Mauritius Beach

Mauritius' soft, white beaches have been popular for many years - particularly with French and Germans - due to their warm Indian Ocean waters protected by coral reefs, the good weather and the very competitive pricing.
This is not a destination with much in the way of sights or ethnic interest and north-south traffic gets horribly snarled in the Port Louis bottleneck, but stick to the powder sand, the calm, azure sea and and the wonderful hotels and you can't go wrong. The excellent cuisine tends towards French, Indian, Chinese or a fusion of all three, with seafood a common offering, naturally. The local Phoenix beer is superb and a tgood price, but wines are imported and expensive.
The land is just 36 miles [58km] long and 29 miles [47km] wide and not far east of Madagascar which itself is just east of South Africa. Natives are predominantly of Indian/Hindu origin and all speak at least three languages - Creole, English and French.

The best time to hit Mauritius beaches is mid-September to mid-December, or April/May, though just about any time is OK. Winter, July-September can be partly cloudy with occasional rain and chilly at night, but 5/6 hours of bright sun and swimsuit temperatures make the low season prices a bargain. Winte4r daytime temperatures reach around 24C, nights 16C. January-April can be very, very hot, up to about 38C.

Mauritius Gallery

tiny volcanic island, Mauritius

Coloured Earth

Mauritius - Best and Safe Place for Journey

It is easy to run out of adjectives when attempting to describe the natural beauty of the small tropical Indian Ocean island paradise of Mauritius. The volcanic island Republic, covered with lush forest, streams and waterfalls, and fringed with palms, dazzling white sands and teeming coral reefs, lies east of Madagascar just south of the Equator. Mauritius, covering just 720 square miles (1,864 sq km), is the archetypal dream destination for an idyllic holiday, equipped with modern resorts that have been carefully developed to preserve the island's beauty and ecology.
Mark Twain is quoted as having said that 'Mauritius was made first, then heaven was copied from it', and anyone who has experienced the island would no doubt agree with him.
Along with its natural beauty Mauritius has a valuable tourist resource in the warmth and friendliness of its multi-cultural population. Since being officially 'discovered' in 1505 by the Portuguese, the island has been occupied by the Dutch, the French and the British. All have added to the melting pot that constitutes the island's human heritage, along with injections of African slaves, Arab traders and Chinese indentured labourers over the centuries.
Most of the tourist resorts are situated along the 205-mile (330km) coastline, with the capital Port Louis, on the west coast, being the centre of operations for most visitors. The bulk of the population, however, reside on the central plateaux around Curepipe, the island's other major town.
Although everyone who visits Mauritius comes for the sandy beaches and blue lagoons, most are delighted to discover that the island has plenty of other attractions too, from some of the world's rarest stamps to the first ever race course to open in the southern hemisphere. Of course no holiday would be complete, either, without good food and entertainment. Mauritius offers both, with some delicious local cuisine that makes use of tropical fruits and vegetables, and the chance to learn the island's indigenous wild dance, the Sega, which originated among the African slaves of yore