Mauritius fun

Laguna Beach Resort

It was time for our annual Christmas time vacation with my in laws as my Father in laws birthday is on Dec 25th! The final choice came down to 5 hr. drive to some place in Western Ghats or Mauritius, so dissimilar! Mauritius became an option as we found out it visa free for Indians, there was 6hr direct flight from Bangalore, and island sounded lovely when we looked it up. So, why not. Once decided, we booked the flights quickly getting us a near best deal and set about planning our 5 day stay. Read on to find out what we did....

Day 1: 

On way in the Sienna

The good deal meant that we had a very early 3.20am flight out of Bangalore and had to head to the airport at 11pm. So, no sleep! We managed this slight challenge well and after a quick uneventful flight landed by 8am in Mauritius Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport to good weather and welcoming immigration and people. Our first task was to get our rental car which was to be our mode of transport on all 5 days. Mauritius drives on left, has excellent road infrastructure and they accept Indian license. Perfect!

Car pick up was not the way we were used to in America. An agent met us as we came out and drove us us a few kilometers where the formalities were completed. We got Toyota Sienna for 3 days that we planned to switch for a fancier car on last 2 days. We were on our way to Laguna just an hour away (everything is within couple of hours!) but detoured for an early lunch at an Indian place in Mahebourg. The drive is very scenic along the coast and we couldn't help but to turn into the quaint La Case Du Pecheur, restaurant for some drinks, views and relaxation. We finally reached our resort, Laguna Beach Hotel and Spa,  to lovely ground floor rooms with views of the bay.

La Case Du Pecheur

They had arranged an elaborate Christmas eve dinner with a lavish buffet, music, games and dance. It was a great way to spend our first night in Mauritius and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

Laguna Beach Hotel and Spa

Day 2: Sunrise, breakfast, temple run, swimming pool, dinner.

Murugan Temple

We had decided to relax on Day 2 as it was my father in laws birthday. The hosts kindly arranged for a birthday cake and greeted him in the morning after breakfast. We visited several temples nearby the rest of the day. Hightlight was the Murugan Temple at Clemencia. It was by passing that we turned into the road leading to the temple after seeing the board. The temple was lovely but closed. The priest however lived close by and seeing us came up and opened it for us, then invited us to his house for a cup of coffee! True hospitality indeed. Rest of day we relaxed at the resort in their nice pool.

Pool at Laguna

Day 3: Sunrise, Snorkeling, drive to Villa at La Pointe Port Louis. Pool, Grocery, Sunset.

Sunrise at Laguna

Checkout day. We squeezed in snorkeling after going out into the ocean on a speed boat. The experience of the fast ride and observing colorful fishes up close was enjoyable as always. Our next stay was a full Villa with 4 rooms overlooking the Indian ocean on the west side of the Island. So, it was a drive right across the island that took us about an hour. The villa was fantastic with a great view, private pool and a small public right in front. The host had snorkeling gear we could borrow. So,  lots of choices to enjoy around the house itself! Grocery was also required now that we will be on our own food wise for 2 days. London way store was at 10mins walk and we stocked up well quickly. 

Villa Front view

Day 4: Change car to BMW. Asian stir fry lunch, 7 earths visit, Beach stop, dinner at Chinese restaurant.

On this day we had to take care of the car swap logistics. For convenience we had kept drop and pick up location at airport itself. So, it was an hour drive to coordinate both. Soon, we were heading back in a BMW M3 performance model and enjoying the engine and its power on the wonderful Mauritian roads. We made use of the backyard Asian Kitchen and cooked up a tasty stir fry with noodles that was enjoyed by all in front of the pool with an ocean view! Few restaurants can beat that. Finally, we visited our first touristy spot in Mauritius. The Chamarel Seven Colored Earth Geopark. It was interesting and also had a scenic falls and some giant turtles. On the way back we stopped at Flic en Flac city along the coast for dinner. Place was packed and parking tough so we finally ended up at a Chinese restaurant.

Chamarel Seven Colored Earth

Day 5: Beach hopping around and north of Port Louis. Snorkeling. Lunch at Trojan Horse. 

Mont Choisy

Last day in Mauritius! We had relaxed too much and hardly seen the country. So, we planned a day of beach hopping, maybe snorkeling and lunch at recommended Trojan Horse in Grand Baie, a lovely water side restaurant. We had to drive through Port Louis to get to our first stop Trou-aux-biches and thats pretty much all we got to see of the capital city. We did our planned snorkeling activity here. The sites were close by and we went in glass bottom boats. The fishes were in a deep section of the ocean and we got to experience the depth with many sea creatures, corals and plants down below as we floated above. Only in Hawaii we had a similar snorkeling site. Rest were shallow. After one more stop at Mont Choisy, we got our fix for beaches and headed back home tired and happy.

Trou-aux-biches

Day 6: Drive to airport

Last day was just packing and head to the airport for an uneventful flight back home to our usual routines.

Mauritius surprised us with its beauty, culture, friend people, roads, beaches, food, and so on. There was not much touristy points to see. But just driving around eating and chillin and snorkeling where we could was perfectly fine for us. Hope to go back again sometime and enjoy more of the wonderful country.

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