Here are the available villas for rental in Mauritius.

Swimming with the gods in delicious Mauritius

From the Mail on Sunday

At 6.30 on a late February morning the sun is already as hot as a rare warm June afternoon at Royal Ascot. I sit in a raised pavilion in the new, eccentric Oberoi hotel on the northwest corner of Mauritius, one of my five favourite islands in the world.
It is humid. In January and February most rain falls here: eight inches or more. But, as in Barbados on the other side of the world, the showers are sudden, warm and brief.
The land is verdant. Miles of sugar cane fields roll far away. It's still the main crop but now contributes less than ten per cent of the little republic's buoyant national income.
In other respects, thank God, Mauritius is nothing like Barbados. This busy, prosperous island is not dependent on charter flight tourists and none of the rich, vulgar folk who are such honking horrors on the Bajan scene.
The buildings of this new Oberoi resemble at first astonished blink a thatched African village. My windows stretch up from flowerbeds to the overhang of the brown sugar cane thatch. My window and my little private pool are surrounded, for modesty's sake, by golden ochre walls. Four frangipani trees hang over the pool supporting darting sparrows.
What remains so endearing about Mauritius (which I first discovered 20 years ago) are its rambling, flowery lanes along which in close amity you pass a Hindu temple, Christian churches from High Roman to Low Pentecostal and a Muslim mosque. Villages and shops have French names. Though English remains the official language, French and a Creole patois are still universally, melodiously spoken.
The island is no small Caribbean tourist pad but 40 miles by nearly 30 miles. The airport, now modernised, is still growing. By one gate waits a gleaming host of white-cowled nuns. The main exit, however, jostles with Muslims making their pilgrimage to Mecca. And the car park is bright with the saris of prosperous Indians.
The general manager of the Oberoi, a German, neatly generalises, praising the peaceful unity and cheerfulness of the island. He explains: 'The Indians lead in politics, the Muslims in the professions, law and accountancy and the French - they still live on their country estates where the English left them in 1810, when your country took over the island!'
These days there's a rush hour in the capital, Port Louis. It always had a faded charm and still has a splendid market. But new factories, primarily making textiles, have sprung up producing 25 per cent of the nation's wealth. Self dependence - Mauritius has been independent since 1968 and a republic since 1992 - produces a confident nation. Too often countries which depend on mass tourism (often in offensive hordes) lose pride, develop chips and become surly. ... more

Sunglasses service and smiles

Flying non-stop to Mauritius in a BA Jumbo is not exactly a voyage into the unexpected.
True, when you arrive, gastronomic feasts by specially flown-in French chefs and a beach-side sunglasses cleaning service came as surprises.
But, overall, Mauritius is billed as a paradise in the middle of the Indian Ocean and, possibly because you've been very good in a previous life, that's what you get.
Odd to think that the dodos had it all to themselves before Portuguese sailors found it in 1507 to be followed by the Dutch, the French and the British who finished up with it.
Actually the 1.5 million inhabitants who finally finished up with it are mainly descendants of people who didn't much want to go - indentured Indian labourers shipped in to work the 19th Century sugar plantations.
And they are as delightful, helpful and charming as I had been told before I set out to check Mauritius's reputation as a beautiful place with a perfect climate, white sandy beaches, glorious coral lagoons and excellent hotels.
It's all true. I was staying at the Beau Rivage - one of six Naiade Resorts Group hotels on the islands - and I was greeted by general manager Lionel Alvarez, who told me four French chefs, none with less than a two-star Michelin rating, were being flown in to celebrate the Rivage's second birthday.
I wonder if they found it easier to talk to the Mauritians in English, which most speak, or the islanders' own sort of pidgin French creole.
The food was magnifique in any language. I'd like to go into rhapsodies about it but I'm afraid I'd only slobber into my word processor.
Suffice to say that I'll never be able to eat in a mere one-star again. Only kidding. ... more

Where life really is a beach

Mauritius is one of those places where the rich go to remind themselves of the simple life - at luxury prices.

