Executive summary by darmansjah
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Chammarel waterfall, on teh edge of Black River Gorges
PORT LOUIS has survived plague epidemics, fires and tropical storms since its foundation in the 17th century. Today, the capital is divided between the sanitized waterfront and more colorful old town – head here to bargain hard at the Central Market, a feature of city life since Victorian times.
Black River Gorges
National Park is best explored by its trails. Look out for the pink region –
a bird unique to the island that was rescued from extinction in the 1990s. get
advice on hiking routes from the information centre at Le Petrin (whc.unesco.org; closed Sun).
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Rodrigues is a
tiny mountainous island with a fraction of the inhabitants of its bigger
cousin. Its beaches count among the best in the country, and development tends
to be more sympathetic and small-scale than back on the mainland (flights from
Mauritius US$270; airmauritius.com).
A preserved Creole mansion outside Moka, Maison Eureka is a beacon of tropical
construction. The name is said to have been coined when the second owner won a
bidding war to buy the place at auction (maisoneureka.com;
admission USD11).
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Temperatures are high year round, but cyclones in January
and February can bring rain. Hardly a week goes by without a festival –
highlights include Hindu and Tamil fire-walking ceremonies of Teemeedee in
December and January, and the Chinese New Year.
Sir Seewoosagur
Ramgoolam International Airport is mainland Mauritius’s only airport. Air Mauritius
(airmauritius.com) flies there direct from both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Island
taxis are available from the airport (aml.mru.aero).
If the adage that the best Chinese restaurants are busy with
Chinese diners applies, First Restaurant
is a winner. Full of local families feasting on Cantonese cooking, it has a
good range of dim sum (00 230 212 0685; cnr of Royal & Corderie Sts; mains
from US$4.50).
Le Capitaine is an
unpretentious and popular harbor side restaurant. Try whole crab cooked in
white wine or lobster ravioli with mushroom and cucumber quenelles. Evening reservation
are essential (le-capitaine.restaurant.mu;
royal rd; mains from US$9.50).
Les Copains d’Abord
looks out to the site of the Royal Navy’s biggest defeat in the Napoleonic
wars. Napoleon himself would be pleased to see this specialist seafood
restaurant mixing Med and Mauritian influences (leclubdesgrandsbois.com; Rue
Shivananda; mains from US$11).
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With chic décor and a terrace overlooking fishing boats
bobbing in the waters off Trou aux Biches, Le
Pescatore is often vaunted as one the best restaurants in northern
Mauritius. Superior dishes include lobster in ginger and sake sauce (00 230 265
6337; Mont Choisy; mains from US$24).
Auberge de la
Montagne in Rodrigues is a much-loved guesthouse where many rooms have
balconies overlooking the countryside. The host is an author of a Rodriguan
cookbook; accordingly, dinners are a crash course in Creole cooking. Try the
octopus curry (aubergedelamontagne.net.tc;
from Us$63).
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A family-run b&b, rooms at Les lataniers Blues are divided between the main house and villas
scattered around verdant grounds. Evening meals (open to residents only) take
in traditional Mauritian dishes, while the beautiful lagoon in front of the
hotel is perfect for swimming (leslataniersbleus.com;
from US$160).
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A Moroccan-style boutique hotel, La Palmeraie is a somewhat incongruous, Kasbah-like structure
standing on a beach in eastern Mauritius. The colorful rooms come decorated
with all manner of Arabesque arches, rugs and draped fabrics, and the Moorish
theme extends to the hotel spa (hotel-palmeraie.com;
Belle Mare; from US$285).
Car hire is available at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
International Airport (from US$59 per day; budget.com) and the island is served
by a bus network – the national transport authority has companies and routes
details (gov.muz; fares US$1.50).
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Heavenly Choice –
Le Paradis is a large hotel in the
southern part of the island near a great mountain called Le Morne, with
accommodation in two-storey bungalows or in the main hotel. It’s very elegant
and well decorated, and is a very good from the point of view of sea
activities, with beautiful beaches, windsurfing, scuba diving and deep-sea
fishing. It was recommended to us by Mauritian friends, and it’s a good family
place as well (paradis-hotel.com;
from US$600 half-board).-Juliet Nicholson
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Find Out More-
French writer Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre’s 18th-century
novel Paul and Virginia is a tragic love story set on the island on the eve of
the French Revolution.
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