Tami had the best views of the day as she waited in the plentiful parking bays overlooking the ocean. We ventured down the main road in search of snacks. The walk was pleasant, but because the beaches were closed we had to walk on the road, they don’t have pavement, I guess you would normally walk along the beach. The first stretch of about 500 meters has tons to offer, patank courts, ocean temples, a shrine, and of course plenty of foods to try.
We got a panini from Sunset Filaos. It came with chips and salad and we ordered the extra samosas and tamarind juice. Could I dining room have been any better, I doubt it. A simple wooden bench overlooking the sea. The food was freshly made and hot and I don’t remember how long it took, we were too engrossed in the view, but it felt very short. Well worth the price, even though they charged more than what the board said. I only noticed this when checking the footage.
I then told a fantastic story about the vampire that is very funny and the sort of thing that can only happen in a small relaxed town where rumours run rampant.
We grabbed Tami and headed inland to Max souvenir shop, which was closed, waiting for the influx of tourists to return. Across the road is a real treat, as Riki described it, “Fairytale wall of banyan trees”, hid a secret. Five lime kilns. Not in the best condition, but there are 5. They are on the edge of “the most beautiful football field in the world”, again, quoting Riki. There is an art gallery, Ananti, right next to it, with some rocks and a sculpture on the lawn.
A short trip brought us to Bellvue Rivet sugar mill chimney, a beautiful old, but small chimney. Annexed in eighteen what what (1857) she was made in the French style using lime mortar, probably from the same kilns we saw earlier. The top is still open, but it looks like someone has been digging into the side and some of the stones are missing. Right near it, behind a few houses and surrounded by chickens is an old presbyterian chapel of Saint Pierre. They have repaired it and it looks good for another 100 years.
We then started a whirlwind tour of some of the accommodation on offer, unfortunately, they were all closed, but we knew the prices. The Oberoi is one of the top resorts in Mauritius, priced from 500 Euros a night, it also contains 3 national heritage sites. The cheapest, but still very nice looking Le Margarita, with their pool and a short walk to the beach came in at 25 Euros a night. The Victoria Beachcomber has sea-facing rooms from 140 Euros a night and we got to show some of the views. They are right next to a marine park, so a must-check-out place for scuba divers. Lastly Le Meridian, it looked very swish, but they don’t share their pricing.
Our final stop on the adventure was to the closed aquarium, the only one in Mauritius. We drove off through the back end of town and were followed by a van selling something. The story ends with me trying my new favorite jam, guava jam, made by my good friend Reetish. He was the one I was on the phone with at Le Meridian.
Pointe Aux Piments, great beaches, accommodation and foods.