Curepipe Curepipe is by far one of the most densely populated areas within Central Mauritius, and...

Curepipe Curepipe is by far one of the most densely populated areas within Central Mauritius, and...
Features information that is relevant to travellers who are thinking about and actively planning a visit to Mauritus.
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.
Madison's Group, Incorporated in 1994, is the leader in the business of luxury lifestyle, high-end branded watches, jewelry and fashion accessories. With its head offices in Port Louis, Mauritius, its activity is based on a network of retail businesses strategically developed over the whole of Mauritius Island and in different segments of the market, as well as a Regional Distribution of branded consumer goods.
Restaurants
Escale Créole, Mo Ti Bazz, pit-za pitstop and Baz'Art Mokaban are some of the restaurants that specialise in local flavours.
Popular food franchises in the region include kfc, McDonald's, ocean basket, Subway and Debonairs Pizza.
Le Coin Barbu, L'Ardoise, Meltin'Potes, Moka'z, Greedy Dragon and La Trattoria are some of the restaurants that serve delicious food.
Flying Dodo and Muzika are afterwork bars that give a relaxed chill-out atmosphere.
Catch up with your friends and colleagues at Moka'z, vida e caffè, Café LUX*, L'Arabica or Paul for a coffee and a chat.
Tasty, popular street food can be found in Ti Chevrette, Snack Mangouste, Mokaban, algoo snack and Eshan Snack, among others.
Delicious sweets are available from places like Mamamia, Angel Berry, The Belgian Waffles Shop and Gelatissimo.
The beach of La Cambuse is a beautiful beach in the southeast coast of Mauritius. The white sandy beach is surrounded by greenery along the turquoise sea. The sea is generally rough with strong currents and therefore swimming is not recommended. However if you want to swim go to the right end of the beach and you will find an area where the water is surrounded by rocks that seems fit for a swim.
The best time to visit the beach of La Cambuse is early in the morning from 9:00 to 11:00 or in the afternoon from 13:00 to 16:00. It is within a couple of miles from the SRR International Airport. The beach is not crowded because it is not very frequently visited by the local people or even by the travellers and you can enjoy a peaceful vacation there. Mountain biking or standard electric biking is perfect for La Cambuse as it enables one to take the small paths that are otherwise inaccessible.
Blue Bay Beach Apartment has two large bedrooms with attached bathrooms.
Le Jardin De Frangipane has only one bedroom and a bathroom. The bedroom is small and can accommodate only 2 people.
Villa Bella has one luxurious bedroom with an attached bath which can accommodate only 2 persons.
Studio LE FILAOS is a quiet place with self catering facilities such as kitchen, refrigerator and electrical appliances. The bungalow is fully air-conditioned. The room has two single beds and an attached bathroom.
Shona Apartments is luxurious with three large bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and also a large living room.
Pereybere is located in the district of Riviere du Rempart on the north coast of Mauritius. It is around 30mins drive from the capital Port Louis. From the airport, the drive takes around 1 hour and 30 mins to reach Pereybere.
Pereybere is one of the most popular beaches of Grand Bay. There are a variety of water sports, a translucent turquoise sea and white sandy beach. It is a small creek which is very popular among tourists and locals who attend in large numbers during the week and especially on weekends. The beach is suitable for family swimming, and is ideal for children and inexperienced swimmers. Near the beach vendors sell exotic fruits and ice cream. Nearby restaurants offer varied menus.The best time to visit the beach of Pereybere is early in the morning from 9:00 to 12:00 or in the afternoon from 14:00 to 17:00.
Activities at Pereybere include pedalo, windsurfing, catamaran, parasailing, scuba diving, deep sea fishing and kayaking.
In Pereybere there are excellent boutique hotels and self-catering villas,apartments, holiday rentals and two to five-star hotels. Hotels in Pereybere are Ocean V Hotel, Hibiscus Beach Resort & Spa, Pereybere Hotel & Spa, Casa Florida Hotel and Spa, Pereybere Serviced Suites, Villa Pointe Azur, Merville Beach Hotel, Nitzana Residences & Restaurant, Miramar Villas, and Hacienda Plaza.
Other famous beaches you can visit from Pereybere are Bain Boeuf, La Cuvette, Grand Baie, Mont Choisy and Trou aux Biches.
Attractions to visit nearby Pereybere are Cap Malheureux Church, Galerie du Moulin Cassé Art Gallery, L’Aventure du Sucre (a former sugar factory), Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden, and The Château de Labourdonnais (another old sugar factory).
Pereybere is located halfway between Grand Baie and Cap Malheureux and it is possible to reach one town or the other in a few minutes. The village is only 5 kilometers from Mont Choisy with one of the most beautiful beaches in Mauritius.
Pereybere has a good bus route leading to key locations in Mauritius. You can easily get the bus to Port Louis or to other cities such as Triolet, Goodlands and Grand Gaube.
Flacq is a district of Mauritius, situated in the east of the island. It is the largest district, having an area of 297.9 km².
Trou d’Eau Douce is a small village in this district, from where visitors take boats for tours on Île aux Cerfs island. Belle Mare is an important beach which attracts a lot of Mauritians and tourists. All kinds of water sports are available here.
Activities
Several cruises and tour trips are available from Poste de Flacq. In The downtown area there are museums, boutiques and excellent restaurants that serve Creole dishes as well as international cuisine. There are markets that offer juicy fruits, fresh farm vegetables to an array of handmade Mauritian products. You can rent a car and explore some fifteen cities and towns past the border.
Flic-en-Flac is a seaside village on the west coast of Mauritius in the district of Black River. The name most likely comes from an Old Dutch phrase, “Fried Landt Flaak”, meaning free, flat land.
