Yesterday was a deliberately slow day at C Mauritius. The only challenge was the ongoing battle for sun loungers — somehow people still think that leaving a towel on one at 7am gives them ownership for the next 12 hours. Half the loungers sat empty with towels guarding them like territory markers. If you dare to move one, you get dagger eyes from across the pool. Always a highlight of resort life.

Aside from that, it was simple: more food, more pool time, and Ed managed a couple of hours of kiting when the wind finally filled in. In the evening there was a genuinely good band playing, and we’ve somehow got back into playing backgammon on the phone, which is surprisingly competitive after a glass of wine.

🌊 Five Islands Boat Trip

Today we were up early for a full-day Five Islands boat trip on the east coast. It’s a mix of snorkelling, wildlife, history, and small islands that all look close but each feel completely different.

The snorkelling was the standout — clear water, several species of fish cruising around the coral. Some of the coral was still colourful and healthy, which was encouraging to see.

Our guide, Anastasia, talked us through the environmental impact of the 2019 MV Wakashio oil spill when a ship ran aground on the reef. It caused a near-ecological disaster for the lagoons and mangroves on this coastline — something we’d read about before, but hearing it from someone who lives here made it feel more real, our driver was part of the local clean up team. (You can read more about it here.)

⛴️ Five Islands We Visited

Île aux Cerfs

Île aux Aigrettes

Île de la Passe

Île aux Fouquets

Îlot Vacoas

Other stops included:

A stop at the waterfall at Grand River South East, accessible only by boat, the navigation to it was a bit tricky, dodging boulders in the shallows not to mention the stream of other trip boats. As we returned up the inlet we stopped to look at the Macaque Monkeys, they were very cheeky, coming on board and jostling each other for snacks.

Lunch was a beach BBQ, simple but really good with dorado, prawns and chicken. As we finished lunch we could see the black rain clouds we’d avoided earlier looming again, so we went back to the yellow speedboat and headed off early instead of swimming at Île aux Cerfs. As we approached Trou d’Eau Douce the boat crew took us close in so that we could see and hear the part atmosphere of the regatta day, music, colourful sails and lots of people, a bonus to see.

After that it was back to the hotel for an apéro and dinner, and an early night after the full day out.