Where are main residential areas please / best places to live?

Hello there,

I am planning to visit Mauritius for a 3-6 month period and want to know where is best to look for somewhere to live.  I am a kiteboarder so want to stay near to a place I can kitesurf (I am planning to kite at Belle Mare) but want to live in a town where there are some amenities.

Can anyone give me any guidance on this?  Where are the main residential towns?  I think I will need be in the south / east of island but I'm unsure where to start looking.  Sorry to sound stupid, but we have chosen Mauritius because of the conditions for our sport but this is our first visit.

I have been given details of places in Le Morne, what is this like as a residential area?  Is there anywhere to go out? 

Thanks very much for any replies, your help is really appreciated.

Hello miz_valentine

The best spot for kitesurf is Le Morne and it is in the South West, Belle Mare is ok, but definitely not the place you need to be if you wish to have a great time on the Island!

Two places to stay is up North or the West side..

The North : Grand Baie
The West side : Flic en Flac - Tamarin - Black River

You will love Tamarin Beach, as there are many surfers out there and lots of activities.

Flic en Flac is not too far, you will benefit from the Club/Bar Night Life.

Life is not too expensive like up north, and you will definitely love it..

Hope this helps ;)

Regards
Kenjee
Expat.com Team

Hello,

Thanks for your reply, this helps a lot!

I am aware that most people kitesurf at Le Morne, but I am  not a surfer as such and I'm not looking for wave riding, so the lagoons on the East of island is where I will want to go somedays

How far is to drive from say Flic en Flac, to Le Morne and also to say Belle Mare Plage?

Also, I've been given details of La Gaulette, is this an ok place to start with?  I would prefer to live somewhere with some life / expats!   I am planning to rent an apartment and car for a month so I can check out for myself where will be a good place to settle but some guidance for the first month is very helpful, so thank you very much for your reply.

I guess I will start my kiteboarding at the lagoon of Le Morne and find my way from there!

Hey!

Lagaulette is great cozy village by beach place!! But there are not too much expats as Tamarin or Flic En Flac.

Flic en Flac is for the beach, nice for snorkeling and swimming and Clubs/Pubs at night! Tamarin is for the waves, surf and night camp fire.

Le Morne / Lagaulette great for Kayaking, windsurf  and all the Night Camping fun! :) 

Lagaulette and Le Morne is near, like 15 Minutes by car.

Belle Mare is just the other side of the island from Le Morne!!

But hey, Mauritius Island is a veeery small island, you can't be more than 2hours far from anywhere on the Island when you got a car :)

Of course, you need to rent and see by yourself how you adapt!

Ive got a lot of friends coming for studies etc who prefer Tamarin, Flic en Flac or Black River to stay, where there are a lot of expats.

From Flic en Flac to Le Morne, well if you chill ride ( 80km/hour) id say 45minutes - One Hour max.

Once you know the road you will be able to do it in less :)

From Flic en Flac to Belle Mare - enjoying the Ride - < 2 Hours :)

Hope this helps ;)

Regards
Kenjee
Expat.com Team

Trou aux biches best seasides n climate for touriste

It helps more than you can possibly know, thank you so much for taking the time to reply.

I have just one more questions (for now  :)

Are there any similar places in the North East of the island (for example I can kitesurf at Anse Le Raie) or would I then be better looking at Grand Baie?  If that's the case, how far is it to drive from Grand Baie to Anse Le Raie and to Belle Mare Plage?  IS Grand Baie and the north only full of tourists?

Thank you thank you!!!!!!!!

Hello  :cheers:

There are some nice spots around Anse la Raie and Cap Malheureux, less known than Le Morne and Belle Mare of course, but you could have some fun over there too.

Up north is way best for Scuba diving, its arguably one of the best  places for scuba diving.

From Grand Baie to Belle Mare, during normal hours you can make it in One Hour time, with the new roads that we have now :)

Grand Baie to Anse la Raie, will take you around 20 Minutes or less.

Grand Baie is popularly known for being full of tourist yes...but of course there are tons of locals around too  :P

But any time around the day or night you will come across a lot of tourists.

Here is a map for you to get an idea of the location of Le Morne, Grand Baie and Belle Mare :

http://www.thomsonworldwide.com/destinations/themes/tww/images/maps/Mauritius.gif

Hit me up whenever you need infos ;)

Got it!  Thank you so much, I really appreciate your replies.  Think I will probably start in the south where there are other kiters and check out the north by car.  Its always more expensive where the tourists are  :)

No doubt you will hear from me again at some point, I have a very intense work contract coming up then I have my year off.. yippee!!

I cant wait til June!!!!!   

Again, THANKS!

There is a group of kite surfers in La Gaulette  that you should meet before you choose the best spot.

I'm interested in meeting this group! How can i get in touch with them?

thanx!!

facebook.com/clubmistralanselaraie?ref=hl

when you talk about the north Trou Aux Biches is one of the best place to live in.    wish you all the best