A dazzling day with bright sunshine, which made everything in its path sparkle. A cool breeze rustling through my hair, making the sunshine inviting. Clear blue skies dotted with pure white clouds as far as the eye could see....as though someone had painted the sky with broad even strokes. The oh-so-green trees lining the country stood out in stark contrast with the blue of the sky, and every corner seemed to be a beautiful piece of art.
Mauritius greeted us with the perfect weather and scenery as we sped towards our stay...excited about the days to come.
We chose Mauritius for our honeymoon for 2 main reasons- First, it promised to be the right mix of relaxation and adventure. It was neither filled with hopping from one place to another on a packed itinerary, nor was it a D-I-Y vacation where you just lounge around your resort and chill. The second reason was free visa on arrival, as we were in no mood to bear with visa hassles.
Short Itinerary
The short itinerary which we followed was:-
Day 1: Reaching & rest at the hotel. Explore hotel.
Day 2: Water sports at Belle Mare beach in the morning. Later speedboat transfer to Ile aux cerfs...boasting the quintessential blue-green waters of Mauritius and clean sandy beaches. A speedboat ride to GRSE waterfalls
Day 3: At leisure. We tried the complimentary massage and kayaking that our hotel provided, and also went cycling in the country.
Day 4: A day long Catamaran cruise, with all the food and drinks provided on the boat.
Day 5: A visit to Port Louis, the capital city of Mauritius
Day 6: Exploring the south of the island
We got it organized through Travel Triangle, and it was a fairly good itinerary with some improvisations by us.
Flights & Visa
Our trip was for 5 nights and 6 days from Delhi. Air Mauritius/Air India operate direct flights from Delhi to Mauritius three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. And direct return flights to Delhi are on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. The round trip cost of flights from Delhi will be in the range of 45k. The Air Mauritius flights are quite comfortable. Mauritius offers free visa on arrival. You just need to fill a form and deposit it at the immigration counter. People are advised to carry 2 photographs and proof of funds, but we were not asked anything except the purpose and duration of our stay.
We stayed at Seaview Calodyne Lifestyle Resort in Calodyne. It was a very relaxed place, and if you want more buzz or shopping and nightlife, you could try Grand Baie or Flic-en-flac.
Grand Baie was around 10km from our hotel, and taxis were available on hire from the hotel at fixed rates(around 1500 MUR).
Seaview Calodyne is a child friendly resort. The rooms are quite small but clean. The sea view is only from their hotel. They do have a small deck looking out to the sea which was the best part of the hotel. We didn't miss the beautiful sunsets on any day.
They offered free Kayaking and 30 mins massage at their in-house spa which was very good. We did not go for scuba diving, but they have a diving school in the hotel precincts-Dodo Divers.
They also offer free bicycles for moving around the area, which is especially convenient for going till Intermart-a convenience store from where we bought our stock of food and drinks.
The hotel does not offer free water, even during meals, and water is really expensive. So it is best to get bottled water from Intermart, or any other convenience store for the duration of stay. Tap water is not potable.
We also did not like the taste of the food served in the inclusive buffet, which was part of our package. It is also advised to take care of your belongings in Mauritius and not leave valuables unguarded in the room.
We arrived in our hotel at around 2PM local time. It was a bit far from the airport. After reaching the hotel, we took bicycles to Intermart, the local convenience store to stock up on water, chips, chocolates, and other food and drinks.
From there we went to this cute little cafe called Popeye's. They had a menu of Crepes, Pasta, Salads and Roasted Chicken. It was quite pocket friendly as well.
This became our favourite haunt for the next 6 days.
Best Time to Visit
We visited in April, and it was a wonderful time to visit. The tourist season starts from May, and April is shoulder season. So the weather is sunny on most days. It did rain on two days out of the six we spent there, but thankfully they did not disrupt any of our plans. The weather was pleasant and sunny days were not very hot.
Stay
Day 1:
The evening was spent on the deck of the hotel, looking out over the sunset, food and drinks spread out. This was our routine for all the days we spent there.
The day ended with dinner buffet and a walk around the hotel.
On our second day in Mauritius, we went to Belle Mare beach to try water sports. We went for tube ride, para sailing and undersea walk, all of which were a lot of fun. During undersea walk, we fed the fish and we could feel them nibbling on our hand.
Swimming clothes are a must for indulging in water activities so do carry your swim wear.
Next we were transferred to Ile aux cerfs, which is a private island.
It is beautiful with blue green waters and sandy beaches. All those dream Mauritius photos come to life here. While Ile aux cerfs also offers water sports and various activities, they were more expensive as compared to Belle Mare.
