Chinatown in Mauritius is in the heart of the capital Port Louis. It is one of the oldest Chinese settlement in Africa which dates as far back as the 1780s. Today, Chinese Mauritians are moving out of the area to seek their fortunes abroad.
There are colorfully painted, white, red and blue wooden shop fronts which date as far back as the mid 1800s. Ground spices, aromatic vegetables and restaurants serving up Asian cuisines invite visitors to Chinatown.
Chinatown
Mandarin is still actively taught in middle schools in the area, and the streets are marked with well-maintained pagodas.
Although Chinese make up less than 3% of the island’s population, their presence is noticeable throughout the island. Chinatown is a gathering spot for cultural customs such as celebrating the mid-autumn festival also known as the mooncake festival. The festival offers a chance for both young and old to participate in centuries-old traditions and draws tourists. During the Chinese new year period there will be colourful lion dances in the city.
Lion Dance
Chinatown has always been a busy trade epicentre and tourist attraction. A group of young people formed the New Chinatown Foundation to try and bring vibrancy, and identity to the district. New Chinatown Foundation members organize street cleaning and pull together to repaint neglected buildings. A volunteer patrol group was organized to walk the streets at night to keep the area safe from a spate of recent night-time crimes.
Chinese street food,noodles and dumplings, is popular among locals as well as visitors. The Chinese Immigration Museum showcases China Town’s history.
Chinese Cuisine in Chinatown
During the annual Chinatown Food and Cultural Festival The area morphs into a celebration ground, with the rhythmic drum beats and music in the background and a vibrant and colourful night sky with fireworks. The street turns into performing stages for artists – painters, dancers, musicians, acrobats, calligraphists. Food stalls offering Varieties of dishes brim with crowds. Shops are brightly decorated with gold, and red Chinese lanterns and shopkeepers display their best products for this night. Later in the night, the streets are closed for vehicles and are open for dance performances.
Tamarin is a small fishing village on the south-western coast of Mauritius.Tamarin Beach surrounded by salt pans, is close to 1.5 kilometres in length. Much of the beach is lost to the incoming waves at high tide. But a gap in Tamarin Beach’s coral reef allows large waves to reach its white sands. This gives the opportunity to the surfers.
Salt production dates back to the French period and the tradition of its making is almost unchanged after nearly two centuries. Water is pumped directly from the nearby sea and allowed to evaporate in the basins.
Tamarin Beach
The beach does attract quite a lot of visitors at times and is also the starting point for the dolphin-spotting trips and angling adventures.
Tamarin Bay was discovered by a wider audience and immortalized after the release of the classic surf documentary “Forgotten Island of Santosha” by Larry and Roger Yates in 1974.
The ongoing development in Mauritius has made this village to become home to a new leisure and commercial area. The surfing area was previously known as Santosha Bay although the villages did not want to give a moniker because they didn’t want outsiders to discover their cache of surfable seas. Now the conditions have changed and the villagers are reaping the benefits of the development in tourism.
Tamarin village is located in the district of Black River and is about 50 km and one hour drive from the International Airport. The capital Port Louis, is about 30 km north of Tamarin and the drive takes around 1 hour. There are bus services between Tamarin and key locations in Mauritius. Visitors can use the public transport to save some money.
There are excellent boutique hotels and self-catering villas to aparthotels, B&Bs, holiday rentals and two to five-star hotels in Tamarin. There is accommodation to suit every budget.
Sands Suites Resort & Spa is a 4 star superior hotel offering five star luxury. From the hotel you get magnificent views of Tamarin Bay and Le Morne Mountain.
Golf Club
Tamarina Golf & Spa Boutique Hotel is a 4-star boutique hotel offers a selection of 50 garden-facing or sea-facing rooms, a choice of three different restaurants as well as bars and a wellness centre and also features an 18-hole golf course. Tamarina Golf Club is a 18-hole Championship Golf Course. This Par 72 challenging course undulates over 43 hectares of rugged savannah land framed with mature trees and crossed by the Rempart River. The holes have been designed to give great views.
Veranda-Tamarin-Hotel-and-Spa
Veranda Tamarin Hotel and Spa is located in the mythical retro surf spot of Tamarin Bay.
There are many more hotels in the area.
Tamarin Bay is also known for the water sports such as surfing, bodyboarding, paddleboarding, kitesurfing, snorkeling and scuba diving, high sea fishing,catamaran cruise and dolphin or whale watching etc.
Cascavelle Shopping Village located in Flic-en Flac is a great destination for shopping.
The market is named after a famous village and also the largest district in Mauritius. This is the meeting point for inhabitants of East Mauritius. It is also the largest outdoor market in Mauritius. The market is open every day, but the best time to visit is during Wednesdays and Sundays when all the stalls are open and the place is swarming with people. You will see the cultural diversity of the nation with African, European, Indian and Chinese influences in this market.
Flacq Market
The word Flacq means flat in Dutch. The quality of the soil made Flacq an ideal choice for the Dutch to establish a garden and numerous important settlements including Trou d’Eau Douce which they named Cronenburg and in Grande Riviere Sud-Est.
The market is a one-stop shopping destination for many items such as locally produced vegetables and fruits, seafood, vanilla and herbal tea and also textile products. You can also buy souvenirs for yourself to take back home.
In the textile section where you will find fabrics of all colours and patterns as well as ready made garments. Colourful sarees, sparkling lehengas or comfy sweatpants are all available within meters of each other. There are a couple of stalls with several African themed tops and dresses hanging from the roof of the stalls.
