Spain & PortugalCanary IslandsTenerifeLanzaroteFuerteventuraGran CanariaMajorcaMenorcaIbizaCosta del SolCosta BlancaBenidormAlgarveMadeiraPortoMadrid

Holiday typesAll inclusiveMulti-centreCity breaksLuxuryFamily holidaysAdults onlyHoneymoon

Holidays by monthHolidays in JanuaryHolidays in FebruaryHolidays in MarchHolidays in AprilHolidays in MayHolidays in June

An aerial view of the Mauritian coast and its turquoise lagoon

Indian Ocean · Mauritius

Mauritius

An island ringed by a coral reef, so the water inside it is flat, shallow and warm the whole way round. Add mountains, a rum trail and a genuinely good food culture, and it's the Indian Ocean island with the most to do.

12h direct · MRUNo visa for UK passportsYear-roundGuide price from £1,599pp

The short version

Everything sits inside a lagoon — but the coasts still differ

A near-continuous reef rings Mauritius, which is why the water is calm and turquoise everywhere and why it suits families so well. What changes is the wind and the character. The east catches the south-east trades and is breezier, quieter and has the best sand. The west is sheltered, hotter and where the sunsets and the dolphins are. The north is the liveliest, with actual towns and restaurants. The south is the wildest and least built-up.

An aerial view of a beach with a mountain behind

The south-west

Le Morne, and the mountain behind it

A basalt monolith rising 550m straight out of the sea, UNESCO-listed for its history as a refuge for escaped slaves. The peninsula below it has the island's best kitesurfing, some of its smartest hotels, and the vantage point for the 'underwater waterfall' — an optical illusion of sand shelving off the reef that you can only see from a helicopter. It's the most dramatic corner of the island.

An aerial view of a river between green mountains

Inland

There's a whole interior people never see

Black River Gorges is a rainforest national park with endemic birds and proper walking. Chamarel has the seven-coloured earth, a waterfall and the best rum distillery on the island. Grand Bassin is a crater lake and a Hindu pilgrimage site. Two days inland turns a beach week into an actual holiday, and almost nobody staying in an all-inclusive ever does it.

An aerial view of the sea beside a Mauritian mountain

Pick your coast

Four coasts, one small island

The airport is in the south-east. Nothing is more than about ninety minutes away, and most resorts are under an hour.

Grand Baie · 1h 15m from MRU

The north

The busiest and most sociable corner, with the widest choice of restaurants and the only real nightlife on the island. Sheltered, warm and good value.

Grand Baie: The main town. Restaurants, bars, boat trips and shops — the one place you don't need the hotel to entertain you.
Trou aux Biches: A long calm beach just south, and consistently rated among the island's best. Family favourite.
Pereybère: Small, local and cheaper. A good public beach and a short walk to Grand Baie.
Balaclava: Smart resort strip on the north-west shoulder, closest to Port Louis.

Boats on the shore below a green mountain

Flic en Flac & Le Morne · 45–75 min

The west

Sheltered from the trade winds, so the hottest and calmest coast. Sunsets, dolphins at Tamarin, and the island's most dramatic scenery at the southern end.

Flic en Flac: A long sandy beach with a good spread of hotels. Sunsets, and the diving base for the west.
Tamarin: Surf, a river mouth and the morning dolphin trips. Less resort, more village.
Le Morne: The peninsula under the mountain. Kitesurfing, five-stars, and the best views on the island.
Wolmar: Between Flic en Flac and Le Morne. Quiet, smart, and well placed for both.

Palms above a white sand beach from the air

Belle Mare · 50 min from MRU

The east

The best sand and the clearest lagoon, and breezier because it faces the trade winds. Quieter, smarter, and where a lot of honeymooners end up.

Belle Mare: A long stretch of white sand and the island's best beach. Big five-stars, and space between them.
Trou d'Eau Douce: The launch point for Île aux Cerfs. A working village with a low-key feel.
Palmar: Between the two. Quiet, uncrowded, and good for a walk along the sand.
Île aux Cerfs: Not a base — an island offshore with a beach, a golf course and boat trips all day.

A boat and loungers silhouetted at sunset

Bel Ombre & Blue Bay · 30–45 min

The south

The wildest coast, with cliffs where the reef breaks and far fewer hotels. Closest to the airport and to the interior.

Bel Ombre: A UNESCO biosphere stretch with a handful of luxury resorts and a golf course. Very quiet.
Blue Bay: A marine park with the best snorkelling straight off the beach on the island.
Mahébourg: An old French colonial town with the best Monday market. Ten minutes from the airport.
Gris Gris: No beach at all — cliffs where the reef stops and the ocean hits the land. Worth the drive.

