Pampered in paradise
The time difference from Ireland is only three hours, so we felt minimal jet lag.
A taxi sent from the Hotel Le Canonnier, drove us past field after field of sugar cane covered in big fluffy tracts of white flowers, like pampas grass.
I spotted mango trees and a plantation of papaya trees bulging at the top with round green fruit.
We were greeted at the hotel with ice cold drinks and were gently ushered to sit down as cool, wet face cloths on trays were offered to refresh us after the drive. Glass doors led from our suite to a private seating area under the palm trees. It was only a short stroll over springy green buffalo grass to the beach where comfortable lounges awaited us under umbrellas. Mauritians appeared on the beach selling wooden dodo birds — the extinct flightless bird that is the symbol of Mauritius. They also peddled cotton sarongs, necklaces or day trips on boats.
One young man fluently described the day boat trip he was selling in English French, Italian, German and Afrikaans.
The sea is like crystal, clear and turquoise. A coral reef surrounds it, so it is safe to swim, with no strong currents or sharks.
We took full advantage of all the water sports offered in our hotel package, including snorkelling, canoeing and tubing — where you are towed on a tube at great speed by a very fast boat.
In the evenings we sat at one long convivial table for a buffet, chefs cooked fresh fish right in front of us and served a wonderful variety of fresh salads.
After five days cocooned in this luxury, ordering exotic cocktails while we lounged in the sun — no phones, no deadlines! — we were itching to see the real Mauritius. We walked 5km to Grand Baie — a bustling tourist town nearby — where we discovered a beautiful and impressive Hindu temple, and interesting little markets selling fruit and vegetables.
We hired a small car for €25 a day to travel at our own pace, lingering where we liked. In the high season it would not be wise to go without reservations, but it was July, so, with no clear plan and nothing booked, we headed west to Riviere Noire (Black River). A friend who lives there speaks French, which is useful on the Island. Though English is the official language, most Mauritians speak French or Creole, the lingua franca of the island that is derived from French with traces of Chinese, Hindi and English.
First we headed for the renowned Botanical Gardens near Port-Louis. The locals always refer to it as “Jardin de Pamplemousses” (Garden of Pamplemousses.) It takes its name from the adjoining town.
In the magnificent gardens a huge baobab tree welcomes you and leads you down an avenue bordered with giant royal palms with leaves the size of tablecloths. We ate our picnic lunch in the shade of a cinnamon tree next to an Indian almond tree.
The giant floating lily pads — “Victoria Amazonica,” have a diameter between one and two metres.
Although July is the coolest month in Mauritius with temperatures only reaching 25º, by midday, coming from our winter in Ireland, we were feeling the heat.
A friendly taxi driver took one look at our inaccurate road map and kindly gave us his more accurate one. Even though the island is small (61km long and 46km wide), it is easy to get lost on the often unfamiliar and unnamed roads, so it’s important to have a good map if you are driving.
We drove through the capital, Port Louis, where we were delayed by almost an hour by the large number of manically busy roundabouts. If you drive in Port Louis, time it so you miss the busy lunch and rush-hour traffic.
Once off the main highway heading towards Flic en Flac, the road narrows and the mountains come into view, with their contrast of deep red soils and lush green growth and spectacular rainbows — hence its nickname, the “rainbow region”.
Our friend Chantal met us to show us the way to Mariposa B&B.
Without her local knowledge, we may not have found it. Very reasonably priced, it was exactly what we’d hoped for — clean en-suite rooms with a kitchenette. It was on a white-sand beach with the dark green mass of the Riviere Noire Mountains behind and the Morne Mountain ahead and there was a small swimming pool to dip in. I suspect, though, that we may have had a special deal as our friend could negotiate in French. Including a continental breakfast it was €35 per person per night (low season rates).
Just thirty minutes’ drive away is the bustling Tuesday market at Quatre Bornes. There are hundreds of tiny stalls packed together under a sweltering roof selling clothes, crafts, beautiful fabrics and breathtaking displays of fruit and vegetables. We bought some greasy but tasty samosas from an Indian street food vendor and sat down amongst the hustle and bustle to eat them with little bags of wild strawberries.
The next day we drove up into the mountains on dirt roads through sugar cane and pineapple plantations, stopping first at Chamarel Falls to watch the water plunge 275 feet into the valley. We climbed higher to Seven Coloured Earth, seven different distinct colours of soil, in an area about the size of a rugby field. They were created by volcanic rocks that cooled at different temperatures and the colours are revealed in undulating waves of burnt orange, terracotta, purple, yellow and gold that glisten.
We loved the ancient tortoises kept in an enclosure nearby. They ambled to us like two giant prehistoric dogs, to have their leathery heads stroked.
At a viewing platform a local man with a truck loaded with fresh coconuts was hacking the tops off with a machete. For 35 Mauritian Rupee (90 cent!) we bought one each with a straw to drink the coconut milk as we admired the view of the sea below and mountains above. Delicious heaven!
On the flight home I took photos of the peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro clearly seen sticking up through the clouds as we flew over Africa back to Ireland.
British Airways has three direct flights a week from Heathrow to Mauritius.
The famous crafts market at Port-Louis has a huge variety of interesting stalls.
Check out the 150-year-old Creole mansion Eureka and its tropical gardens in the Moka District.
The Labourdonais Estate with its large orchards and collections of rare plants is a must-see.
(High season: 15th Oct-15th April)
Le Canonnier Hotel — an all-inclusive stay at high season rates costs from around €270 for a garden-facing room and €350 for sea-facing.
www.lecanonnier-hotel.com
La Mariposa B&B +2304835048www.lamariposa.mu
Costs from €90 to €110 per night, high season.
All resort hotels have desks with Avis and Hertz but you will most certainly get a much better deal from some of the smaller local companies — we used Monet Car Hire with no problems at all
www.carhiremauritius.io
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