Where to stay in Mauritius: the best areas and resorts

Grand Baie is the closest Mauritius gets to a resort town. A deep, sheltered bay full of bobbing catamarans is ringed by restaurants, cocktail bars, shops and dive centres, and this is where the island goes out at night. Day trips sail from here to the little islands off the north coast.

The hotels range from boutique to blockbuster. LUX* Grand Baie is a sleek new-generation resort on a crescent of sand in the heart of the bay; Royal Palm is a byword for old-school luxury, with honeymooners especially welcome. Beachcomber's Mauricia and Canonnier offer friendlier prices, all-inclusive options and, at Canonnier, golf and babysitting for families.

Just down the coast from Grand Baie, Trou aux Biches is a gentler proposition. Its long beach of soft, pale sand slopes into one of the calmest lagoons on the island, perfect for small children and first-time snorkellers, and the evenings are peaceful rather than loud.

Accommodation is a good mix. Trou aux Biches Beachcomber is the five-star choice, right on the sand with golf to hand. Elsewhere, smart beachfront apartments, such as Bon Azur and O'Biches, give you a kitchen and a sea view, while Le Palmiste offers good value in the heart of the village. Grand Baie's restaurants are about 15 minutes away.

The west coast is the dry, sunny side of the island, and its party trick is the sunset. Flic en Flac has one of the longest public beaches in Mauritius, and the resort strip at Wolmar, just to the south, looks across Tamarin Bay towards the great basalt block of Le Morne Brabant.

This stretch is full of big, polished resorts. Sugar Beach has almost a kilometre of sand, the Hilton is built for families, and Maradiva's villas each come with a private pool and butler. Further south at Le Morne, Dinarobin offers golf and a Clarins spa under the mountain. Casela Nature Park is about 15 minutes from Flic en Flac, and the airport around an hour away.

The east coast has the beaches that end up on the brochure covers, and Belle Mare is the pick: a mile and more of immaculate white sand, casuarina trees for shade and a vivid lagoon beyond. It catches the trade winds, which keep things fresh in the southern-hemisphere winter.

This is where Mauritius keeps its legends. One&Only Le Saint Géran sits on its own private peninsula; The Residence is styled on a colonial plantation house; Constance Belle Mare Plage has championship golf nearby; and Long Beach is livelier, built around a piazza of restaurants and bars, with Île aux Cerfs about 20 minutes away. Allow around an hour from the airport.

The south-east feels like Mauritius before the resorts arrived. Mahébourg is a historic village with a waterfront and a museum, and colourful fishing boats bob in a bay protected by one of the best-preserved lagoons on the island. Nearby Blue Bay Marine Park and Pointe d'Esny have some of the loveliest beaches anywhere on the coast, and the snorkelling is superb.

Hotels here are smaller and more relaxed. Preskil Island Resort sits on a peninsula between Mahébourg and the marine park and is a good bet for families; Astroea Beach and Le Peninsula Bay are charming, intimate and good value. The airport is just a few kilometres away, so it also makes a sensible first or last night.