Where to stay · Mauritius
Where to stay in Mauritius
8 neighbourhoods compared, with the trade-offs hotel listings don't tell you.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Starts, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
For a first visit, stay in Grand Baie. The island's liveliest resort town, with bars, restaurants and boat trips to the northern islets. Best alternatives — families: Trou aux Biches and Mont Choisy.
Key facts
- First visit
- Grand Baie
- Families
- Trou aux Biches and Mont Choisy
- Budget
- Grand Baie
- Nightlife
- Grand Baie
Best area for each kind of trip
| Trip type | Area | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-timers | Grand Baie | The island's liveliest resort town, with bars, restaurants and boat trips to the northern islets |
| Families | Trou aux Biches and Mont Choisy | Long casuarina-shaded lagoon beaches on the north-west coast |
| Couples | Le Morne peninsula | Luxury resorts beneath the Le Morne Brabant monolith and the island's top kitesurfing lagoon |
| Budget | Grand Baie | The island's liveliest resort town, with bars, restaurants and boat trips to the northern islets |
| Luxury | Le Morne peninsula | Luxury resorts beneath the Le Morne Brabant monolith and the island's top kitesurfing lagoon |
| Nightlife | Grand Baie | The island's liveliest resort town, with bars, restaurants and boat trips to the northern islets |
| Solo travellers | Pereybère | Small, lively beach village north of Grand Baie with guesthouses and snack stalls |
| Shopping | Grand Baie | The island's liveliest resort town, with bars, restaurants and boat trips to the northern islets |
| Quiet stays | Belle Mare and Trou d'Eau Douce | Long white east-coast beaches, large resorts and boats to Île aux Cerfs |
| Beach | Trou aux Biches and Mont Choisy | Long casuarina-shaded lagoon beaches on the north-west coast |
Mauritius neighbourhoods in detail
$$ · Best for first-timers, nightlife, budget and shopping
Grand Baie
Grand Baie wraps around a sheltered bay in the north with the widest choice of restaurants, bars, supermarkets and mid-range hotels and apartments on the island. Catamarans leave from here for Coin de Mire and Gabriel Island, and Pereybère's beach is a few minutes north. It is busier and more built-up than other coasts.
- Good
- Most restaurants and nightlife on the island; Good-value apartments; Boat trips from the bay
- Watch out
- Built-up and traffic-heavy; Bay beach is small and busy
- Nearby
- Pereybère, Coin de Mire, Pamplemousses
$$$ · Best for families, beach and first-timers
Trou aux Biches and Mont Choisy
These neighbouring villages have some of the longest and calmest beaches in the north, with snorkelling off Trou aux Biches and a two-kilometre sweep of sand at Mont Choisy. Hotels range from family resorts to small apartments, and Grand Baie's restaurants are about 10 minutes away.
- Good
- Calm, shallow water for children; Good snorkelling; Sunset views
- Watch out
- Public beaches crowded on Sundays; Some traffic on the coast road
- Nearby
- Grand Baie, Pamplemousses, Port Louis
$$ · Best for budget, solo travellers and beach
Pereybère
Pereybère's compact public beach has clear water and good snorkelling along its rocky edges, with food vans and casual restaurants just behind the sand. Guesthouses and apartments make it a good-value base with Grand Baie's nightlife a short ride away.
- Good
- Affordable stays near a good beach; Easy snorkelling; Street food on the doorstep
- Watch out
- Beach is small and gets busy; Few large hotels
- Nearby
- Grand Baie, Cap Malheureux
$$ · Best for budget, families and beach
Flic en Flac
Flic en Flac has one of the island's longest public beaches, sheltered by the reef and lined with filao trees, apartments, mid-range hotels and dive centres. It faces west for sunsets, stays drier than the east in winter and is close to Casela, Tamarin and the Black River Gorges.
