A tropical island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is a winter sun destination. The (inactive) volcanic island, ringed by palm lined, white-sand beaches and lagoons, is protected by coral reefs, perfect for divers. The mountainous interior, meanwhile, is home to sub-tropical forests and several waterfalls. Here ecotourism is on the rise and the more adventurous can discover some of the island’s endemic wildlife.
Sandy beaches and lush forests might not sound like an obvious destination for wine lovers, but think again. A French colony for almost 100 years, a love of French food and wine is deeply rooted. In many of the hotels, French head sommeliers lead teams of young Mauritians keen to share the island’s growing wine culture.
The economic (r)evolution from sugar to tourism and financial services has created a young, affluent clientele with a love of wine and an appetite to learn. Consequently, the wine scene is becoming more exciting, supplied by well-stocked merchants across the island.
Melting pot
Mauritius was Dutch, French and English before becoming a republic in 1968. French, English and a French-based form of creole known as Morisien are spoken and this rainbow nation’s population includes a large group whose origins lie in the Indian subcontinent and elsewhere in Asia. Mauritian cuisine is a fusion of this heritage, with creole specialties such as rougaille, vindaye and roti taking pride of place. The seafood, tropical fruit, palm hearts, local game and even locally grown tea and coffee make the island a foodie paradise. Alongside sugar cane fields are orchards of lychee and mango trees covered in nets to keep away fruit bats, and fields of Victoria pineapples so tender you can eat the whole fruit.
Foodies will find plenty to keep them occupied in the capital, Port Louis, where the bustling Central Market is home to stalls piled high with colourful tropical fruit and veg. A street food tour with Taste Buddies is a great way to sample what and where the locals eat (from €45 per person).
Wine on the rise
A growing South African population with a penchant for braai has seen the selection of wines from this close neighbour grow in tandem. Oddly, for an island known as a honeymoon destination, duty on Champagne is almost five times that of still wine. Happily, Méthode Cap Classique and crémant escape this duty, so you can still add a sparkle to your stay.
Mauritius’ new wine dynamism also benefits visitors. Wine has become a marketing and communication tool for resorts, and consequently selections are now more exciting, no longer limited to average wines in all-inclusive deals.
Jérôme Faure, head sommelier of the Constance hotel group and chairman of the Mauritius Sommelier Association, is passionate about developing young local wine talent and a pioneer of wine-centred hospitality. The Blue Penny Cellar restaurant at the Constance Belle Mare Plage resort on the east coast is the wine star of the group. It’s home to 35,000 bottles from more than 2,300 wineries, with about 30 wines served by the glass. Its Around Wine concept allows guests to first choose wines by the glass for each course from a small list and then have the sommelier or chef suggest the perfect dishes to complement their choices. The hotel group has 103 sommeliers across its hotels.
Constance Belle Mare Plage
Every May, the Constance group holds La Paulée, where winemakers host dinners over successive days, then a finale brings everyone together; in January, its Music & Wine week pairs winemakers with musicians. Neighbouring C Mauritius hosts an organic wine festival; this year’s iteration is due to take place on 26-27 April.
Le Château de Bel Ombre on the southwest coast also builds relationships with winemakers and visiting chefs based around gastronomic events held at the 19th-century colonial mansion. And nearby C Beach Club enjoys a more relaxed wine vibe thanks to guest DJs appearing alongside winemakers.
Wine merchant Aqui in Mapou, northeast of Port Louis, is an example of Mauritius’ wine re-invention. Launched in 2018 by Frenchman Alexandre Junca and Mauritian Delphine Espitalier-Noël, it offers wine events, tastings and masterclasses with visiting winemakers, helping to build a local wine community. You’ll find them at Domaine de Labourdonnais, which is famous for its restored 19th-century colonial house. The domaine’s restaurant La Table du Château serves a range of delicious, locally sourced dishes, while the tasting bar offers flavoured rums and preserves made using fruit from the orchard.
Wild life
The village of Grand Baie, in the north, is the place to go for nightlife, with a collection of bars, night clubs and restaurants strung along the waterfront. You can then escape to the calm at the 20° Sud Relais & Châteaux boutique hotel, located in an old coconut grove nearby. Mauritius really should be seen from the ocean, so take the hotel’s catamaran to Ile Plate, also known as Flat Island, to take a meal at Governor’s House, a restaurant located in the ruins of a 19th-century building that dates from the time when the island served as a quarantine station. Another option is an intimate sunset dinner cruise on the M/S Lady Lisbeth, the island’s oldest motorboat, built in 1929.
The south is the least developed part of the island, where empty beaches sit below wooded mountains. For wildlife watching on land, go for a hike in the Black River Gorges National Park along the Ebony forest track, or quad bike through the Bel Ombre nature reserve.
