Beau Vallon

Beau Vallon is where Mahe actually swims: a wide two-kilometre bay on the north-west coast with a gentle shelf, few rocks and enough length that even a busy day feels roomy. It is the most developed beach on the island in a low-key way - a handful of hotels behind the treeline, dive centres, boat operators and a beachside food market on Wednesday evenings where grilled fish, curries and fresh juice are served on plastic plates as the sun goes down over the water. For visitors without a car it is the easiest good beach to reach from the capital, and it doubles as the island's watersports hub.

What you actually see

• The swimming bay - long, gently shelving sand and calm-season water.
• The Wednesday evening market - grilled fish, Creole curries and local crowds.
• Sunset over the sea - one of Mahe's few west-facing beach sunsets.
• Dive and boat trips - operators running to nearby marine park reefs.

When to go

The northwest monsoon from roughly October to April brings the calmest water on this coast - the best swimming months. From May to September the southeast trades push swell and seaweed onto the bay, and the sea gets choppier, though the beach stays perfectly usable.

Honest expectations

This is the island's busiest beach and it looks it - expect hotels behind the sand, boat traffic offshore and occasional touts offering trips. Seaweed accumulates in the windy season and gets cleared unevenly. Currents can pick up at the bay's ends. As a base it is convenient rather than idyllic; travellers chasing empty postcard sand should head to the west and south coasts of Mahe instead.

Nearby

Victoria and its market, the Baie Ternay marine park by boat and the north-coast viewpoints.