Mauritius Holidays

At first glance, Mauritius looks like a close relative of the Caribbean Islands. Around 1,200 miles from the east coast of Africa, the island’s hemmed by 330 kilometres of immaculate white beaches. Take to the waters, meanwhile, and you'll spot pods of dolphins playing. The south, west and east coasts are defined by top-drawer beaches – one of the longest stretches of sand is Belle Mare, which borders a coral-protected lagoon. In the north, the shallow bays at Balaclava and Calodyne give themselves over to watersports like snorkelling and kite-surfing.

But Mauritius has plenty more strings to its bow, too. Look beyond the beaches and you'll find a trove of natural history. The 800-metre-high mountains and forests in the interior are home to some of the world’s rarest animals – you can spot geckos and tropical birds in Porte Lafayette’s national park. The island’s also ring-fenced by one of the largest unbroken barrier reefs in the world, so the scuba diving opportunities are on a par with the Maldives.

In the 600 years since Mauritius was first discovered, the island has been a cultural sponge. Its proximity to Madagascar has rubbed off on it in the form of creole cooking. Grand Baie, in the north, is the culinary capital of the island. Mahebourg, meanwhile, is packed with European influences – from its architecture to its street layout. And the island’s time under French rule has added chateaus to its architectural assets, including the Chateaux de Labourdonnais, in northern Mauritius.