Flacq Market
From street food vendors you can get fried snacks such as samosa, Taro Root fritters, and bhajiyas. Fresh coconut water is a popular drink in the market.
You may also hear snippets of the Bhojpuri language (of Indian origin) spoken across the market. In your visit to the market you will learn a lot about the culture of East Mauritius.
Quatre Bornes Market is in the busy town of Quatre Bornes. As the market is crowded with the locals you can experience the live Mauritian culture. The vegetable stalls will display items like watercress, lettuce, tomatoes, bananas and many other fruits and vegetables.
Quatre Bornes Market
There will be stalls specialising in spices. You can stock up on some for your own kitchen. On Thursdays and Sundays, you will find the Haberdashery section of the market at its best. The textile market offers a wide variety of items such as underwear, sports wear or Indian dresses. You will also find fabric of various colours and materials on sale together with blankets, table cloths, shoes, bags and trinkets.
Quatre Bornes Market Spices
Locals love to bargain so it will be good fun for you to dabble in some bargaining.
From Monday to Saturday the Foodcourt is open and you have the delicious options to choose from snacks to meals. You can even watch the food being prepared.
Moka in Mauritius is a shoppers paradise. You will be amazed by the number of shops selling  high end branded goods  to shops selling traditional outfits and products of the different cultures on the island. The colours, beauty and diversity of the products will mesmorise you.
You will get different shopping experiences from shopping in large modern shopping malls to duty-free shops and traditional and craft shops where you may find many items at bargain prices. More uniquely there are also some regions where you still have hawkers selling different items including artisanal products on the streets or on the beach at bargain prices. You will also find great souvenirs to bring back to your home from your vacations.
Most shopping malls offer clothes, jewellery, shoes, and leisure activities like bars, restaurants, and cinemas. In the traditional market you will get a variety of bright and colourful clothing, a variety of scents, tropical fruits and locally made handicraft products.
Here are some of the retail outlets. Bagatelle Mall by Ascencia Bagatelle Mall is the leading shopping and retail destination in Mauritius.  There are 155 shops in the mall offering a variety of consumer goods. The spacious Food Court gives shoppers plenty of mouthwatering options. INTERMART Bagatelle is a one-stop supermarket for all your daily needs, including groceries, detergents, vegetables, and so much more. It is located at  Bagatelle,Moka,Mauritius. Â
Mauritius is home to many  markets where buyers get a wide variety of handicrafts and local goods. Located in the heart of Grand Baie, the Grand Baie Bazaar is where you will get a variety of stalls with souvenirs such as colorful bags, fabrics, handicrafts and gift items on offer.  Stones, silver or gold jewelry can also be bought in several shops.
While you are at the Grand Baie Bazaar, check around the market to see if you can get a cheaper deal at another store. The quality of the mock-designer clothing is average, so do not be disappointed if your dress looks worn out after a couple of washes. The market is usually crowded on weekends and therefore beware of pickpockets.
Grand Baie Bazaar
Grand Baie Bazaar is located away from the Royal Road in what may look like a hidden inland street. The street at the Grand Baie has shops lined at both sides of the alley.
Grand Baie Bazaar is the right place to buy Malagasy and Mauritian Crafts.
A wide variety of street food and snacks are also available in the food stalls in the market.
In Super U Hypermarket, which is located in Grand Baie, a self-caterer gets almost everything he can imagine. Baguette, jam, chocolate, mixed pickles, Indian masala – there is nothing you can not find here. Super U also has a wide choice of fresh foods like cheese, meat and fish, vegetables and fruits. Not only ingredients for a decent meal can be bought in the big supermarket, but also things like souvenirs, snorkeling equipment, clothes, shoes, books, magazines and newspapers.
‘Bluesteel‘, ‘Roxy‘, ‘IV Play‘, ‘Red Snapper‘ are clothing stores for the younger people. ‘Une histoire d´amour‘ provides lovely lingerie. Beachwear can be found at the same-named shop. ‘Lemon Yellow‘ has a wide choice of man´s shirts. If you are looking for jewelry, ‘Mikado‘ is the right spot. For evening dresses you go to the store ‘Tendances’. Even a pharmacy is also to be found.
Shopping in Grand Baie
If you go outside this area you will find even more shops on two floors. ‘Island Haze‘, ‘Fashion House‘, ‘Mr. Price‘, ‘Peace Angels‘ and ‘O`Neill‘ provide you with the latest fashion. Shops like Courts Home2Office and Happy World offer housewares, electrical and electronic devices. Of course you will also find jewelers, perfumeries like Mado or shops with accessories like Gurlz. Also a craft market is to be found which is decorated in an Asian style, where you can bargain not like in other shops. There are  shoe shops, a wellness centre, a florist and also an optician.
Featured Image : By S Molteno – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25935306
Grand Baie really has a huge selection of food outlets and restaurants.
For good oriental food pop in to Hong Kong Tower – really outstanding food and reasonably priced. Sakura is a Japanese restaurant which serves up a fair sushi. Also a popular choice is La Jonque.
If you’re in the mood for Italian, Luigi’s is a nice place to pop in to. Another option is Don Camillo.
There are many other options too – take your pick from La Capitaine (seafood place set superbly on the coast), Alchemy (steak) or Le Tandoor (Indian).
Within an easy taxi ride is Le Bateau d’Ivre which is just before Pointe aux cannoniers. You can also get a taxi to Trou Aux Biches (about five minutes) and dine at the restaurants there.
There are some good nightime options for tourists within Grand Bair. For a start there are a couple of disco’s two of the most popular being Star Dance and El Diablo.
