Self catering in Mauritius - what's the best base

[AKAmyself]

Hello all,

we are thinking of spending 10 days in Mauritius over new year (yes, I do realise we have left it a bit late, but we're disorganised optimists!). Much as 5 star resorts appeal on paper, it's not really our scene, usually we like to get a feel of the place we visit and Mauritius sounds exciting for its nature, culture and cuisine, which we'd like to experience alongside beach life.

What would be the best place to base ourselves, near a nice beach as well as other attractions and within easy reach of restaurants and shops?

many thanks in advance!

Forgot to add - we have two dds, 10 and 8, in case that makes a difference

Grand Baie. Anywhere from Pointe aux Biches up to Cap Malheureux is perfect imho. Grand Baie is a great town with a huge supermarket and loads of restaurants. And hire a car so you're free to explore where and when you want. Very envious, gorgeous country.

Agree with Miss Terie. Anywhere north west is fab. The island has 28 micro climates and the weather is better oop north. The sea is a lot calmer there, and not so windy. Pereybere Beach is one of the best on the island. Very child friendly.

We went all inclusive, we saw lots of the island and had lots of its cuisine. Had a wonderful time. There is this bizarre notion that people in all inclusive resorts don't leave the resort. Totally untrue!

Better to go to self catered in my opinion, as it is much cheaper! and you can sample nice foods from street markets, bakers, fruit and veg stalls, and money goes straight back into the local community. We spend a considerable time in Mauritius every year, so if you have any questions, fire away and I'll try to help !

Flic en Flac would be a good base . The problem with Grand Baie itself is that so much of the beach is taken up by big hotels. By law, all beaches have to be accessible to the public, the hotel beaches are not 'private beaches', but in reality the hotels remove all shade from the actual beach except for their own loungers. And they have guards at the boundary to make it a little edgy to stroll past .

There are fabulous long genuinely public beaches at Mont Choisy in the NW, and Flic en Flac in the West, which also has a very good climate.

FeF is also closer to the spectacular National Park and beautiful beaches of the South: e.g La Morne and Blue Bay: no need to negotiate the constant clag up of Port Louis, which is a bottle neck between N and S. S of Port Louis I find the scenery far more interesting S of Port Louis as it is mountainous and more tropical.

You can eat fantastic food from vans and stalls on the beach for pennies if you like rotis and samosas, and watch out for the national favourite, dholl puri.

Don't miss Black River gorges national park, and Grand Bassin, the big Hindu temple just on the edge.

We went to Mauritius for a wedding and had the best of both worlds as we stayed in a 5* hotel but also spent a lot of time with the brides family as her extended family still live on the island.

Our friends arranged local car hire - you have a different reg to the tourist cars and pay far, far less than tourist rates. Be prepared to barter for everything as the locals presume all tourists are millionaires.

We loved it!