Mauritius

Joanne Kemp on 20 September 2008
In September 2008 I was lucky enough to travel to the beautiful island of Mauritius which is situated in the Indian Ocean off the coast of south east Africa. It is a tropical island surrounded with coral reefs and turquoise lagoons and is a pure luxury destination.

I was visiting Mauritius on a business trip and during my week visited 14 hotels. They were situated in different parts of the island and uniquely offered something totally different and catered for all. From a relaxing spa break, golf packages, family holidays to a relaxing honeymoon or wedding holiday – Mauritius has it all.

If you can be tempted away from the fantastic white sandy beaches, golfing is well catered for on Mauritius, with many courses including championship courses and those for beginners. There are also plenty of water sports available from most hotels. You can also snorkel or take a glass bottom boat out to see the amazing varieties of fish and coral. The island is covered in sugar cane plants and is responsible for much of the world’s sugar production. Tea is also very popular and comes in different varieties such as vanilla, green, tropical as well as many others; if you are a tea lover like me you must try them.

There are many excursions available, I visited Pamplemouses botanical gardens – they are the third oldest botanical gardens in the world and have many different, rare trees and exotic plants including some amazing giant lilies.

Whilst here I also had time to sample the souvenir shopping at Port Louis’ - a bustling Central Market where you can haggle a price for your gifts, or nearby there is the craft market at The Caudan Waterfront which has also restaurants overlooking the sea. In Port Louis, I particularly enjoyed the fine architecture such as the Government House and no trip is complete without a visit to Blue Penny Museum which has some of the world rarest stamps.

This island is one of those perfect places to get married on, have a fantastic honeymoon, to celebrate that special birthday/anniversary or maybe just a holiday somewhere a bit special! You will come away from Mauritius feeling you have experienced a very special destination! I did!

Having seen so many fantastic hotels on my visit I would be happy to recommend one to suit your needs. With so much choice, it is so very important that especially for this kind of holiday that you make the right choice.

I would love to visit Mauritius again!