We spent about an hour or so having lunch on the beach and clicking pictures(don't forget to take a beach towel-we got one from our hotel itself).
Next we were taken by speedboat to visit GRSE waterfalls. The waterfalls, through small were spectacular, so do not miss it. Some people were even kayaking to the waterfalls, so if you are a pro, you can give it a shot.
The entire package of water sports, transfer to Ile aux cerfs, speedboat cruise to GRSE waterfalls cost about Rs. 7000 MUR for a couple.
After visiting the waterfalls, we were transferred by speedboat to where our bus was waiting for us.
From here, we were transferred back to the hotel, and thus our adventure filled day came to an end.
Day 3: After a hectic day filled with adventure sports, we were greeted by a lazy Sunday. Keep this leisure day for exploring the resort activities.
We had a leisurely breakfast, then went for our free couple spa, which was very relaxing.
Day 4: We took an optional Catamaran cruise on Day 4. It was chargeable extra, but an experience to remember. From 10 AM to 4 PM, we sailed on a Catamaran in the middle of the sea. Food and drinks were all included in the price of approx. 4500 MUR per couple. This is a must do, if you have time. The ride also promises a barbeque lunch, swimming in the sea and Dolphin sighting.
We had to weather a storm in the middle of the sea, so no one volunteered for swimming, and due to bad weather we didn't see any dolphins. But the group which went the next day saw many dolphins and we had to content ourselves seeing the videos only.
Day 5: This day was devoted to North Island tour. First, we went to the Citadel, which is a fort affording a bird's eye view of the Capital city of Mauritius.
Then we spent some time lazing around on the beach, and took a quick dip in the pool as well.
For lunch, we went cycling to our favourite Popeye's, and got caught in the Mauritius rain. But that was a memorable ride!
We saw the Champs Elysees Race Course from outside, and went onwards to explore Port Louis. The first stop was Le Caudan Waterfront, which is an upscale market area overlooking the harbour.
We bought a few trinkets to take back home-Coffee mugs, fridge magnets and the like.
Then we went to explore one of the two UNESCO World Heritage sites that Mauritius is home to-Aapravasi Ghat.
Aapravasi ghat was an immigration depot which received indentured Labour from India and other countries. The remains of the site are still there, along with an information centre, which beautifully depicts the story of how Indians came and settled in Mauritius. This also explains the high level of Indian influence in this tiny island nation, so far away from India.
While touring the city, we also came across heritage buildings such as this post office, which has now been converted into a museum. We didn't go inside due to lack of time.
Finally, we went in search of a Mauritian lunch with fresh fish,which we found at a steep price. This was our costliest meal in Mauritius.
Day 6: This was our last day on the island. Usually it is supposed to be relaxed, but since we had requested for a catamaran cruise, our itinerary for the South Island tour got shifted to the last day. 1st May is a holiday when city is closed.
South Island tour is undoubtedly the most scenic of all the days. Our first stop was Curepipe, where we witnessed how intricate ship models are made.
Then we shopped for some trinkets, and ship models. Our next stop was Trou aux cerfs, a dormant volcano. Not much can be discerned except a grassy green circle.
By this time it had started raining. So we ploughed on to our next destination - Ganga Talao. Here we witnessed all Hindu Gods and Goddesses in all their glory. This highlight was the huge statue of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga.
From here, we went to the highlight of the South Island Tour- Valley of Colors Park.
Valley of Colors is famous for its 27 colored earth formed from volcanic eruptions. The park offers a series of adventure activities like zip lining, Nepalese Bridge, ATV ride and luge kart.
Budget around 8000 MUR per couple and 4-5 hours if you want to do all the activities.
The best way to view 23 colored earth and giant tortoises is to take an ATV ride around the park.
Our cruise started and ended at Port Louis.
From here we left for our hotel. Those interested can also visit Pamplemousses botanical garden on the way and witness the giant lilies and other exotic plants. Entry fee is extra.
The only other activity we tried was zip lining over the waterfall. While the park boasts of the longest zipline in the Indian ocean, the zipline over the waterfall is amazingly scenic and you'll get an easy ride back to base.
The Nepalese Bridge is also a wonderful experience as attested by those who did it. Photographs are charged extra, so budget that if you want the photos. We used our phones to click pics and it turned out fine.
From here we went directly to airport, and our heavenly journey through Mauritius came to an end. But the memories are still fresh in our minds!
Some of the other things which can be included in the itinerary are- Casella Park especially walk with the lions, Scuba Diving and Sky diving.
But if you are looking for a relaxed yet adventurous itinerary, this might make the cut.
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