Where to Stay in Mauritius: Best Areas & Hotels

NORTH MAURITIUS

Where to Stay in North Mauritius

Best for: Restaurants, swimming, families, nightlife and convenience

North Mauritius is one of the easiest areas for first-time visitors. You have some of the island’s best swimming beaches, plenty of restaurants and much more going on in the evenings than on the quieter east coast.

Grand Baie

Best for: restaurants, nightlife, shopping and boat trips.

This is the busiest tourist hub in northern Mauritius. I would recommend Grand Baie if you want to walk to restaurants and bars rather than spend every evening inside your hotel.

Trou aux Biches & Mont Choisy

Best for: beaches and families.

If your priority is easy swimming and relaxed beach days, I prefer these areas to central Grand Baie. Trou aux Biches is one of my favourite swimming beaches on the island. You can compare the northern beaches in my Best Beaches in Mauritius guide.

Grand Gaube

Best for: quiet resorts while staying in northern Mauritius.

This is where I stayed. It feels much calmer than Grand Baie while still giving you relatively easy access to northern attractions.

EAST COAST

Where to Stay on the East Coast of Mauritius

Best for: Luxury resorts, white-sand beaches, honeymoons and quiet stays

The east coast has a completely different feel. It is quieter, more spread out and much more resort-focused. You also have beautiful beaches around Belle Mare and easy access to Île aux Cerfs. The downside is that the east can be windier, especially during the cooler months.

Belle Mare

Best for: long beaches and luxury resorts.

If your Mauritius fantasy involves waking up, walking onto an enormous white-sand beach and doing very little else for several hours, Belle Mare makes sense.

Trou d’Eau Douce

Best for: Île aux Cerfs trips and a slightly more local atmosphere.

This is a practical base if you want easy boat access without staying inside a huge resort.

Poste de Flacq

Best for: quiet luxury.

This is where I stayed at Constance Prince Maurice. The area feels peaceful and isolated compared with Grand Baie or Flic-en-Flac.

WEST & SOUTHWEST

Where to Stay in West & Southwest Mauritius

Best for: First-time visitors, sunsets, activities, hiking and wildlife

If I had to choose one part of Mauritius, this would be it. The west and southwest have the best combination of beaches and things to actually do. You are close to: Le Morne, Chamarel, Black River Gorges, Tamarin, whale watching, dolphins, Île aux Bénitiers and some of the best sunsets on the island.

This part of Mauritius also makes up a huge section of my Best Things to Do in Mauritius guide.

Flic-en-Flac

Best for restaurants, beach access and convenience. This is one of the easiest places to stay if you want lots of accommodation options and restaurants nearby.

Tamarin & Black River

Best for whale watching, dolphins and independent travellers. These areas are excellent if you want apartments, smaller hotels and easy access to western Mauritius activities. They are also close to many whale-watching departures.

If whales are high on your list, read my Whale Watching in Mauritius guide before booking anything.

La Gaulette

Best for budget-conscious travellers exploring Le Morne. La Gaulette is particularly useful if you want to spend lots of time around Le Morne but do not want to pay Le Morne resort prices.

Le Morne

Best for scenery, couples and luxury. This is my favourite place to stay in Mauritius if budget is not the main concern. You have Le Morne Brabant towering behind you and one of the most beautiful beaches on the island immediately in front.

BEST COAST

North, East or West Mauritius: Which Coast Is Best?

North Mauritius: Beaches + restaurants + nightlife + families

East Mauritius: Luxury + quiet + resorts + long beaches

West Mauritius: Sunsets + restaurants + easy sightseeing

Southwest Mauritius: Nature + hiking + whales + Le Morne + adventure

My choice: If this is your first trip to Mauritius, I would choose the west or southwest. If your entire goal is swimming and easy beach days, choose the northwest. If you mainly want a quiet luxury resort holiday, choose the east.

HOTELS

Where I Stayed in Mauritius

LUX* Grand Gaube

Location: North Mauritius
Best for: Couples, resort lovers and exploring northern Mauritius

I stayed at LUX* Grand Gaube during the northern part of our trip.

What I liked most was that it felt peaceful and secluded while still being close enough to explore Grand Baie, Pamplemousses and the northern coastline.

My verdict:
A great option if you want the convenience of northern Mauritius without actually staying in busy Grand Baie.

Constance Prince Maurice

Location: Northeast Mauritius
Best for: Luxury, couples and complete peace

Constance Prince Maurice was probably the most peaceful of the three resorts we stayed at.

It sits around a beautiful lagoon and mangrove setting and feels much more isolated than northern or western Mauritius.

My verdict:
Choose it when the hotel itself is a major part of the holiday.

LUX* Grand Gaube

Location: Southwest Mauritius
Best for: Scenery, honeymoons and outdoor activities

This was my favourite location of the three.

The hotel sits directly beneath Le Morne Brabant, with Le Morne Beach running along the front.

You are also perfectly positioned for whale watching, Chamarel, Black River Gorges and exploring southwestern Mauritius.

My verdict:
If I could choose only one of the three areas to stay again, I would choose Le Morne.

HOTEL PLANNING

Should You Stay in One or Several Hotels in Mauritius?

For a one-week trip, one or two bases are enough.

For 10 to 14 days, I would split the trip between two or three areas.

That is exactly how I structure my 2 Weeks in Mauritius itinerary.

For example: North → East → Southwest

You will spend less time driving and actually experience how different each part of Mauritius feels.

If changing hotels three times sounds like your personal version of hell, choose: Northwest + Southwest

Those two regions give you the best overall combination.

MY FAVORITE

My Favorite Area to Stay in Mauritius

For me, it is Le Morne and the southwest.

Not because the north or east are disappointing. They aren’t.

But southwest Mauritius gives you the best combination of dramatic scenery, beaches and actual things to do.

You can hike Le Morne in the morning, swim in the afternoon and watch sunset beneath the mountain. The next day you can go whale watching. Then drive to Chamarel. Then Black River Gorges. Then accidentally do nothing on the beach for seven hours.

This is the Mauritius balance I liked most.