I can’t believe I am writing about our BABYMOON! Last month
we went on a magical 10-day holiday to Mauritius with our little baby bump. The
horrendous morning sickness eased up a few days before, so I made the flight
without having to use a vomit bag (win!)
It was pure bliss and relaxation. This is definitely the place to go if
you want to experience a slice of heaven.
 |
| Hello 16 week bump, Baby Airey's first holiday |
WHEN TO GO
From 20th September to the end of November. I am
very specific when I say from the 20th September as we have been
twice the week before in September and it has been raining and cloudy every
time! Murphy’s law, the week we left was always beautiful so go later in
September or October / November to get the most gorgeous summer weather.
WHERE TO STAY
We love the area Trou-aux-Biches on the northern side of the
island. It is a small, seaside town that boasts one of the most beautiful
beaches on the island and it is also close to Grand Baie and shopping malls
which are just a short drive away. We always opt for a self-catering spot and
there are so many great apartments available. However if you want to splash out
somewhere extra special have a look at this
list of the 10 best hotels in
Mauritius or if you fancy something smaller, I do always love a
boutique hotel!
DOG FRIENDLY
Benji had to stay at home because of the logistics of flying
with him but if we had had the option of flying Air France and him coming in
the cabin with us, he definitely would have come! There were so many people there
with their dogs and local restaurants were all accommodating. However, saying
that it is important to note Mauritius have a huge stray dog population. Every
beach and street have a few dogs so it would be important to always have your
dog up to date with their injections, on
a lead and to only travel with them if they are well socialized because there
are dogs everywhere you go in Mauritius!
 |
| Dogs of Mauritius |
WHAT TO DO
You can drive across Mauritius in one or two hours so
regardless of where you choose to stay, go exploring!
- Visit a different beach every day. A few
favourites are: Trou aux Biches Beach, Mont Choisy Beach, Pereybere Beach, La
Cuvette Beach, Blue
Bay Beach or the very secluded Black River Beach.
- Visit China Town. Even in
Mauritius they have a China Town and this can be found in Port Louis. If you
want something to do on a cloudy day, save this one to your list.
- To experience the local culture, go to the Market
of Mahebourg.
- Take a walk through the Black River Gorges,
one of Mauritius’ remaining native forests. Here you might spot one of their
rare bird species or orchids as you make your way to the waterfall.
- Feed the stray dogs. You might be rolling
your eyes at this one but you will come across so many furry souls who
need a little helping hand so if you adore dogs like I do, keep a packet of dog
food, bottle of water and a used ice cream tub or bowl of some sort in the boot
of your rental car to feed a hungry dog you will definitely find along your
adventures. There is nothing worse then passing a skinny stray dog and not
feeling like you can help in some way.
- Relax and truly unwind! Spend a few hours
on the beach, reading a book, sipping on fresh juices or cocktails made by the
vendors and do not look at your watch. Here time really does seem to stand
still.
 |
| La
Cuvette Beach |
 |
| Feeding the stray dogs in Mauritius because every little but helps |
WHERE TO EAT & DRINK
I personally find that eating out in Mauritius can be very
hit or miss and often the more “affordable” (still expense in rands!) places
served very mediocre food. We generally ate out every second day this time
around. We would buy fish from the local
fisherman in Grand Baie (they bring fish straight off their boats from 3pm each
day) and we would have a fish braai at home. The other nights we would go somewhere a
little more “expensive” but where you were guaranteed to have good food. Oh,
and make breakfast at home or eat breakfast at your hotel. I have tried so many
places but there is a gap in the market for good coffee and a good eggs
benedict there! So rather go out for lunch or dinners. Here are some of my
recommendations of places to eat in Trou-aux-Biches / Grand Baie.
- Le Bask for the perfect date night. The
food, ambiance and service is exceptional!
- Le Capitaine to dine by the sea. The
restaurant itself needs a lot of TLC as this time around our menus were falling
apart and stapled together which you don’t expect with this price tag but you
can watch the sunset over the ocean, hear the sea lapping against the shore and
they do a great seafood platter.
- Sincontru Italian Restaurant for the best
pizza on the island. I have no idea what any of the other dishes taste like as
I order the pizza every time! But I hear the risotto is good too.
- Luigis is another good, reasonable
Italian.
- La Table du Château for a long, lazy
lunch. I had the fish and eggplant curry and it was probably one of the best
meals I have ever had in Mauritius! Sit outside and take in the beautiful
grounds of Chateau Labourdonnais. There is also a rum tasting you can do next
door if you want to experience their locally produced rum. Brett enjoyed this!
- Hong Kong Palace at the Super U comes
highly recommend by Brett’s parents and is a place we still need to try.
- The Beach House for sundowners or lunch
straight after the beach. Sandy toes are welcome here and it has a relaxed,
laid back vibe.
- Paradis de Nourriture is takeaway truck
on Grand Baie Beach who do great, fresh lobster. Now this is dining on the
other end of the spectrum. A Friend recommend having lobster from here and if
it hadn’t been for them, I would have walked straight past. At first glance it
looks like a place where you might get food poisoning, but this is a local
little gem!
- Sakoa Hotel for cocktails / mocktails
when you need to escape the sun and quench your thirst. Just a short walk away
from Trou aux Biches Beach.
- 1974,
da Antonio e Giulia situated
in an ex-aquarium building this is a place to go for a variety of dishes like
steak, seafood and pastas. Good food and good prices.
- La
Botteghita if you
are craving good Italian. You can’t go wrong with pizza here either!
- Le Fournil. This ain’t no French
patisserie like you would find in France, despite Mauritius being French, but
if you’re in the mood for a cake you may as well pop in. The croissants and
pastries are so greasy and not great at all but the brownies are ok.
- Vida e Café. Now I know you don’t want to
go all the way to Mauritius and then visit Vida e Café but this was the only
place I could get a good almond milk ice coffee. So if you get desperate like
me, pop in even though you have this on your doorstep in South Africa.
 |
| Left - Paradis de Nourriture & Right - lunch at The Beach House |
 |
| Mocktails for me & cocktails for him at Sakoa Hotel |
 |
| Lunch at La Table du Chateau. I could live on their warm bread rolls and pickle alone! |
TOP TIP
Rent a (small) car if you are staying in an Airbnb or self-catering
unit. You will want to explore all the beautiful beaches and have the ease of
grocery shopping. There is public transport if you are on a tight budget but
for convenience and the ability to easily explore, I would say rent a car. Or
even a scooter! There is not much parking, so a small car or scooter is perfect
to get around.
 |
| Sunset over Troux aux Biches Beach |
Post Comment
Post a Comment