- Good
- Long beach and sunsets; Good value; Close to the southwest sights
- Watch out
- Busy with local families at weekends; More developed than nearby Tamarin
- Nearby
- Casela, Tamarin, Black River Gorges National Park
$$$$ · Best for luxury, couples and beach
Le Morne peninsula
The peninsula below Le Morne Brabant has a few large upmarket resorts on a long white beach facing a wide lagoon. Steady winter trade winds make it a world-known kitesurfing spot, with the One Eye reef break offshore, and the Le Morne hike starts nearby.
- Good
- Dramatic mountain-and-lagoon scenery; Excellent kitesurfing; Quiet resorts
- Watch out
- About an hour from the airport; Few restaurants outside the resorts
- Nearby
- Le Morne Brabant, Chamarel, Black River Gorges National Park
$$$$ · Best for couples, luxury, quiet stays and beach
Belle Mare and Trou d'Eau Douce
Belle Mare's beach runs for several kilometres along the east coast, backed by many of the island's large five-star resorts and golf courses. Trou d'Eau Douce, a fishing village to the south, is the departure point for boats to Île aux Cerfs. Winter trade winds keep it breezy and fresh.
- Good
- Long, uncrowded beaches; Top resorts and golf; Cooling breezes in summer
- Watch out
- Windy in winter; Little to do outside the resorts
- Nearby
- Île aux Cerfs, Trou d'Eau Douce
$$ · Best for quiet stays, budget and culture
Blue Bay and Mahébourg
Blue Bay's protected lagoon has some of the clearest snorkelling water on the island, and nearby Mahébourg is a low-key historic town with a waterfront promenade, a market and the National History Museum. Guesthouses and small hotels here are a short drive from the airport.
- Good
- Close to the airport; Excellent snorkelling; Local town life
- Watch out
- Fewer restaurants; Windier and wetter in winter
- Nearby
- Blue Bay Marine Park, Île aux Aigrettes, SSR International Airport
$$$ · Best for solo travellers, quiet stays and couples
Tamarin and Black River
Tamarin's bay is known for surf and early-morning dolphin trips, with old salt pans beside the road and the Rempart and Tourelle peaks behind. Villas and boutique guesthouses attract a quieter, active crowd, and the Black River Gorges trailheads are close.
- Good
- Dry, sunny climate; Hiking and surf nearby; Quiet, local feel
- Watch out
- Bay beach is not ideal for swimming; Limited nightlife
- Nearby
- Tamarin Bay, Black River Gorges National Park, Flic en Flac
Areas compared
| Area | Price | Nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Baie | $$ | Pereybère, Coin de Mire, Pamplemousses |
| Trou aux Biches and Mont Choisy | $$$ | Grand Baie, Pamplemousses, Port Louis |
| Pereybère | $$ | Grand Baie, Cap Malheureux |
| Flic en Flac | $$ | Casela, Tamarin, Black River Gorges National Park |
| Le Morne peninsula | $$$$ | Le Morne Brabant, Chamarel, Black River Gorges National Park |
| Belle Mare and Trou d'Eau Douce | $$$$ | Île aux Cerfs, Trou d'Eau Douce |
| Blue Bay and Mahébourg | $$ | Blue Bay Marine Park, Île aux Aigrettes, SSR International Airport |
| Tamarin and Black River | $$$ | Tamarin Bay, Black River Gorges National Park, Flic en Flac |
Getting to your hotel
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) is at Plaine Magnien in the south-east, about 15 minutes from Blue Bay. Transfers take about 45 minutes to Belle Mare, about an hour to Flic en Flac and Le Morne, and about 1–1.5 hours to Grand Baie. Most resorts arrange transfers; taxis and car-hire desks are in the arrivals hall.
Questions travellers ask
+What is the best area to stay in Mauritius for first-time visitors?
Grand Baie. Grand Baie wraps around a sheltered bay in the north with the widest choice of restaurants, bars, supermarkets and mid-range hotels and apartments on the island.
+Where should families stay in Mauritius?
Trou aux Biches and Mont Choisy: Calm, shallow water for children.
+Which area of Mauritius is best for a budget stay?
Grand Baie ($$): The island's liveliest resort town, with bars, restaurants and boat trips to the northern islets.