“ you’ ll discover an island packed with new experiences” search of the island’ s little villages, vistas, coves and beaches. The capital city of Port Louis is a bustling metropolis, but beyond the busy market there’ s not a huge amount to see. Although worth visiting for a morning, soak up the atmosphere, smells and sights of the centre before heading back out to the coast. Grand Baie in the north-east of the island offers some lively nightlife and some great places to eat and drink, whilst its harbour is also the perfect place to charter a boat and explore the east coast which boasts some idyllic beaches and islands such as Lle Aux Cerfs and Belle Mare. Whilst in the east we spent two incredible days at Otentic( www. otentic. mu), a beautiful eco-tent retreat near the mouth of the Grande Riviere. Perfect for the sustainably-minded traveller, enjoy luxury eco-tent accommodation alongside some stunning food a beautiful range of stilted luxury eco tents and access to a great variety of activities, wildlife and boat trips. For those looking to explore, you can’ t afford to miss a day spent trekking through the Black River National Park for some stunning views. Drive to the main viewpoints or take a guide if you want to delve deeper without getting completely lost. From here, the west of the island is also right on your doorstep. Le Morne, on the south-western tip of the island, is world renowned for surfing and kitesurfing, and sunsets in this area – and all the way along the coast past Tamarin Bay – are equally phenomenal. Back in the north, Tante Athalie is well worth visiting. A restaurant surrounded by classic cars, enjoy a gluttonous traditional Mauritian lunch in a beautiful and unique setting. To work off the weight, take a trip up Le Puce( The Thumb), the third highest mountain in Mauritius, for an exhausting but enjoyable climb which is rewarded with some unbeatable views across the island. Seek out the idyllic and the unexpected in equal measure and you’ ll make the most of what Mauritius has to offer. Get under the skin of the country and expect stunning scenery, a friendly welcome, incredible local food, and some unforgettable memories.
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BUZZ RECOMMENDS
MAURITIUS
Gareth Ludkin ventures beyond the luxury beach resorts to discover an island rich in colour, diversity, tradition and intrigue.
O
riginally uninhabited and only colonised by Dutch pioneers in 1798, Mauritius has a relatively short but colourful history which is largely dominated by colonisation and slavery. Indo-Mauritians now make up the majority of the population. Easily navigable by car, Mauritius is 787sq miles in size, taking less than two hours to travel from tip to toe. Buses provide the only public transport, but they’ re often rundown and by no means reliable for the wandering tourist. If you want to explore the island, hiring a car is essential. It’ s also worth steering clear of the tourist-orientated areas in
“ you’ ll discover an island packed with new experiences” search of the island’ s little villages, vistas, coves and beaches. The capital city of Port Louis is a bustling metropolis, but beyond the busy market there’ s not a huge amount to see. Although worth visiting for a morning, soak up the atmosphere, smells and sights of the centre before heading back out to the coast. Grand Baie in the north-east of the island offers some lively nightlife and some great places to eat and drink, whilst its harbour is also the perfect place to charter a boat and explore the east coast which boasts some idyllic beaches and islands such as Lle Aux Cerfs and Belle Mare. Whilst in the east we spent two incredible days at Otentic( www. otentic. mu), a beautiful eco-tent retreat near the mouth of the Grande Riviere. Perfect for the sustainably-minded traveller, enjoy luxury eco-tent accommodation alongside some stunning food a beautiful range of stilted luxury eco tents and access to a great variety of activities, wildlife and boat trips. For those looking to explore, you can’ t afford to miss a day spent trekking through the Black River National Park for some stunning views. Drive to the main viewpoints or take a guide if you want to delve deeper without getting completely lost. From here, the west of the island is also right on your doorstep. Le Morne, on the south-western tip of the island, is world renowned for surfing and kitesurfing, and sunsets in this area – and all the way along the coast past Tamarin Bay – are equally phenomenal. Back in the north, Tante Athalie is well worth visiting. A restaurant surrounded by classic cars, enjoy a gluttonous traditional Mauritian lunch in a beautiful and unique setting. To work off the weight, take a trip up Le Puce( The Thumb), the third highest mountain in Mauritius, for an exhausting but enjoyable climb which is rewarded with some unbeatable views across the island. Seek out the idyllic and the unexpected in equal measure and you’ ll make the most of what Mauritius has to offer. Get under the skin of the country and expect stunning scenery, a friendly welcome, incredible local food, and some unforgettable memories.
WHAT TO EAT Influenced by Indian, Chinese and African cuisine, Mauritian food is extremely varied, relatively cheap and full of great flavour. First on your list should be the ubiquitous Mauritian roti and dahl puri( named after the type of thin Indian flatbread used in each). At roughly 20p each the curry wraps are cheap, moorish and incredibly popular among locals. Roti sees a butterbean curry and spicy tomato sauce, whilst the dahl puri sees a similar combination of dahl-style curry and spicy sauce for the perfect lunch.
WHAT TO BUY Mauritians love their rum, and there are some excellent varieties to bring home, but if you really want to return home with something uniquely Mauritian, pick up a small jar of green chilli paste from the supermarket. It has the capacity to blow your head off if you take too much on the end of your fork, but a small( and I mean small) dollop on the side of your plate is fantastic with a curry, rice or even on bread.
MUST SEE OR DO Hire a catamaran! And it’ s not as expensive as it might sound. From places such as Grand Baie in the north-east, for as little as £ 20pp, you can charter a boat early in the morning and enjoy lunch on board in the calm swell of a nearby island, laze on a white sandy beach and find some deep water on the way back to practise your Tom Daley diving ability.
Flights & Accomodation: If you’ re going to Mauritius you have to be prepared to spend. With an 11-hour flight time, the island is certainly not one of the cheapest of holiday destinations and you’ ll be looking at flights from around £ 650- £ 850pp. Fly direct with Air Mauritius or via Dubai with Emirates. Tourist resorts are expensive, but there’ s plenty of cheaper accommodation away from the coast that is a more reasonable.
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