Our speciality

Dubai and Mauritius

The classic two-centre, and the reason most people fly Emirates. Three nights in Dubai on the way out breaks a twelve-hour journey into two manageable flights and usually costs less than flying direct.

Dubai3 nightsSkyline, souks and a desert evening.
Flight · 6h 30m
Mauritius10 nightsThe coast of your choice, plus two days inland.
Flight · 12h
HomeDirect from Mauritius, or back via Dubai.

Ask us to price the direct flight and the Dubai routing side by side — the stopover version is often cheaper as well as easier.

When to go

Year-round, with two things to avoid

Mauritius works all year, which is unusual. The two caveats: January to March is cyclone season, and while direct hits are rare, heavy rain isn't. And June to August is the southern winter — pleasant at 24°C, but the east coast gets properly windy.

JanCyclone

FebCyclone

MarCyclone

AprWarm

MayIdeal

JunCooler

JulWindy

AugWindy

SepIdeal

OctIdeal

NovWarm

DecHot

April, May, September, October and November are the best months — warm, dry and outside the cyclone window. If you're travelling in July or August, book the sheltered west coast rather than the east.

Worth leaving the resort for

What we'd actually book

Chamarel

Seven-coloured earth, a 100m waterfall and the island's best rum distillery, all within a few minutes of each other.

An aerial view of dense green vegetation

Black River Gorges

Rainforest, endemic pink pigeons and real walking trails. Cool, green and almost empty on a weekday.

A green island surrounded by turquoise water

Île aux Cerfs

Boat from Trou d'Eau Douce. Go early — the day-trip catamarans arrive around eleven and it changes completely.

Dolphins at Tamarin

Wild spinner dolphins off the west coast at dawn. Choose an operator that keeps its distance rather than chasing.

Blue Bay marine park

Glass-bottom boats and the best shore snorkelling on the island. Coral in genuinely good condition.

Port Louis market

The capital's covered market — fruit, spices, street food and a lot of noise. Mornings only, and go hungry.

Grand Bassin

A crater lake and the most important Hindu site outside India. Quiet except at Maha Shivaratri in February.

Le Morne

Climb it with a guide for the sunrise, or just look at it. UNESCO-listed and the symbol of the island.

The practical bits

Things that catch people out

Drive on the leftMauritius was British until 1968. Familiar roads, familiar side, and road signs in English.

LanguageEnglish is official, French is spoken everywhere, Creole is what people actually use. You'll be fine.

Time zoneFour hours ahead of the UK. No meaningful jet lag on a direct overnight flight.

CurrencyMauritian rupee. Cards are widely accepted in hotels; markets and taxis want cash.

Flight time12 hours direct, or two shorter flights via Dubai. The direct is overnight in both directions.

The reefAlmost continuous, which is why the water is calm. It also means shore breaks and currents at the few gaps — swim where the hotel says.

All-inclusiveCommon and usually good value, since eating outside a resort means a taxi. Half board works better in Grand Baie.

Cyclone seasonJanuary to March. Direct hits are rare, but heavy rain and closed excursions aren't. Travel insurance matters here.

Before you book

Five things worth knowing

East is windier, west is hotter. The trade winds hit the east coast. Best sand, breeziest afternoons. If you want still air and sunset swims, book west.

Don't book a fortnight of beach. The interior is the half people miss — gorges, waterfalls, rum, a crater lake. Two days inland transforms the trip.

Avoid January to March if you can. Cyclone season. Most trips are unaffected, but it's the one window where the weather can genuinely spoil a week.

It isn't the Maldives, and that's the point. There's an island here with towns, markets, mountains and restaurants. If you want to leave the resort, this is the Indian Ocean island that lets you.

Pair it with Dubai. Twelve hours direct is a long way. The stopover version usually costs less and arrives in far better shape.

Next step

Tell us your dates and we'll pick the coast

Send your dates, party and rough budget and we'll come back with the right coast for the season, plus the Dubai stopover priced alongside the direct flight.

Your money is protected. Trip Tides is a travel agent — we book your holiday with a travel company, and that company is named on your quote and confirmation. Your contract is with them. If your holiday is a package including flights, put together by an ATOL holder, you'll get an ATOL certificate naming that company. We confirm in writing what protection applies before you pay.

Mauritius packages

Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.

7 nights in Mauritius

All inclusive · Nov–Mar

Return flights and private transfers
All inclusive throughout
Financial protection confirmed in writing before you pay

from £1,599per person

Get a quote

10 nights in Mauritius

All inclusive · Nov–Mar

Return flights and private transfers
All inclusive throughout
The extra nights cost proportionally less — fixed costs don't change

from £2,049per person

Get a quote

14 nights in Mauritius

Half board · Nov–Mar

Return flights and private transfers
Half board throughout
Best value per night, and worth it on a longer flight

from £2,429per person

Get a quote

Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.