Mauritius Holidays

If it’s top-notch beaches you’re after, you’re onto a winner with Mauritius. This place breathes fluff-soft stretches. But it’s no one-trick pony. The isle’s also got a rainforest full of waterfalls and zip lines, great diving and French-meets-Creole culture, so the food and sightseeing’s blue-chip, too. It’s easy to see why loved-up honeymooners can’t get enough of it.

Mauritius isn’t short of Insta-worthy beaches, but you’ll find the most talked-about along the west or east coast. They’re full of swanky, top-of-the-range hotels – most of them huddle up to the sands, too. Talking of which, the beaches are polar bear-white with reef-sheltered lagoons. Belle Mare and Flic en Flac battle it out to be the best of the best. And Trou d’eau Douce goes big on watersports and beachfront bars.

The south gets a big tick from both sunbathers and hikers. Take Bel Ombre, for example – its huge, sandy beach is parked in front of a thick forest. There’s a nature reserve just behind it and the Black River Gorges National Park beyond that. And that’s not the only green you’ll see – it’s got an 18-hole golf course, too. Meanwhile, nearby Le Morne pulls in the punters with its watersports and off-shore reef.

A lot of tourists end up on the island’s northern tip. And for good reason. The main magnet’s Grand Baie and its massive beach, posh hotels and cracking nightlife. The rest of the north has taken a chill pill. Calodyne and Balaclava give you a taste of Mauritius without its makeup on. Think nap-friendly coves and little else.