Flic-en-Flac, Our Ultimate Base To Explore The Beautiful Island Of Mauritius!

We decided to ditch the hustle bustle of Port Louis for a calmer, sublime beach holiday experience and apparently that was the best decision we took. We visited Mauritius during mid-August which is already the start of their winters. The East Coast is mostly windy while the Southern part does not have the option of a lot of beaches.

“With stunning snow white sandy beaches that stretch for miles flanked by Casurina trees, cyan reef protected lagoons that are home to an array of spectacular marine life and scores of coconum palm fringed resorts that open up to the exotic beaches, Flic-en-Flac , without an iota of doubt, stood out as our ultimate home base to explore the rest of the island.“

The drive from airport to our beach-villa. Feel the unmatched quality of air freshness!

Our 40 minutes drive from Sreeramghoolam Airport to our resort in Flic-en-Flac included, for most parts, wide expanse of sugarcane cultivation on both sides, magnificient cyan and magenta blossoms, beautiful sun baked hills and an unmatched quality of freshness of air. We let our windows down, in order to soak in the beauty and inhale volumes of uncontaminated oxygen, something which is a luxury in over-populated, polluted cities.

Our Stay at Flic-en-Flac

Our villa was a cozy B&B, decently luxurious, but definitely not a 5 star facility. It had a nice swimming pool, the seating area near the reception was meticulously designed with a lot of bohemian craft. The shelves contained lots of books. There were a few coffee tables besides the sofa and each of them had a different indoor game. The room was small but cozy. The terrace had a colourful shamiana and a swing, with an unfaltering vision of the mighty ocean. And as was the characteristic of most resorts in the area, our resort opened up to the beach as well.

Our Cozy B&B Beach-Villa and our Nest for our stay in Mauritius!

It was almost evening when we had set foot on our villa. We freshened up and decided to go for a nearby stroll in order to get a vibe of the place. Arrays of dimly lit ethnic restaurants, themed sea food stalls and a few outdoorsy fast food corners could be seen on the road parallel to the beach. We finally settled for an elegant French restaurant. Our sea food platter and bottle of mineral water costed a bomb. The bottled water itself costed more than 300 MRU. Ouch!! That hurt.

We loved the Bohemian Craft and Architecture of the Outdoorsy Food Joints in Flic-en-Flac!

Yummy Sea-Food Platter! One more serving please, pretty please. . .

The Day After

The next day we woke up to a sumptuous breakfast. Each breakfast table was daintily done with a nature synchronous theme. Little birdies perched on tree branches near the breakfast table chirped their melodies while we stuffed our plates with breads, jam, bagels, sausages and pancakes. We finished our breakfast with a steaming cup of latte. It was around 9 am, the sun was not up high and we decided to hit the beach!

Just lie on a beach-bench, read a book and gaze at the vastness of the turquoise oceans!

Early mornings and sunset times are usually the most perfect time to visit a beach. If you are an ardent photographer, a connoisseur of good photography, or if you liked getting clicked with elegance and exotica, you cannot possibly miss capturing the beach during wee hours of morning.

if you liked getting clicked with elegance and exotica, you cannot possibly miss capturing the beach during wee hours of morning.

We walked barefoot in the white pearly sand (The beach was called Pearl Beach for a reason!). As we gazed into the ocean, we could see the mighty ocean making mild ripples and weaving the gush of waves into an entrancing soundscape. There was hardly any soul on the beach and we could consume the eclectic vibe of the place in its entirety.

Exploring In and Around Flic-en-Flac

After spending about an hour and a half on the beach, we returned back to our villa, took a shower and set out to explore the ins and arounds the place had to offer. We had the day at leisure.

The Ins and Arounds of where we stayed! Can you feel the vibe of the place yet?

Maddy, waiting for his cup of Cappuchino at a Coffee Shop in Flic-en-Flac!

We set out on foot. We had hardly set foot on the streets when we met Linley, a local taxi driver and tourist guide. We had a little word about the places to visit. He even referred a PADI certified Scuba Diving Centre for our ocean activities and handed us his card as we parted.

Meet Linley, an expert Driver and Tourist Guide. . .Thanks for showing us around man!