Flic-en-Flac is in a non-industrial part of Mauritius, with a coastline of about 13 kilometres. There are many luxury hotels, resorts, rental apartments, restaurants, bars, clubs and souvenir shops in this area. which attract about 500,000 tourists a year. Flic-en-Flac is lively both during day and night.
Weekend Activities
On the weekend, a lot of locals go to the beach to spend the day with their families and friends. Some of them will engage in water sports like swimming, snorkelling, diving etc. Some of them will sing and dance to the typical Sega music. They also enjoy delicious street food such as DhalPuri and fried noodles with Mauritian meatballs. DhalPuri is multi layered thin flat bread with some flavorful curry and sauces wrapped in.
Night Life
The nightlife is very vibrant as a lot of locals and tourists go out to the nightclubs and restaurants to enjoy the night and meet people.
Champ de Mars is one of the oldest racecourses in the world. It became operational on 25 June 1812 with the support of the then governor of the island, Sir Robert Farquhar. He introduced horse racing in Mauritius to win the esteem and the collaboration of the French population. Now the racecourse is managed by the Mauritius Turf Club.
Horse Racing constitutes one of the most popular sports in Mauritius. It attracts more than 20 000 persons at Champ de Mars every week. Instead of the more common races, the four classics are preferred: the Duchess of York Cup, the Barbé Cup, the Duke of York Cup and especially the Maiden Cup, which takes place exceptionally on a Sunday (and not a Saturday) in September. This last event is the most popular. The horses are specially prepared for this one and run two laps each time, a distance of 2,400 metres. On this day, the lawn is full and the crowd can reach over 100,000 spectators.
The Crown Lodge is a hotel attached to the racecourse. Jacques Ritter, a former rider, owns Crown Lodge. It was launched in May 2002. It is a private steward suite converted to allow tourists from around the world to discover, in optimum conditions of comfort and safety, the electric atmosphere of horse racing in Mauritius. The Lodge is located on the VIP balcony, next door to the office of the president of the Mauritius Turf Club. It offers a magnificent view on the finish line and the paddock. A variety of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and local snacks are offered throughout the day. You will also have the opportunity to meet the trainers and horse owners.
The Gris Gris beach is at the southernmost point of Mauritius. It is a few kilometers southeast of the village of Souillac, a historical village that dates back to the French colonial period. This little piece of beach does not have a coral reef, the big waves come breaking on the shore offering amazing views to the visitors. Swimming is strongly discouraged for hobbyists and professionals because of strong currents and huge waves that break on this part of the island make it totally impractical.
Gris Gris is well known for its sea cliffs and offers visitors a magnificent view from the top. At the southern end of Gris-Gris, you will have a great viewpoint on the cliffs and will see the crashing of waves against the flanks. There is a small garden offering many quiet spots for you to relax on one of the many benches, while having a view of the sea, waves and rock cliffs.
Further down the road from the Gris Gris Viewpoint is the ‘Roche qui Pleure’ (Weeping Rock). This is also another fantastic viewpoint where if you look at the rock from the right angle, it will appear as a face with tears constantly streaming down, as the waves continually crash. There you will have a perfect view of a large rock where the waves break with great violence, accompanied by a large thud.
Electric bikes and quad bikes are available for hire in this area. These are suitable for exploring the nearby areas on your own at a leisurely pace. Horse riding is also available if you are accustomed to horses.
Prior to the 18th century, Turtle Bay was a popular stop for ships on their voyage from Europe to the riches of the East. It was then called ‘Ebony Bay’ by the Dutch because ebony forests were plentiful in the area and ebony wood is ideal for ship repairs. By the 17th century the ebony forest was mostly depleted but there were many turtles frolicking in the bay. So the Dutch changed the bay’s name to ‘Turtle Bay’.
The English also anchored their ships at Balaclava to stock up with food and other necessities for their long sea voyage.
By the 18th century, the French had settled in Mauritius. The first governor by the name of Mahe de Labourdonnais moved the administration from Mahebourg in the South to the North. The new capital was named Port Louis in honour of King Louis XV. A new capital and a harbour were built by the French. Balaclava was used to make weapons and gunpowder during Mahe de Labourdonnais’ campaigns in India. Some 400 slaves worked gunpowder factory during this period. The bay was thereafter nicknamed ‘La Baie de l’Arsenal’ and the small village that lies on the road from Port Louis to Grand Bay was called ‘Arsenal’. An iron foundry, a naval arsenal and a gunpowder factory completed the ‘fort’.
The 5-star Maritim Resort & Spa Mauritius is located within Ruins of Balaclava estate along with the Citron river and its waterfalls and estuary. A wide array of activities such as fishing in the river, outdoor games and playground, animal farm, giant tortoises park, archery sessions and more are available.
The ‘open-air museum’ is located on the grounds of the Maritim Hotel in a 35 hectare estate on the South west coast. It’s only a 10 minute drive from popular Grand Bay. The entrance to this historical site is free for visitors. You must phone the Maritim Resort for permission to visit the ruins. Tell them you are a tourist. That’s because the site is sometimes used for fashion and film shoots when the producers pay a fee.
In the museum there is an old flour mill which was used to produce flour to make many food products. The wheat was imported from Australia.
The original sea walls built around the fortress are still visible and the ruins are conveniently located in the vicinity of the Maritim Hotel. Chateau Mon Desir is a restaurant built on the spot of the original Mon Desir home from where the Turtle Bay and the ruins are visible. Chateau Mon Desir is now gastronomic ‘à la carte’ restaurant in a colonial-style mansion house overlooking the 18th century Ruins of Balaclava and the Citron river.