My grandparents were born in Mauritius. My parents grew up there and left in their twenties. I grew up hearing about it — the beaches, the food, the warmth of the place — but didn't go until last year, when I organised a trip for twelve family members across three generations. It was the most logistically complex thing I have ever done. It was also the best trip of my life.
Port-Louis: The Capital That Surprises
Most visitors to Mauritius head straight for their resort and spend two weeks within fifty metres of the ocean. This is understandable. The beaches are extraordinary. But Port-Louis, the capital, deserves at least two full days.
The Central Market is one of the great markets of the Indian Ocean — a sensory overload of spices, fresh fruit, street food, and the particular organized chaos of a market that's been running for over a century. Get there early, eat everything, buy the vanilla and the saffron, and don't rush it.
The Caudan Waterfront is modern and pleasant. The Blue Penny Museum has one of the most valuable stamps in the world and tells the island's remarkable colonial history with intelligence and care. The street food around the market — dholl puri, alouda, gateau piment — is the best food you'll eat on the island.
Beyond the Capital
- Chamarel: The seven-coloured earth is genuinely bizarre and beautiful. The rum distillery here is one of the best on the island — the tour is excellent and the tasting even better.
- Black River Gorges National Park: 67 square kilometres of native forest, endemic birds, and hiking trails. We saw pink pigeons, which are among the rarest birds in the world.
- Île aux Cerfs: The sandbar island in the lagoon. Hire a boat, spend a day, swim in water that genuinely looks like a screensaver.
- Grand Bassin: A sacred lake in the crater of an extinct volcano, used for Hindu pilgrimage. One of the most atmospheric places on the island.
"I thought I was going on a beach holiday. I went on a history lesson, a cooking class, a nature documentary and a beach holiday all at once." — my mother, who has been talking about nothing else since
The Logistics of Twelve People
We rented a large villa in the north of the island near Grand Baie. Essential for a family group of this size — the communal spaces meant we could all be together when we wanted to and spread out when we needed to. We hired a driver for the excursion days, which with twelve people worked out significantly cheaper than taxis and meant we could keep our own schedule.
Expenses were tracked from day one. With twelve people across different generations, some covering costs for others, the calculation would have been impossible without a shared system. We ran the final numbers on the last evening and settled everything before the airport.