With our anniversary approaching it was our usual October conundrum for where to travel during this period of unsettled global weather, so it was time to head back to Africa…this time east coast

Close to the European time zone, warm, dry and if it is beach you want then the vibrant colours of Mauritius are the perfect antidote to the grey of Europe…azure waters, green palms fringing white sandy beaches and the mesmerising seven coloured earth.

A classically francophone island that you expect to be a tropical part of France, with great food and a certain ‘je ne sais pas’ but will surprise you who else’s hands it has passed through and how it is not always so French

…the Dutch, who left the sugar cane, its tasty rum but sadly departed with the last of the Dodo

and the Brits, who gave driving on the left hand side, roadworks and a love of cctv cameras being placed everywhere.

But since 1968 Mauritius has been very much its own country, to mix all these cultures to have a vibe that is quite relaxed and yet still organised.

Getting to Mauritius

Getting here was a direct flight from Amsterdam with Air Mauritius, convenient and with some of the friendliest service and smiles from the flight staff that we’ve encountered in an airline. 

But with just 10 planes you may end up on the ‘Pink Pigeon’ (Airbus 340-300C) where you will feel you have returned to the 80s

that makes it quite novel for the first 30 mins of the 11 hr flight…a passenger goodie bag, old school ashtrays in the armrests and an in flight entertainment screen that was smaller than a mobile phone,

Fortunately the other planes are a bit more modern , with all mod cons, comfy seats and full sized tv screens, so let us begin…

Where to stay

We split our stay on this beautiful island between the north and the south, both at Beachcomber hotels, who seem to have nabbed the best spots in the island and provide a cornucopia of water sports (all included) to while away your days when not sunbathing.

The Trois aux Biches Beachcomber resort in the north west was the more beautiful of the two resorts, on a 2km stretch of powder white sand.

Our strenuous days here would typically start with a hearty breakfast shared with the local birds

Then get stuck into enjoying the lovely waters surrounding the hotel, spending your time, snorkeling,

windsurfing,

paddleboard,

hobie cat,

water skiing and wakeboarding

or just taking it easy and floating around…

finishing by taking in some of the beautiful west coast sunsets

The suites were just perfect with a particularly nice outdoor shower and own pool in case the main resort pool was too busy. A perfect setting for an anniversary getaway.

Set in mesmerising tropical gardens that surrounded us with the exotic birdsong by day and the calls of the huge fruit bats in the evening. 

The only challenges with this resort were an offshore wind that would keep blowing us out to the reef when doing anything on the water, but a rescue boat was always on standby;

the snorkeling was quite a distance offshore across a busy shipping lane of speedboats, waterskiers and paragliders, so normally needs the hotel boat to get you out…

but once there, we were rewarded with a pretty set of coral and fish and even groups of turtles having a morning snack. 

The resort does try to squeeze money out of its guests with high priced drinks, so combat this with some duty free booze and a trip to the local supermarket to stock your own supplies of some great rum at a tenth of the price.

Moving to the South of the island, The Shandrani Beachcomber resort wins for its location on Blue Bay, a protected marine area that has 3 beaches to suit your mood…

with our main haunt being the water-sports beach, which is perfect for improving your windsurfing skills that will have you an expert in a few days with the help of the wonderful boat house crew,

Swimming pool-like waters to float in

Calm seas to cruise along in your pedalo

and amazing snorkeling right at your feet…a real tropical aquarium to swim through

a little bit chilly, but worth it to see angels and parrots,

eels

turtles  

and mermaids…

If you are lucky you may even see the Coral spawning that happens just once per year and will turn the waters an amazing red

but did not stop Lyssa from her focus on her windsurfing!

The food at Shandrani is first class, from the buffet to the French and Italian restaurants and especially the Thai. 

Did we mention that Shandrani is all inclusive? A serious all inclusive that has you wanting for nothing, along with top shelf drinks and cocktails that after the self-imposed sobriety at Trois aux Biches we almost went through the cocktail menu in one sitting, leading to an extended afternoon siesta.

The Shandrani is located under the take-off path of the international airport, but its not Schiphol here, so the number of planes you’ll encounter are not such a problem, and almost become a feature of this resort

…avid plane spotters will be able to see the whole of the air Mauritius fleet…all 10 planes and two helicopters!

Beach hopping along the West Coast

There is more to Mauritius than sun, sand, cocktails and sea…so ensure you make some time to explore the rest of the island outside of your paradise cocoon.

So to explore the island a bit more, we rented a car from 1st car rental. Circumnavigating the island would take about a day, but it’s better done over a few days of trips.

The west and north west has the tourist hotspots of Flic en Flac (for Dolphin watching),

Tamarin (for winter season surfing),

Grand Baie and neighboring Pereyere are described by the Lonely Planet as built up tourist centres, but after the high rises of the med and Caribbean these are merely pleasant fishing villages all grown up and for us still have a lot charm for a quick little visit.

culminating in Cape Malhereux (colourfully named Cape Bad Luck) rounds up this stretch of the Island with its pictoresque church. 

Exploring the wilder North and East

The north and east gets wilder, with forests of eucalyptus

and wild white beaches that are almost deserted with other visitors.

The east coast also has the real high-end resorts, but beware that the wind will often be a bit more blowy on this side.

The luscious South West

The south west of the island has a real tropical island feel, with the peaks of the black river gorge looming above the sugar cane fields and palm trees descending down to the sea. 

Its well worth spend a day here, to visit the Seven Colored Earth

…small but perfectly formed,

and the 100m high Chamarel waterfall.

Treat yourself with lunch at the Chamarel Rum Distillery, they do tours, but skip the long tour queue by going straight for their excellent 3-course lunch (with ‘ti punch and aged rum)

followed by a complimentary tour that had Matt wishing we had taken a taxi with the inclusive rum cocktails

and tasting of the full suite of rums

…oh and to see how rum is made as well!! Lunch and tour for two will come to around 70 eur, compared to the tour that is around 30 eur.

Heading down to the coast from here you will come to Le Morne, a craggy offshoot that is a haven for wind and kite surfing…where if it isn’t hard enough, they kitesurf barefoot with no bindings!

One other must do whilst in Mauritius is the Dolphin Swimming…choose your operator carefully, and going with Dolswim means a safe and caring (for the dolphins) excursion.

Whilst over laden boats discourge all their passengers into the sea to chase the dolphins, the Dolswim team just take 2 people at a time to wait for the doplhins to pass by under their own steam.

When you see all the other boats just diving in it does feel a little restricted to be so patient, but the patience really does win as long after the pack has gone back to shore the Dolswim team are still guiding you to some great dolphin spots.

Expect to see Spinners and the odd, curious bottle nosed dolphins.

So if you are looking for a perfect anniversary destination, or just a great holiday then get yourself to Mauritius and enjoy this amazingly colourful country.