It is cradled in the sheltering arm of coral reefs that make the inner lagoons and beaches as tranquil and as unruffled as a botoxed brow, where you can lie on the icing sugar sands, listening to the thunder of the waves pounding the reef in the distance, and relax in a carefree universe where every whim is catered for.
This , 960 miles east of Madagascar, is a thriving, bustling community of which well over half are Hindus. The rest of the population are Muslim, Creole or Chinese, making it a truly vibrant multicultural society with a cuisine that reflects the ethnic mix.
Most visitors merely skim the surface of the real Mauritius, as their taxi sweeps them from the airport to their luxury hotel, venturing forth only for sightseeing, or perhaps for a trip to the market in the capital, Port Louis. The island suffered only minimal damage during last month's tsunami disaster and its deluxe resorts are open for business.
The coast is ringed by superior five-star resort hotels, each a haven from everyday stresses and strains, and a self-contained microcosm of lavish living.
All mentioned here have their own gyms, hair and beauty salons, spas and a range of land and water sports on offer, free of charge.
Each hotel has its own special flavour, some more suitable for honeymooners, others for families. Some can feel a little claustrophobic while others will leave you feeling as though you've been cast away in hotel heaven, with 24-hour room service.
Honeymooners might enjoy the privacy a tad more than the couple who've been married for 20 years, and though Mauritius is custom made for those wanting to get away from it all , it is not the best place for the solitary holidaymaker.
All the conjugal canoodling of the newlywed romantics can give singletons a real pain in the neck. Take it from me. I went with my teenage daughter and gave thanks for her company every day, which, believe me, is not my default setting.
Generally, the southern part of the island is more rugged and wild. On the west coast, the hotel Paradis on the Le Morne Peninsula is a good choice for those who get stir crazy in a small space.
Teenagers, and their grateful parents, might especially benefit from their ability to wander off on their own - and the hotel is convenient for sightseeing and surfing.
The waterfall at Chamarel and the Black River Gorges National Park are nearby, as is the island's most famous beach – Flic en Flac. The hotel also has several restaurants and an 18-hole championship golf course.
Most recently opened on this part of the coast is the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, spread over 27 acres overlooking the blue waters of Tamarin Bay at Wolmar Beach, it consists of 65 villas, each with its own private pool.
The majority of the other hotels are clustered along the east coast. Here the twin resorts of Le Tousserok and Saint Geran offer two quite different atmospheres. ... more

Mr Mahogany goes to Mauritius

When The Mail on Sunday asked me to write a travel article I thought, blimey, Dickie, this is too good to be true.
Dave Dickinson, the duke, getting sent on holiday and topping up the tan at the same time -absolutely marvellous.
I had just finished making 140 Bargain Hunts back-to-back and was after total relaxation plus pampering. And the world was my oyster.
The only question: Which bit of it? Some years ago, working on the Holiday Show for the BBC, I visited lots of exciting destinations, but one place stuck in my mind - Mauritius, the fabulous sub-tropical island, the jewel of the Indian Ocean.
Although I was there only a short time, I was very impressed by the sandy beaches, the wonderful sunsets, the warm, friendly people and I thought: 'One day I'll come back here and bring Her Indoors, the duchess.'
I decided to compare two very different hotels on this magical island: where would I want to lay out my towel?
We left London on the 8pm Air Mauritius flight. After dinner and champagne in Club Class we got our heads down and slept soundly in the deep leather seats.
If you can push the boat out for Club Class on long-haul flights, believe me, it can make all the difference. You arrive refreshed, not so shattered that you need a day off from your expensive holiday to recover.
Mauritius is four hours ahead, so we arrived at 1pm, got rushed through baggage and customs and were met by a smiling driver of a Mercedes - preferable to the fashion among some hotels for four-wheel-drive utility vehicles.
Our first hotel, the Oberoi, is just 50 minutes from the airport on the west coast, a short distance from the capital, Saint Louis.
As we arrived and saw the thatched roofs amid 20 acres of tropical gardens along a fabulous beach, I thought: 'Yes! This is going to be a cracker, a real bobby-dazzler.'
As we drew up, boys came running from everywhere to collect our luggage. We were ushered to one of the open-air thatched reception huts and offered cold exotic fruit drinks and cold towels to soothe our brows.
The hotel's motto is: 'This is where heaven meets earth' and, as we relaxed in a cooling breeze within sight of the sea, it seemed to be living up to it. ... more

Beautiful beaches

We visited Mauritius in June 2005 and stayed at the Silver Beach Hotel on the east coast on an all-inclusive basis.
It was a small, mid-range hotel set on a pretty beach. It's probably due for some upgrading soon but it was clean and excellent value for money. The food was fine and the service was very good.
It was extremely windy here which I gather is a seasonal norm in this particular spot.
Mauritius has beautiful beaches and lovely people, like the Caribbean 20 ago but with better service.