Pereybere beach

Just past the tourist buses and food trucks that clog the main beach at Grand Baie lies a secret shore, a smaller inlet where the water is just as blue, the sand just as white. But the people are mainly families who bring their children to swim in the placid waters. That doesn't mean it's a kid’s beach. Rather it's a happy in-between place, close to the restaurants and nightlife in Grand Baie, but quiet enough to feel away from it all.

Here the waters spill out toward a protected marine sanctuary, where the island’s ever-growing hotel developments cannot reach. Smaller islands a short boat ride away are uninhabited except for a little Coast Guard post. This is where some of the best diving and snorkeling in Mauritius is located. In places, even snorkeling is too much. Wading in the water is enough to see everything hiding below the surface. For those feeling less active, there's a luxury catamaran to deliver guests to a beachside gourmet dinner among the ruins of the old Dutch governor’s mansion.