Exotic winter sun island with giant tortoises, crystal clear seas and little jet lag
SPRAWLED out on the front of the boat, soaking up the last of the afternoon rays with the blue ocean surrounding us, the atmosphere couldn’t have been more peaceful.
That is, until . . .
“Whale!” someone shouts.
Then, there it was. The nose of a humpback whale poking through the surface of the water as it came up for air, splashing in the sea.
I’m on a catamaran sailing through the magical Indian Ocean around Mauritius.
The tropical island is a 12-hour flight from the UK, but has just a three-hour time difference, affordable hotel options and glorious sunshine year round — making it the perfect winter sun hot spot.
It is 1,400 miles off the south-eastern coast of East Africa and boasts crystal-clear seas, sunny weather and an incredible landscape of towering mountains and lush vegetation.
I was staying at the Veranda Grand Baie Hotel in the Grand Baie beach village on the north side of the island.
The resort has just reopened after a multi-million-pound, seven-month renovation, which resulted in it being upgraded to a four-star hotel with stunning views across the picturesque bay.
It was one of the first boutique hotels to open on the island 40 years ago and now boasts 95 rooms decorated in Creole style, to reflect the local culture.
After my long flight, I was ready to take a dip in the swimming pool which was swiftly followed by a lounge on the resort’s private beach and another dip, this time in the sea.
This is the perfect place for those wanting to switch off.
And as part of my all-inclusive deal, I was able to rent boats and pedalos, get stuck into rum tasting at the on-site shack each afternoon, and take out a bike to explore the local area, all for no extra cost.
As the resort is all about highlighting Mauritian culture, I even had a Creole language lesson with teacher Manisha — who certainly gave me a good laugh with the phrases she suggested.
No, I didn’t use the Creole for “Are you married?” while I was there, but if you’re wondering, it’s “eski ou marie?”
There’s a beach bar, a seafront restaurant and live entertainment into the evening, but I stretched my legs on a ten-minute walk along the bay to one of the beach shacks in the centre of Grand Baie for a sunset drink.
With an ice-cold cider in hand by the sea, it was the perfect place to watch one of the most spectacular sunsets I’d ever seen.
But as much as I could have easily stayed wandering around there and ping-ponging between the two bars on site, I couldn’t miss heading out for a few unforgettable trips.
Grand Baie is known as the Mauritian Côte d’Azur, but on a six-hour catamaran excursion to nearby Gabriel Island, it far exceeded that comparison.
While the outward journey resembled a mid-winter trip out to sea in Pembrokeshire, once we got to the remote island, we were greeted by a scene that looked like it was from a brochure.
Here there were more ridiculously beautiful white sands, dazzling blue water, coral reefs and tropical fish within easy snorkelling distance.
If you’re lucky, you may even spot a whale on your journey to and from the island, as we did.
But there’s no need to stress if you’re not successful as that’s not the only exotic wildlife on this remote island.
Pamplemousses Botanic Garden is a short drive from Grand Baie and has an incredible array of plants, including giant water lilies, impressive elephant foot palms and huge teak trees. And hiding within those plants are lots of critters.
Alarmingly large bats
For just a couple of quid, we joined a local tour guide who took us around the entire site and pointed out thousands of alarmingly large bats which hung upside down from some of the tallest trees.
As well as enclosures of giant tortoises and deer, there were brightly coloured birds, wild frogs, lizards, and one of the biggest spiders I’ve ever seen.
Needless to say, I kept my distance.
Mauritius’s location and beauty means it has a diverse population, with lots of people from India, Asia and Africa.
That has resulted in a cuisine that is influenced by several nations.
The perfect way to get my mouth around the best options was a food tour organised by Taste Buddies, which takes small groups around local restaurants and explains the history and relevance of various dishes.
From our tour guide, Adrian, we learned about palm heart, a white vegetable that comes from certain palm trees, which is the ultimate local delicacy.
We tried that in a salad at Cocoloko — an outside restaurant with live music, then we sampled some local fish, with smoked marlin and capitaine being among the favourites.
A string of other tasty meals followed but my fave place was Karai Kreol.
Two cousins run the small restaurant, but its size and quirky decor shouldn’t put you off — it provided the best meal of the trip.
As well as a fresh juice, I got stuck into a duck masala, tuna stew and a pork curry, served with rice, lentils and salad.
The Indian influence was very apparent with mouthwatering flavour combos.
If you don’t want to venture far, the resort itself also offers ocean-side cooking classes to guests, where you can get to grips with a variety of dishes, including the chilli bite salad, which is everywhere in Mauritius.
And when you have immaculate ocean views stretched out in front of you, every meal tastes that bit better.
For the sunsets alone, the flight was worth it.
GO: Mauritius
GETTING THERE: Direct return flights from London start at £650 with British Airways or Air Mauritius.
See britishairways.com or airmauritius.com.
STAYING THERE: Rooms at the Veranda Grand Baie Hotel start at £240 per night for two adults in a Comfort Garden room with breakfast and dinner included.
See veranda-resorts.com.
OUT & ABOUT: Catamaran tour costs £52pp, while a Taste Buddies food tour costs £45pp.
Both can be booked via the hotel’s concierge.