Snorkel off Pointe d’Esny to discover the diverse sea life on the coral reef, then visit the vibrant Mahébourg market. Allow time to visit the Ile aux Aigrettes sanctuary, which is only accessible by boat. You won’t regret leaving your sun lounger.
The view over Black River Gorges National Park from the Gorges viewpoint. Credit: LR Photographies / Getty Images
My perfect day in Mauritius
To properly appreciate the majestic mountains of Mauritius, rising up from its brilliant white beaches, you should take to the water. In Black River on the west coast, breakfast at Vanilla Village, which champions local artisan food producers, then spend the morning on a boat to take in the vistas and maybe see some turtles and dolphins. Come ashore among the kite surfers catching the breeze at the imposing Morne Brabant mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage site, for lunch at Wapalapam, where Austrian chef Willi Reinbacher champions modern Indian Ocean cuisine. The restaurant’s international wine list includes its own label, bottled exclusively in Bordeaux. The cocktails with iced popsicles are perfect for whiling away a hot afternoon.
Sunsets on the west coast are not to be missed. Finish the day watching the sun go down aboard the MoonBar’k, a catamaran transformed into a solar-powered floating lounge by Guillaume and Laetitia Ballu, who share homemade, locally sourced dishes at sunset. Try the mini lobster roll with one of their handcrafted rum cocktails.
Chicken noodle soup, Wapalapam
Your Mauritius address book
Accommodation
Heritage Le Telfair & Heritage Awali
These sister resorts in Bel Ombre are the only facilities in Mauritius to offer 100% carbon-neutral stays and are located adjacent to Heritage’s 1,300ha Bel Ombre Nature Reserve, which can be explored on foot, buggy or quad bike.
In quiet Poste Lafayette on the island’s northeast coast, this boutique hotel has just 16 rooms overlooking the Indian Ocean.
Located at the western edge of the Black River Gorges National Park, this rustic but charming eco-lodge has a number of cabins set in tropical gardens, several with private pools, plus a spa and restaurant.
On the north coast, this relatively new boutique hotel, co-designed by British interior designer Kelly Hoppen, offers stunning views across the bay from the rooftop restaurant and bar.
The grande dame of Mauritius hotels. Located in Grand Baie, the hotel has an impressive cellar where guests can enjoy a wine tasting paired with a selection of tapas dishes.
On the south coast, with the best spa on the island, an excellent restaurant, a rum shed bar and grill, and a fish shack where local dancers perform to the backdrop of waves crashing on the reef.
A mix of shabby chic and rustic charm, the guesthouse in this funky little ‘village’ in Black River has nine rooms and a private swimming pool, while the Vanilla Café serves one of the best breakfasts on the island.
Le Château de Bel Ombre. Credit: Sergi Reboredo / Alamy Stock Photo
Restaurants
La Clef des Champs
In the chic embassy quarter of Floréal, in the island’s central highlands, La Clef des Champs’ owner-chef Jaqueline Dalais is the gastronomic reference point for Mauritians.
Moustache Tapas and Wine Bar
A roadside French bistro attached to the Eastern Trading wine shop in Black River. Choose a bottle from the shelves and bring it to the table. Evenings only.
La Clef des Champs
Shopping
Aqui
A combined wine shop, lounge and tasting room located in the Quartier des Serres, Mapou, at Domaine de Labourdonnais. As well as importing and distributing fine wine, it offers themed tastings and training courses accredited by the Bordeaux Wine School.
Mauritius beyond wine…
Rum is the island’s alcoholic drink, made from the sugar cane that covers about 85% of the arable land. As sugar production has been consolidated, many abandoned mills and estates have been repurposed into tourist experiences and real estate projects. The Domaine de Labourdonnais sugar estate, for example, now hosts a museum, restaurants, a sports club and the Quartier des Serres, a small shopping mall built around the remains of the estate’s greenhouses and home to the Aqui wine shop.
The sugar harvest runs from June to December. Rhumerie de Chamarel in the hills above the southwest coast is a working distillery where you can watch the cane being crushed and distillation in column and pot stills, and taste the range of rums. Lunch at its L’Alchimiste restaurant is excellent.
Rum isn’t the only alcohol made on the island. Near Ganga Talao (commonly known as Grand Bassin), a crater lake in the heart of Mauritius that’s sacred to the island’s Hindus, where giant statues of Shiva welcome pilgrims, oenologist Alexander Oxenham has built the island’s only winery. Takamaka makes wine from local lychees, producing a range that runs the gamut from dry to sweet, as well as a perfumed rosé. It’s laborious work: the fruit is picked, selected, peeled and pitted by hand before fermentation.
Rhumerie de Chamarel’s Sauternes Cask Finish rum
How to get there
A number of airlines offer direct flights from the UK to Mauritius, with a flight time of roughly 12 hours.
When to go?
The best times to visit are from April to June and from September to December. Avoid the peak cyclone season in January to March.
