Mauritius Gem

Where to stay in Mauritius

The coast you sleep on decides the trip, because nothing is more than ninety minutes away but everything is at least thirty. Pick by what you want the mornings to be: calm swimming and boat trips, wind and empty sand, sunsets and mountains, or cliffs and wild sea.

Pereybere, Mauritius
Photo: pyraniton, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The coasts in one line each

North (Grand Baie, Pereybere, Trou aux Biches, Mont Choisy): calm shallow sea, most restaurants and bars, boat trips to the islands, busiest. Best first-time base.

West (Flic en Flac, Tamarin, Le Morne): calm deeper sea, sunsets, dolphins, Le Morne and the mountains behind. Best for a mix of beach and hiking.

East (Belle Mare, Trou d'Eau Douce, Poste Lafayette): long empty public beaches, wind in winter, Île aux Cerfs, quieter and more expensive hotels. Best for doing nothing well.

South-east (Blue Bay, Mahébourg): best shore snorkelling, real town, close to the airport, few hotels. Best for a short trip or the first and last nights.

South (Souillac, Bel Ombre): cliffs and wild coast, a handful of resorts on the Bel Ombre lagoon, the least visited. Best for a second visit.

The places

  1. Pereybere, Mauritius

    01 · North

    Pereybere

    A small, deep, sheltered cove between Grand Baie and Cap Malheureux: the best swimming beach in the north, good snorkelling off the rocks, and food vans on the road.

    When
    Any month; October to April for warmest water
    Time
    Half a day

    BeachesSnorkellingWith childrenFoodFree

  2. Flic en Flac, Mauritius

    02 · West

    Flic en Flac

    The long public beach of the west coast: calm lagoon, filao shade, food stalls at weekends and the island's most reliable sunsets.

    When
    Any month; October to April for warmest water
    Time
    Half a day

    BeachesSnorkellingSunsetsWith childrenFree

  3. Belle Mare, Mauritius

    03 · East

    Belle Mare

    Ten kilometres of public beach on the east coast, with the old sugar-mill ruins behind it. Windier and emptier than the north; the sunrise side of the island.

    When
    October to April for calm water; any month for sunrise
    Time
    Half a day

    BeachesFreeSunsets

  4. Blue Bay Marine Park, Mauritius

    04 · East

    Blue Bay Marine Park

    The best snorkelling reachable from the shore: a protected lagoon near the airport with corals metres from the beach and a public beach behind it.

    When
    October to April for warmest, clearest water
    Time
    Half a day

    SnorkellingBeachesWith childrenFree

  5. Le Morne Brabant, Mauritius

    05 · West

    Le Morne Brabant

    The UNESCO-listed mountain at the island's south-west tip: a three-hour hike, a maroon-slavery memorial and the best beach on the west coast at its foot.

    When
    May to October for the hike; any month for the beach, with the best light late afternoon
    Time
    Half a day for the hike; an hour for the beach

    HikesViewpointsBeachesCulture & historyFreeSunsets

  6. Mont Choisy, Mauritius

    06 · North

    Mont Choisy

    The longest beach in the north, a crescent of white sand under casuarina trees between Trou aux Biches and Grand Baie. Calm, shaded, and best in the late afternoon.

    When
    Any month; late afternoon for light and cooler sand
    Time
    Half a day

    BeachesSunsetsFreeWith children

Questions people ask

Is it better to stay in the north or the west of Mauritius?
North if you want restaurants, nightlife and calm shallow water. West if you want sunsets, Le Morne, the mountains and a slightly quieter beach. Both have calm sea year-round.
Should I stay in one place or move around Mauritius?
For a week, one base is fine: nothing is more than ninety minutes away. For ten days or more, split between the north or west and the east or south-east.