Mauritius: mesmerising magic on an island in the Indian Ocean

A dolphin encounter, sega music and local rum seduce Jillian Bolger on a dream Indian Ocean escape

Magic Mauritius.

It's 7am in southern Mauritius, and I am in heaven. And I have the footage to prove it.

It seems impossibly good fortune that I press record at the exact moment two acrobatic spinner dolphins launch themselves skywards from beneath the waves.

They emerge suddenly before our boat, their sleek bodies twirling around and around and around mid-air, spinning with the grace and agility of Olympic gymnasts. 

Our collective gasps are captured on video, before they disappear beneath the Indian Ocean.

Part of a pod of about 20 wild dolphins who ply Mauritian waters in the early morning sun, we are here to snorkel with these majestic creatures whose aquatic playground happens to be over the reef by the beach where I’m staying.

Le Morne peninsula isn’t just home to Le Morne Brabant, a beautiful and dramatic basalt monolith with Unesco World Heritage status, it’s also the location of two rather beautiful hotels and Mauritius’ largest lagoon — where I am happily ensconced.

A favourite spot for spinner and bottlenose dolphins, we are here to snorkel with these resident beauties on our early morning boat trip.

Upon instruction from our guide, we launch ourselves clumsily into the waters — kitted out in snorkels and fins. Speed is of the essence and our first dip reveals a mesmerising display just below the surface.

Ahead of us dolphins, including two babies staying close to their mums, glide joyfully, playfully, and elegantly.

The waters are reassuringly still, shimmering topaz, diaphanous and electric.

The pod moves fast, so we clamber aboard our vessel again to relocate to another spot. We are instructed to keep our distance in the water and not to attempt to touch or disturb these wild creatures.

Swimming with dolphins in Mauritius.

On my third and final snorkel, I land in the water a little closer to the pod.

I fail to notice that it is a smaller group, as I am distracted by a hypnotic beeping and clicking sound that’s engulfing me. And just like that, I realise that I am privy to dolphin banter — sonar waves they use to communicate with each other.

Overjoyed by the distraction of dolphin speak, my heart somersaults when I look down to see five dolphins swimming directly below me, as if racing me. It seems I have somehow ended up in the middle of the pod, which is why the sonar code is so loud.

I am so high on endorphins that I don’t feel the tiny jellyfish lightly scoring my forearms. Jelly stings tend to feel like an electric prickle, but I am so engrossed with the spectacle that I feel nothing.

That this unforgettable experience happened at a hotel called Paradis seems like no coincidence. I’ve seen plenty of Indian Ocean action on my travels, and this one is right up there in the heavenly category.

It’s my first visit to this Indian Ocean island whose history is as colourful as its flag: Four bold horizontal stripes of red, blue, yellow and green that could easily have inspired Google’s colour palette.

The Beachcomber Paradis, Mauritius

We are here for National Day and the island is festooned with flags at every turn. It seems a good time to learn about the country’s history, which saw the once-unsettled island change hands many times since Portuguese sailors first mapped it in 1500.

Off the coast of East Africa and 500 miles from Madagascar, Mauritius became a colonial outpost for European powers, changing hands after extended periods from Dutch governance to French and British.

The flag’s stripes each symbolise an element of the county’s proud identity: Freedom, struggle, the Indian Ocean, and its lush sub-tropical landscape.

The majority of Mauritians are descended from Indian labourers, Chinese traders and African slaves as well as Dutch, French and British colonists.

This multi-ethnicity hasn’t just created a harmonious society, but also a unique culture, architecture, and delicious cuisine.

Sugar cane used to be the most grown commodity on this mountainous island, and it’s this legacy of rum making that finds me behind the bar at Beachcomber Trou aux Biches fixing a rum Old-Fashioned — a local take on the classic whiskey cocktail.

I haven’t just helped myself, but rather am under the careful instruction of a barman and rum aficionado who has just taken us through a tutored tasting.

Eight rum styles later — just sips, I hasten to add — I know what I like and have been introduced to the country’s thriving craft distillers who are on the rise again.

Trou aux Biches Resort & Spa, Mauritius

The next day, after a colourful flag-raising ceremony at the hotel to celebrate National Day, we are treated to a vibrant performance of music, song, and dance.

Local women in frilled dresses whirl and twirl in colourful layers, swaying with smiling young children.

A joyful introduction to traditional sega music, my eyes are drawn to a ravanne — a handheld goatskin drum that beats like a bodhrán.

Trou aux Biches is on the northwest coast of the island, one of eight Beachcomber properties, a luxury hotel group with high standards and impressive green credentials.

Here, a chic collection of suites is built into tropical gardens, spread out along a magnificent beach, woven seamlessly into nature.

An early morning jog around the resort reveals lush gardens, flower-fringed pools, swaying palms, and pristine sands lapped by the sea. Nature envelops guests at every turn, as a near-miss with a neon green bird reminds me, swooping past my face in a thrilling manoeuvre.

Throughout the week I discover countless corners of this island, all white sand beaches, waterfalls, volcanic peaks, turquoise lagoons, and dense forest. I snorkel with colourful fish, see kaleidoscopic sunsets, luxuriate in Beachcomber’s exceptional spas and feast like a queen.

I see Mauritius through the eyes of chefs, mixologists, masseuses, sailors, a beekeeper and an environmentalist. And I meet local craftspeople at a community initiative established by Beachcomber Hotels.

Watching them create pottery, jewellery and ravanne drums in their fully funded studio, I decide to buy a tiny ceramic dodo.

He will sit on my desk as a reminder of the beauty, fragility and wonder of Mauritius and as a promise to return.

• Jillian was a guest of Beachcomber Resorts.

Currying favour 

Mauritian food is an exciting mix of curries, biryani, noodles, seafood, breads and pastries reflecting the diverse population. 

During my stay at Trou aux Biches, I learn to make a traditional masala chicken curry, the island staple. 

Made with fresh curry leaves, cumin, cinnamon and fenugreek and served with rice and naan, every house has its own version of the recipe.

Escape notes

• Seven nights half board in a Junior Suite at Trou aux Biches Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa, for two adults starts from £2,105 (approx. €2449) per person sharing.
• Seven nights half board in a Paradis Bay View Room at Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa, for two adults starts from £2,190 (approx. €2,549) per person sharing.
• Prices include return economy flights from London with Air Mauritius, various complimentary land and water sports, and private transfers in Mauritius. Departures in June 2025.
• Book with beachcombertours.uk