Mauritius

Mauritius rises from the Indian Ocean in a ring of reef-sheltered lagoons, with green volcanic peaks and sugar-cane fields inland. It combines resort time with real sightseeing: catamaran days to islands off the coast, the coloured earth and waterfall at Chamarel, the dramatic headland of Le Morne and the tea and rum estates of the south.

For Indian travellers it feels familiar in the nicest way. More than half of Mauritians have Indian roots, Hindi and Bhojpuri are spoken in many homes, temples dot the villages, and the crater lake of Grand Bassin is a place of pilgrimage. Vegetarian food is everywhere, from resort buffets to dholl puri, the island’s favourite street snack.

A week usually means one beach resort as a base, or two on different coasts, with three or four days of touring. It suits honeymooners, families and senior couples equally well, and we choose the coast to suit the season: the sheltered west and north in the breezier winter months, the long beaches of the east in summer.