In June 2010 I travelled to the island of Mauritius as part of an educational trip. Mauritius, if you are exploring for the first time, is an idyllic island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of southern Africa.
During my 5 night stay I inspected around 10 hotels and resorts around the island ranging from a 3 star in an intimate boutique setting to the very luxurious 5 star with beachfront access, private plunge pools and 24 hour butler service. While I won’t go into all the details of the resorts here, if you wish to discuss the best option for your trip, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Being a small island, it is easy to travel from east to west in around an hour so distance is definitely not an issue. A hire car is definitely recommended if you wish to get out and explore as many of the hotels and resorts are remotely located. It is easy to base yourself in one location or perhaps sample a couple of resorts on different sides of the island as I did on this trip. For optimal weather conditions I was tipped by a local to stay on the west coast in winter and the southern and eastern sides of the island in summer.
The Island of Mauritius offers an abundance of land and water based activities so there is plenty to keep you very active if you choose to. I only got to scratch the surface of these but I did enjoy the Zip line adventure in the south of the island. This fun activity, perhaps not if you are afraid of heights, takes you into the lush forest equipped with a body harness for a series of runs on eight different lines across the forest canopy. Before the final runs we walked along the forest floor to a picturesque swimming hole with a gushing waterfall and an opportunity to cool off.
Walking with Lions in the Casela Wildlife Park was another adventure on offer and Mauritius is one of only 3 places in the world in which you get to experience this encounter. We entered into a large fenced off bush area where we met two lions and their caretakers and went for a 30 minute walk with them around the park stopping for the occasional pat and to watch them interact playfully together, an amazing experience.
Another activity our entire group enjoyed was a fun rally in which we were divided into two teams and sent off on a road trip with a map and driver to find clues and items written in French that reflected the Mauritian culture. One such item was searching for a gateau piment, a delicious savoury and spicy cake that we finally found from a street vendor in a local village. The food in Mauritius is exotic and delicious with a fusion of Asian and western cuisines and abundant fresh seafood. This rally was a definite highlight of the trip for me as I got to experience the rural, tranquil feel of the island, the scenic countryside, the warmth and friendliness of the local Mauritian people and the laid back lifestyle that makes this such a great holiday destination.
It was a great week in Mauritius and a destination I hope to return to one day. While further from home, Mauritius offers a great alternative from the popular island escapes in the Asia/Pacific and also could be favourably considered as a stopover to break up a long haul trip to Europe. If you’d like to discuss the possibilities of including Mauritius in your next travel plans, or any other destination, I look forward to being of service.