Grand Baie

Grand Baie is a deep sheltered bay on the north coast that has been the island's main visitor centre since the 1970s, and everything about it reflects that: a strip of restaurants, bars, dive shops and boutiques along the waterfront, a marina and mooring field full of catamarans, and departure points for most of the northern boat excursions to Coin de Mire, Flat Island and the offshore dive sites. The bay itself is calm and shallow with small beaches at La Cuvette and the public beach, better for boats than for swimming. It is the liveliest place on the island after dark, and the least characteristically Mauritian, which is either the point or the objection depending on the visitor.

What you actually see

• The bay and moorings - catamarans and boats on the sheltered water.
• The waterfront strip - restaurants, bars and shops along the shore.
• La Cuvette beach - the small public beach at the eastern end.
• Boat departures - the excursions leaving for the northern islets.

When to go

May to December for the drier, cooler season, which is also the busiest. January to March is hot, humid and within the cyclone season. Boat trips leave in the morning.

Honest expectations

The town is developed and commercial, with touts and timeshare sellers working the strip. The beaches are small and crowded. Prices are higher than elsewhere on the island. Nightlife noise carries in the central area.

Nearby

Cap Malheureux lies north; Pamplemousses garden is south.