For more tips to make the most of your time in Mauritius, blog contributor Mia shares more highlights from her visit. In this post, Mia lets us in on the preferred doings of another from her entourage: her sister, Julia.
An almost single (don’t ask; it’s complicated) lover of art and culture, Julia loved the bustle of the market and glamming it up at a resort as much as she did being on the beach. Here’s a list of her three faves from the trip.
Gris Gris Beach
A beach located near Souillac, a fishing village close to the most Southern point of Mauritius, Gris Gris Beach is not a beach for swimming. The waves are rough and rocks surround it. But, the view from the top of the cliffs is breathtaking and to the contrary to many references to Gris Gris, claiming that it is haunted, we thought it had a great energy to it.
Port Louis Market
Open everyday and situated in the center of Port Louis. You will find a fruit/vegetable section, a cloth/accessories section and a meat section. And the meat section made it into Julia’s top list.
Not for it’s beauty or the fresh produce but for the raw reality of Mauritian life. I really do not consider myself squeamish but when entering the poultry hall, I had to question my squeamishness. The smell hits you like a sledgehammer in the face. Rows over rows of whole raw chicken, chicken feet, chicken heads, liver, hearts, just to name a few, displayed in a hall with temperature soaring over 35˚C with very little air circulation. It really makes you wonder why we are so obsessed with refrigerating and storing protein in Europe!
This glimpse behind the scenes was a wake up call that island life was very different from what we see as tourists. Knowing my sister, she would want some more cultural and architectural details included. So, on your visit please take note of the beautiful iron gates at the entrance to the market and the tiled flooring throughout the market. Also interesting is that the meat section is divided into poultry/fish, beef and pork, all in separate buildings, another sign of the diverse melting pot of cultures and religion in Mauritius.
Tip: The pork and beef hall were less invasive to our European standards.
Check this link for more history on Port Louis market:
magazine.beachcomber-hotels.com/article/157.html
Constance Le Prince Maurice
Definitely a bit of a glamour girl and desperate to wear her Jimmy Choo’s at least once, Julia felt right at home at Constance Le Prince Maurice, one of the top rated resorts on the island.
You will have to book ahead if you are planning to visit as a non-resident, at which point you will be advised of their dress code. Getting past the first set of gates made us all feel like teenagers again, trying to get into a nightclub under aged. Once passed the first hurdle, we were hit by pure glamour and luxury.
Arriving around 6 for evening drinks, we were taken to the Floating Bar. As the name suggests, this was a bar floating in a lagoon where you can watch fish, flying fish and occasionally the residence shark (or so we were told). I actually struggle right now trying to describe the place, as it seems so out of this world!
Members of staff were amazing with my three-year old son, Kai, who held hands with the manager when taken to our bar. Kai spent the entire time watching the fish and hoping for the shark while we had the opportunity to give full attention to the vast list of cocktails and other drinks.
Maybe not the ideal place to stay with little child but Julia and Elena would not have struggled getting used to this kind of service.
For more about Constance Le Prince Maurice go to constancehotels.com/en/hotels-resorts/mauritius/le-prince-maurice.
Written by Mia, who works as a chef and writer in London. Stay tuned for more posts in her series about visiting Mauritius.
