say so. We will suggest the coast and two or three resorts that fit, and explain the differences between them.
