Belle Mare Holidays

Belle Mare is a delightful little resort on the eastern coast of Mauritius, which combines superb beaches with a laid-back island appeal. It’s particularly popular with families and couples, but this inviting little town has plenty for everyone. The beaches are spectacular: gorgeous swathes of white sand and brilliant blue water. There are lots of places to eat and drink, some good shopping in nearby Centre de Flacq and two superb golf courses. Plus, you can take boat excursions to the idyllic Île aux Cerfs, a paradisiacal island known for its gorgeous beaches and wealth of water sports. Belle Mare is also a great base for exploring some of the island’s historic towns such as Vieux Grand Port and Port Louis.

Belle Mare may be small, but it has a decent choice of restaurants and cafés, whether you want to splash out on a gourmet meal at one of the luxury hotels or head to a beachfront inn for some traditional home-cooking. The cuisine in Mauritius is a fantastic fusion of flavours from around the world, reflecting the island’s multicultural heritage. There is lots of amazing fresh seafood, served fresh from the grill or perhaps in one of the spicy curries – octopus curry is a local speciality. Other classic dishes you won’t want to miss include rougaille (a spicy Creole tomato stew with meat or seafood) and daube (a tender stew, usually made with chicken).

Belle Mare has everything you need for a wonderful, relaxing holiday in the sunshine. The stunning beach is set on a sheltered lagoon, protected by the coral reef, which makes it ideal for swimming and snorkelling. Most of the hotels offer a range of water sports, including kayaking and paddle boarding, and they usually also provide an entertainment programme geared towards young children. There are lots of boat trips on offer, including glass-bottomed boats and catamarans, which are always a hit with children. Kids will also love the boat excursions to the Île des Cerfs, an island set in the lagoon which boasts superb beaches and a host of water sports.

Most hotels in Belle Mare offer a wide choice of water sports, but the two biggest sports on Mauritius – as you’d expect from an island almost completely encircled by coral reefs - are snorkelling and scuba diving. There are lots of local suppliers that offer courses, and offer a range of diving excursions, whether you’re a beginner or more advanced. They also offer shark pit diving for serious thrill-seekers! Other water sports in the area include paddle boarding, water-skiing and kayaking. The island of Île aux Cerfs also has a great choice of water sports, including parasailing.

The beaches of Belle Mare are breathtaking – long stretches of pale sand, brilliant blue waters. Many of the hotels have beach clubs, that provide plenty of facilities, and you’ll also find lots of options for eating and drinking. The lagoon formed by the coral reef is calm and shallow, perfect for snorkelling or exploring in a glass-bottomed boat. The scuba diving is also excellent, with lots of local diving schools that rent out equipment and organise excursions to the best diving sites. Heading south of Belle Mare towards Trou d’Eau Douce are the wilder and unspoilt beaches of Quatre Cocos, a paradise for beach-trekkers.

Holiday-makers visit Mauritius for its relaxed, laid-back island charm, and Belle Mare has this in spades. The nightlife reflects the tranquil pace of life, and you’ll find yourself mainly drifting from bar to bar, enjoying a drink, as the sun goes down. Lots of the hotels have glamorous cocktail bars, where you can dress up and enjoy a drink in gorgeous surroundings. Several also host special events, including live music or saga dance performances on the beach – these shouldn’t be missed, not least for the colourful costumes the dancers wear. If you make it to Île des Cerfs, there are some fabulous beach bars that are worth checking out.

Belle Mare enjoys a picturesque setting overlooking one of the most beautiful beaches in Mauritius. As well as basking on the beach, you can enjoy spa treatments or a couples’ massage at one of the luxury hotels, or head out into the lagoon with your snorkels to explore the multi-coloured aquatic life on the coral reef. You can take a romantic boat trip to Île des Cerfs, a stunning island set in a lagoon, with breathtaking beaches backed by tropical greenery. And if you fancy a round or two of golf, you’ll find two of the best courses on the island within easy reach. Round off the evening with a candlelit dinner on the beachfront as the sun goes down.

Belle Mare is within an hour’s drive of some of the most historic sights on Mauritius. South of the resort, you can visit Vieux Grand Port, where Dutch sailors set foot on the island in 1598 and became its first human inhabitants. They built a fortress here, and this town later became the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company. Nearby Mahébourg is one of the oldest settlements on Mauritius, and is still sprinkled with some charming colonial buildings. Across the island on its western coast is Port Louis, the vibrant capital of Mauritius. It has a host of excellent museums, including the famous Blue Penny Museum, plus the moving Aapravasi Ghat, which is where indentured labourers (mainly Chinese) were brought after the abolition of slavery. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.