Le Morne Brabant is a basalt monolith rising 556 metres out of the sea at Mauritius's southwestern tip. It is a UNESCO site because escaped slaves took refuge on its summit, and it is also a piece of weather infrastructure: it blocks the southeast trade winds that blow across the island for most of the year, and the lagoon in its lee is the flattest water in the Indian Ocean.
That combination — reliable wind arriving over a flat, shallow, reef-protected lagoon — is why Le Morne became one of the two or three best kitesurfing locations in the world, and why the same water is glass-calm for anyone who would rather not.
The four coasts and what the wind does
The trade winds come from the southeast, which sorts the island neatly.
The east coast, around Belle Mare and Trou d'Eau Douce, takes the wind directly. It has the longest beaches and the best sand on the island, and from roughly June to September it is breezy in a way that some people find refreshing and others find relentless.
The southwest, at Le Morne, has the wind and the shelter at the same time, which is the unusual bit.
The north, around Grand Baie and Trou aux Biches, is the most sheltered and the most developed, with the calmest water and the busiest strip.
The south, at Bel Ombre, is the wildest coast with the fewest hotels and dramatic cliffs.
Mauritius is also almost entirely ringed by a barrier reef, which means the swimming everywhere is in a lagoon rather than the open sea. Waves are not a feature of a Mauritian beach holiday.
The thirteen below are grouped by coast.
Le Morne and the southwest
Under the mountain, in the sheltered lagoon.
The St. Regis Le Morne Resort, Mauritius occupies a beachfront position directly under Le Morne with a long stretch of the sheltered lagoon, several restaurants and the most polished service on the island.
The St. Regis Le Morne Resort, Mauritius
Le Morne · 5★ · $$$$
Under the mountain on the sheltered lagoon
Check availabilityThe Residence Mauritius sits on the same peninsula with a large pool complex, a golf course beside it and full family facilities.
The Residence Mauritius
Le Morne · 5★ · $$$$
Large pool complex with golf beside it
Check availabilityParadis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa occupies a beach under the mountain with a golf course, several pools and a long-established Mauritian operation.
Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa
Le Morne peninsula · 5★ · $$$
Golf course on the peninsula under the mountain
Check availabilityDinarobin Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa sits beside it as the quieter, suite-based sister property with its own spa and beach.
Dinarobin Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa
Le Morne peninsula · 5★ · $$$
The quieter suite-based sister with its own spa
Check availabilityLUX Belle Mare occupies a stretch of the same lagoon with a design-led interior, several restaurants and a younger tone.
LUX Belle Mare
Belle Mare, east · 5★ · $$$
A long stretch of the island's best sand
Check availabilityThe east coast
Belle Mare and the long beaches. The best sand, and the wind.
One&Only Le Saint Géran, Mauritius occupies a peninsula at Poste de Flacq with 60 acres, a private beach on both sides and a level of service that has been the island's benchmark since 1975.
One&Only Le Saint Géran, Mauritius
Poste de Flacq, east · 5★ · $$$$
A 60-acre peninsula with beaches on both sides
Check availabilityConstance Prince Maurice sits on the same coast in a low property with thatched roofs, a private island offshore and a golf course. It is the most refined of the east coast resorts.
Constance Prince Maurice
Poste de Flacq, east · 5★ · $$$$
Thatched low buildings with a private island offshore
Check availabilityFour Seasons Mauritius at Anahita occupies a large site at Beau Champ with two golf courses, a spa on an island in a lagoon and the largest villas on the island.
Four Seasons Mauritius at Anahita
Beau Champ, east · 5★ · $$$$
Two golf courses and a spa on a lagoon island
Check availabilityShangri-La Le Touessrok, Mauritius sits at Trou d'Eau Douce with two private islands offshore, several pools and a beach that is among the best in Mauritius.
Shangri-La Le Touessrok, Mauritius
Trou d'Eau Douce · 5★ · $$$$
Two private islands offshore and a top-rated beach
Check availabilityLUX Belle Mare occupies a long stretch of Belle Mare beach with a design-led interior, several restaurants and a good spa.
The north
Grand Baie and Trou aux Biches. Sheltered, developed and calm.
Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury occupies a small site at Grand Baie with a very high staff-to-guest ratio, mature gardens and a reputation for service that is the strongest in the Indian Ocean.
Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury
Grand Baie, north · 5★ · $$$$
The highest staff ratio in the Indian Ocean
Check availabilityTrou aux Biches Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa sits on a long northern beach with several pools, a spa and full family facilities at a lower rate.
Trou aux Biches Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa
Trou aux Biches, north · 5★ · $$$
A long sheltered northern beach with several pools
Check availabilityThe south
Bel Ombre. The wildest coast, with the fewest hotels.
Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Wellness Resort occupies a colonial-style property on the southern coast with a golf course, a nature reserve behind it and a beach on a quiet stretch.
Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Wellness Resort
Bel Ombre, south · 5★ · $$$
Colonial style with a nature reserve behind it
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The self-catering apartments and villas around Grand Baie and Flic en Flac are excluded, and they are a substantial part of how the island accommodates its French and South African repeat visitors. They are apartments rather than hotels.
What to do
Kitesurf or watch it at Le Morne, where One Eye is one of the best-known waves in the sport.
Swim in the lagoon and snorkel the reef. Blue Bay in the southeast is a marine park with the best shore snorkelling on the island.
Drive the south coast, which is cliffs and sugar cane rather than beach, and go to Chamarel for the coloured earths and the waterfall.
Hike Le Morne itself, which takes about three hours return and is a genuine climb, with a guide required for the upper section.
Eat Mauritian, which is Creole, Indian, Chinese and French at once: octopus curry, dholl puri from a street stall, rougaille, and rum from the local distilleries.
Practical notes
Mauritius airport is in the southeast, about 45 minutes from Le Morne, 30 from Belle Mare and just over an hour from Grand Baie.
The seasons are inverted. May to November is the cooler, drier winter and the windy season, which is peak for kitesurfing. December to April is hot and humid with cyclone risk from January to March. September and October are generally the best all-round window.
The lagoon means calm water everywhere, and it also means the sea is warm and shallow rather than bracing.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Mauritius Hotels
Questions people actually ask
Which coast is windiest?
The east, from roughly June to September. The north and the lee of Le Morne are the most sheltered.
Is Mauritius good for children?
Very. The lagoon is shallow and calm almost everywhere and the resorts are set up for it.
When is cyclone season?
January to March, and it is a real consideration. September and October are the safest good-weather months.
How many nights?
Seven. The flights are long from almost anywhere.