The best hotels in Mauritius

This is where most first-time visitors to Mauritius land, and for good reason. Grand Baie has the widest range of restaurants, dive shops, and boat charters of anywhere on the island. Royal Road running through town is the main artery, lined with everything from street food stalls to beachfront cocktail bars. Cap Malheureux, about 10km north-east, is calmer and has that classic postcard church with the red roof visible from the beach.

The lagoon between Trou aux Biches and Grand Baie is the best in the north, calm and shallow enough for kids and snorkellers. Coin de Mire island is 4km offshore from Cap Malheureux and reachable by boat in about 20 minutes. the diving there is genuinely excellent. Prices here are mid-range by Mauritius standards, $80-175/night for beachfront rooms, though you'll find budget guesthouses a few streets back from the coast for much less.

Avoid the stretch of hotels on Coastal Road between Pereybere and Grand Gaube if you're sensitive to noise. That strip gets loud on weekends with local visitors from Port Louis. Stick to Cap Malheureux or the Trou aux Biches side of Grand Baie for a quieter stay.

Belle Mare and Palmar on the east coast have the most spectacular stretch of beach in Mauritius. The reef sits far enough offshore that the lagoon is wide and consistently flat, with that almost unreal turquoise colour that puts most Caribbean beaches to shame. The area has far fewer restaurants and bars than the north, which is either a selling point or a drawback depending on what you want.

Poste de Flacq, just north of Belle Mare, is where the island's top property sits. One&Only Le Saint Geran has been setting the benchmark here since the 1970s. This part of the coast is genuinely quiet and the Île aux Cerfs ferry from Trou d'Eau Douce is about 20 minutes south by car, giving you a proper day-trip option.

The east coast takes the trade winds head-on from May through August. That means kitesurfers love it near Le Morne, but at Belle Mare it mostly just means a fresh breeze. Check seasonal wind conditions if you're planning beach time in June or July, as it can be blustery. Still the best coast for sheer beauty.

Blue Bay is the crown jewel of this region. The Marine Park here is one of the healthiest coral ecosystems in the Indian Ocean, and you can snorkel directly from the beach without a boat. Shandrani Beachcomber sits right on the edge of the park, which gives it a massive advantage over anything else in this price bracket. Mahebourg, 5km north, is a real Mauritian town with a lively Wednesday market and the Mahebourg Waterfront along the seafront promenade.

This is also the part of the island closest to the airport, about 15km from Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International. That's genuinely convenient if you're arriving late or leaving early. Le Peninsula Bay Resort at Mahebourg sits in a quieter position around the bay from the main town, with views across the lagoon toward Île aux Aigrettes.

Avoid the beach strip between Pointe d'Esny and Blue Bay on public holidays. It fills up fast with local families from Mahebourg and Curepipe and the water can get murky. Weekday mornings are when you get the Marine Park to yourself and the visibility hits 15-20 metres.

Bel Ombre is the resort heartland of the south-west, and Heritage Le Telfair is the reason most people know it. The golf course here was designed by Peter Matkovich and plays along the coast with views of Le Morne Brabant in the distance. It's genuinely beautiful country, with the Bel Ombre Nature Reserve running up into the hills behind the resort. Chamarel and its Seven Coloured Earths are about 20 minutes by car, which makes a solid half-day excursion.

Tamassa Resort is a younger, more casual property nearby on the same stretch of coast, sitting right on the beach just outside the village of Bel Ombre. It's about 15 minutes walk from the Bel Ombre fishing village, where you can occasionally buy fresh catch directly from local fishermen in the early morning. The south-west gets strong Indian Ocean swells from the open sea, which means swimming conditions are rougher here than on the sheltered east and north coasts.

Le Morne itself, 10km west of Bel Ombre, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with serious historical weight. It was a refuge for escaped enslaved people in the 18th and 19th centuries. The kite-surfing at Le Morne lagoon is world-class from June through August, which draws a younger athletic crowd to an otherwise quiet stretch of coast.

Calodyne and the stretch of coast down through Goodlands toward Roches Noires is the most Creole-feeling part of the Mauritian coast. Less developed than Grand Baie, with fewer international restaurants and more local snack bars serving fried noodles and gateau piment. Zilwa Attitude sits right on the lagoon at Calodyne, about 12km east of Cap Malheureux along the coastal road.

The north-east trades some of the picture-perfect lagoon clarity of Belle Mare for a rawer, more local atmosphere. You're 5 minutes walk from the Calodyne beach, where local fishermen still go out in the early morning in traditional pirogue boats. Flacq Market, one of the biggest outdoor markets in the Indian Ocean, is about 20 minutes south and runs on Wednesday and Sunday mornings.

This coast suits travellers who want authentic Mauritius rather than a polished resort bubble. Prices reflect that: Zilwa Attitude runs $180-260/night, which is fair for what you get, including a private lagoon setting and cultural programming that you won't find at the big chains.

Curepipe sits at around 550 metres above sea level, which means it's cooler, often misty, and occasionally rainy even when the coasts are sunny. It's the heartland of everyday Mauritian life, with the Floreal shopping area, the Caudan-equivalent Cascavelle Mall a 20-minute drive away toward Flic en Flac, and real local restaurants where a full meal costs Rs 200-350. Auberge de la Montagne is the only vetted property up here, and it's honest about being a guesthouse rather than a resort.

The Central Plateau connects easily to both coasts. Flic en Flac on the west is about 30 minutes by car. Grand Baie in the north is 45 minutes. Black River Gorges National Park, the largest nature reserve in Mauritius with endemic birds like the pink pigeon, is 25 minutes south-west. For people who want to explore the whole island without committing to one coastal area, the plateau makes logistical sense.

This is the budget option, but it's a genuine one. At $55-85/night you're getting a clean bed, local context, and proximity to real Mauritian daily life. The trade-off is no beach, no pool (at most properties), and weather that's 3-5°C cooler than the coast. Pack one warm layer.