Grand Bay

This is the “happening place” on the island. Dotted along the shoreline are a multitude of top quality local Mauritian owned restaurants (which are our favourites), to the more upmarket international restaurants, some even with Michelin accreditation. There are a number of night clubs for the young and the young at heart. No trip to Mauritius would be complete without a trip to the famous Grand Bay market where you can literally shop until you drop.

Port-Louis

The strategically positioned, Port Louis harbour, was the favourite stopover for vessels plying their way from Europe on their way to India. The harbour lies sheltered in a semi circle of mountains. It was largely because of the safety of Port Louis that Mauritius earned the tile of “Star and Key of the Indian Ocean”. During the 1860’s the Suez Canal was built which then redirected traffic via the Med.

To see a fascinating cross-section of Mauritian life, visit the lively covered market where you can buy anything from Mauritian tea to “it looks so good it can’t be real” bargains. Allow your bargaining skills to guide you in your purchasing and have a fun filled day.

Pamplemousses Gardens

Pamplemousses Gardens, more formally known as Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens, remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in Mauritius. Originally opened as a private garden by the French governor of Mauritius nearly 300 years ago, the gardens served as a horticultural research center for the French and British during the colonial period. Today it's home to dozens of varieties of palm trees, as well as many medicinal plants, fish ponds, and an awesome collection of Queen Victoria water lilies.

Curepipe

Standing on the outer edge of the urban zone, 20 km from Port Louis, one will find the city of Curepipe with its 75 000 colourful inhabitants. Curepipe became the “in spot” during the previous century after inhabitants fled the malaria epidemics on the west coast of Mauritius for the healthier, if wetter, highlands. The unusual name 'Curepipe' has given rise to fanciful connotations, the most persistent of which is that travelers used to stop there to 'cure' their pipes! Curepipe today is an elegant residential town with beautiful colonial houses, pleasant public gardens and a ultra-modern vegetable market! A short drive around Curepipe brings you to Trou-aux-Cerfs, one of the most photogenic views of the island, and out to the luscious tea plantations. This city is also great for shopping where visitors will find duty free shops, ship models boutique and much more.

Mahebourg

If one should be looking at the engravings on the world famous Arc-de-Triomphe in Paris one would see reference to Mahebourg in Mauritius. The reason for this being that this is the site of the sole victory of Napoleans fleet over the British. Mahebourg is now known as a small peaceful colonial town. No trip to this quaint town would be complete without a visit to the Naval museum which reveals the richness of the historical past of the village.

Ile Aux Cerfs

This little gem is found just a few hundred metres away from the world famous One and Only Le Tousserok hotel. The island has a magnificent 18 hole golf course and an amazing array of watersports, it also boasts the most stunning beach in Mauritius. This would be a spot to avail yourself of a para-sailing trip to soak in the breathtaking birds eye view of the island. Due to the nature of this spot no matter whether you are a guest at one of our self catering villas or staying at any of the other hotels you will be more than welcome to spend a day at the island. One of the must do things is to have one of the local beach boys carve a pineapple for you.

Chamarel

The south of Mauritius is one of the most scenic and unspoilt parts of the island. The village of Chamarel in southwest Mauritius is blessed by having two natural wonders - the magnificent Chamarel Falls and the colored earths of Chamarel. These earths are unusual to say the least; created by volcanic rocks that cooled at different temperatures, the earth forms beautiful patterns of colour in the exposed hillsides. An interesting phenomena is that due to their different specific gravities, if you mix the coloured earth together, they'll eventually settle into separate layers. Souvenir bottles of these coloured earths are available for sale which makes a wonderful keepsake of this fascinating spot.

The Sega

The Sega is both the national dance and the way the Mauritians express themselves in musical form. This beautiful dance routine was introduced by African slaves during the French colonial period. The sega is an exotic, often erotic dance. Women in colorful skirts twirl and undulate, using graceful hand and arm motions while their feet shuffle along the ground with a foot movement vaguely reminiscent of snuffing out a cigarette butt. The dance is backed by a group of drummers, guitarists and other instrumentalists. In more recent times, sega music has been influenced by reggae, creating a fusion music locally known as seggae.