We settled inside a coffee shop, spread our map on the coffee table, ordered ourselves two Cappuccino and tried to figure out our daily iterinary.  We were staying on the west coast, but we had yet to figure out the days we would allot to the East, North and South Mauritius. This was when we were approached by a friendly local uncle. He showed us his favorite restaurant and asked us to try their mixed fried rice. We obliged and little did we know that we would frequent the restaurant in all the days of our stay.

The fried rice was tasty and it was definitely value for money. We became good friends with the restaurant owner and the server. Funny thing is the owner did not speak a word of English and we didn’t know a word of French; yet we connected so well. Mauritius is well-known for its  super-friendly, super-chilled out locals. We, now had our first-hand experience and could undeniably certify the same.

Thank you for all the tasty lunches and dinners Uncle and thanks for that yummy Biryani Bro!

Sensational Sunset at Flic-en-Flac Beach

Beaches on Flic-en-Flac are famous for its sensational sunsets. When we reached the beach, the sun had already slowly begun its departure. We watched it through its trajectory for sometime until it hid beneath the ocean. Meanwhile we watched the sky turn from pink and purple to gold and red. Dusk had settled, and it was one of the most beautiful sunsets we had ever experienced.

We Watched the Sky turn from pink and purple to gold and red! One of the most sensational sunsets we had ever witnessed!

We went back to our cozy den; sat near the window and gazed at the evening sky. The slice of sky peeking between the curtains was the purple of twilight turning into night. Eventually the skies turned dark, as millions of stars twinkled back at us. We decided to call it a night. Curtains down for that day.

Scuba Diving – Our Tryst with the Under-Water World

We had all the peace and calm the previous day and now it was time to experience the thrill and adventure that the oceans had to offer. Travellers get to experience a tremendous array of marvels as the place offers a myriad of exotic under-water opportunities.

One of our most exhilarating Scuba Diving experience in the Indian Ocean!

The School of Fish and the World of Wonders that we discovered inside the Ocean Bed!

We decided to go with the diving school suggested by Linley. We were briefed about the underwater conditions and signs to communicate with the instructor. We were then provided with diving gears, taken for a practice session to the lagoons for about half an hour and finally we were taken to the middle of the ocean for the main plunge. 

The Remaining Days

The remaining days were spent restaurant hopping, beach hopping, exploring nearby coffee shops and trying out unique sea cuisines. On one of such days, we had a gala evening and a romantic dinner in an exotic Thai ethnic restaurant. The outdoor ambience, romantic lighting, soft music – everything was on point.

On some other day, we were offered ‘Biryani’ by the uncle of the French restaurant that we frequented. Surprisingly, it was their first time cooking Biryani. They must have definitely thought that we missed Indian food. Not sure because they were professional chefs or because the Biryani was cooked with love, it turned out to be really tasty.

But every day after dinner, you would find us at the beach sitting under a starry sky and gazing into the night ocean – a regime we religiously followed. We even made a short trip to ‘Cascavelle’, the only mall cum entertainment centre cum shopping complex near Flic-en-Flac. The Uncle from the restaurant we frequented offered to drop us to Cascavelle during his duty hours and we were genuinely touched by this generous gesture.

‘Cascavelle’, the only mall cum entertainment centre cum shopping complex near Flic-en-Flac

We spent the last day in Flic-en-Flac playing in the waters and collecting Ocean Shells from the oceans.

Meet Our New Friends

Parting Thoughts

Well, to sum it up, honeymooners get a tremendous array of marvels to take in while on a Mauritian Beach Holiday! As for us, a kinship had taken root between us and the oceans.

The contrast of a whole host of colours and tastes, the island set in the turquoise sea is definitely a haven of peace and composure; a melting pot where past and present are effortlessly blended together. The place offers an indispensable beauty that will compel one to visit its shore time and again.

“We, for one had definitely left a part of our soul in that place!”

Read the Part-II of our Mauritius blog by clicking the link below:

Experience an Amazing Road Trip to the North of Mauritius

Read the Part-III of our Mauritius blog by clicking the link below:

Unveiling the Amazing History and the Gorgeous Geography of South Mauritius