WITH more affordable options springing up, it’s no longer just honeymooners that can enjoy a slice of paradise, says columnist Kate Wills.

With its postcard-perfect beaches, practically guaranteed sunshine and only a four-hour time difference, Mauritius seemed like a great option for our first holiday with our 18-month old daughter Blake after two years of lockdown.

But this island in the Indian Ocean is more than just a dreamy beach destination.

Mauritius’ strategic position on the Spice Route in the 16th century meant that the Dutch planted the first sugar cane crops here.

Part of Africa, it was once a French colony, and French is still spoken all over the island, though it also has big Indian and Chinese populations.

This kaleidoscope of cultures means multiple nationalities, religions, languages and cultures co-exist here, each bringing their own influences to stir into the country’s melting pot.

Sweet dreams

After a 12-hour night flight, we head to the south of the island.

It would be hard to find a more baby-friendly hotel than the beautiful, all-inclusive Heritage Awali, 45 minutes’ drive from the airport.

With the white-sand beach, calm turquoise sea and a scattering of palm trees, it’s like stepping into a screensaver.

Our room is right on the beach, with chic wooden shutters, woven rugs and softly whirring fans.

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Best of all, it has a bathroom big enough to put a travel cot in, meaning we can sunbathe on the beach just outside our pad while Blake naps indoors – the Holy Grail of holidays with a toddler.

When Blake’s awake, we spend hours splashing in the shade of the family pool and ordering free fresh coconuts from the Coco Shack on the beach.

Ace of clubs

While many resorts have a kids’ club for ages three and above, at Heritage Awali there’s a baby club, where even newborns can hang out.

Blake loves the dressing-up box, tree house and mini swimming pool, complete with tiny loungers.

While she’s kept busy, my partner Guy and I go quad biking at the nearby Bel Ombre Nature Reserve, zooming through valleys where wild deer and monkeys play.

The day trip costs £88 per person, including a delicious lunch.

Back at the hotel, there are five restaurants to choose from, with everything from Mediterranean to Japanese, or even a traditional boma dinner – a barbecue under the stars.

There’s also loads of choice for little ones, and we order Blake’s pasta dinner to the pool bar so we can feed her as we watch the sun set while sipping rum cocktails.

Hire a babysitter through the hotel, £6 per hour, and treat yourself to an adults-only dinner of Mauritian fine dining at 19th century plantation house Heritage Le Chateau – not in the all-inclusive package, but worth paying extra for!

We enjoy marinated prawns, £14, wagyu rib steak, £23, and white chocolate mousse, £9.

Top tip: if you opt to sit on the balcony, bring mosquito repellent! 

Geology rocks

If you can bear to leave the attentive staff at the resort, there’s plenty to explore nearby.

Just a short walk away is the free World of Seashells museum, which has Africa’s largest collection of shells (Worldofseashells.mu).

We then take a 45-minute drive to the Seven Coloured Earths, a lunar-like landscape of multicoloured sand dunes, where Blake loves meeting giant tortoises.

It’s a pretty 15-minute walk from here to a viewing point for the stunning Chamarel Waterfall.

The dodo – which was native here – may have disappeared, but there are lots of other exotic birds to spot.

We then drive 10 minutes to Le Chamarel Panoramic Restaurant, where we feast on a tasting menu of Mauritian delicacies like octopus and palm heart salad, and vanilla chicken curry, £20, and marvel at mountain views (Lechamarelrestaurant.com). 

Northern soul

We mix things up by driving an hour to the north of the island for our stay at the secluded LUX Grand Gaube.

This retro-chic hotel has rooms designed by Kelly Hoppen, with rattan peacock chairs and a freestanding tub so big Blake could learn to swim in it.

It may be super-stylish but it’s also family-friendly, and thoughtful touches like a high chair and a nappy bin in our room make all the difference.

There’s also a kids’ club, tennis courts, an art gallery in a banyan tree and a cinema.

There are five restaurants, but our pick is the Turkish over-water Bodrum Blue for its giant mezze feast, £15.

And don’t miss sipping pisco sours, £12, under palm trees at Peruvian spot Inti.

But Blake’s favourite is ICI, a cute ice-cream truck with flavours including charcoal and coconut sorbet, £3.

Sugar rush

It’s a 40-minute drive through the sugar plantations to Mauritius’ capital Port Louis, with its bright shopfronts and bustling markets.

We go on a walking culinary tour with My Moris, a tasty way to learn the history of the island, where we get to munch on Indian dholl puri, Chinese dim sum and French crepes.

The tour takes in the city’s vibrant street art and fascinating architecture, such as an 18th-century French theatre, as well as British red postboxes.

The four-hour tour costs £45 per person (Mymoris.mu). 

We walk off all that food with a stroll around Le Caudan Waterfront.

This pedestrianised area has a craft market and a walkway with coloured umbrellas hanging overhead, as well as lots of independent boutiques and cafes. 

Then we head to Pamplemousse Botanical Gardens to spot fruit bats and giant water lilies, entry costs £6 (Ssrbg.govmu.org). It’s quite the upgrade on our local park back home! 

Book It

Rooms at Heritage Awali cost £265 a night all-inclusive, based on two adults and one child sharing (Heritageresorts.mu/mauritius-hotels).

Rooms at LUX Grand Gaube cost from £146 per night (Luxresorts.com/en/mauritius).

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