Grand Baie
The sheltered bay of northern Mauritius, where catamarans leave for the offshore islets, the coast road fills after dark, and a red-roofed chapel stands at Cap Malheureux.
- Arrival
- Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International · MRU
- To the bay
- About 90 minutes by road, 75 km
- Private jets
- SSR, with a private terminal
- Best time
- May to November
The city
The north coast’s busy harbour.
Grand Baie is a village of about twelve thousand people, counted in 2011, gathered around its bay. Shops and a bazaar run along the coast road, La Croisette was among the island’s first malls, and at weekends the bars and clubs keep going late. Péreybère, Mont-Choisy and Trou aux Biches are the nearby beaches, with sunsets over the water.
Catamarans and motor launches cruise out to Flat Island and Gabriel Island for a swim and a picnic, divers head for Gunner’s Coin, and kitesurfers gather off Cap Malheureux. May to November is the drier half of the year here, with highs of 25 to 29 °C.
Arriving
South-east to land, north-west to stay.
The island’s one international airport, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, lies at Plaine Magnien in the far south-east. From there the drive north to Grand Baie is about seventy-five kilometres, an hour and a half.
- Seychelles 2 h 35
- Nairobi 4 h 15
- Cape Town 5 h 40
- Beijing 12 h 00 long-range jet
- São Paulo 13 h 50 long-range jet
When to go
May to November.
The north is the drier, warmer side of Mauritius. From May to November each month brings under 100 mm of rain, October only 50 mm, and highs of 25 to 29 °C. The rains come from December to April, with up to 242 mm in February, and the sea peaks at 28 °C.
- 30° J 235 27°
- 30° F 242 28°
- 30° M 191 28°
- 29° A 171 27°
- 27° M 97 26°
- 25° J 83 25°
- 25° J 83 24°
- 25° A 76 23°
- 26° S 54 23°
- 27° O 50 24°
- 29° N 66 25°
- 29° D 162 26°
What to see and do
Days in and around Grand Baie.
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Landmark
Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice
The red-roofed church at Cap Malheureux, with the northern islets behind it and fishermen selling the morning catch next door.
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Landmark
Flat Island and Gabriel Island
Two islets off the north coast, reached by catamaran for a day of swimming and lunch on the sand.
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Landmark
Péreybère
One of the sandy beaches of the north, where people gather to watch the sun go down.
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Nature
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden
Laid out from 1735 by Mahé de La Bourdonnais, the 37 hectare garden at Pamplemousses grows some 85 kinds of palm and ponds of giant Victoria water lilies.
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Culture
L'Aventure du Sucre
Open since 2002 in the old Beau Plan sugar factory, the museum keeps its crushing mills, boiler and a 1922 locomotive, and ends with a tasting of sugars and rums.
Official site -
Food & wine
Château de Labourdonnais
This colonial house of 1859 at Mapou is open as a museum, and the estate holds rum tastings among its orchards.
Official site -
Golf
Mont Choisy Le Golf
Peter Matkovich drew this par 72 course of 6,447 metres from the back tees, opened in 2017 just south of Grand Baie.
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Racing & sport
Champ de Mars Racecourse
Racing has been held on the 1,298 metre track in Port Louis since 1812, and the 2026 calendar holds 27 race days.
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On the water
Coin de Mire
Divers reach the island in 10 to 15 minutes by boat for Confetti Bay and the northern wrecks, among them the Stella Maru, sunk on purpose in 1987.
Where to stay
On the bay and along the north-west shore.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- The Oberoi Beach Resort, Mauritius Down the west coast at Turtle Bay, with two MICHELIN Keys for its villas and pavilions by Bill Bensley and Lek Bunnag.
- Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury Sixty-nine suites on the bay, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, with Mauritian cooking on the terrace of La Goélette.
- LUX* Grand Baie Jean-François Adam’s modernist building on the edge of town, rooms by Kelly Hoppen, and Bisou on the roof for late evenings.
- Trou aux Biches Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa Rebuilt from the ground up as a five-star, with 333 rooms and six restaurants behind a lagoon beach.
Where to dine
The best tables in Grand Baie.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Mauritius. Ai Kisu was chosen by the French travel magazine Yonder in April 2026; La Goélette is the gastronomic restaurant of the Royal Palm, and Walima is rated 4.8 on Tripadvisor in its top price band.
- Ai Kisu Yonder.fr Japanese LUX* Grand Baie
- La Goélette Signature restaurant, Royal Palm Beachcomber French and Mauritian Royal Palm Beachcomber, Grand Baie
- Walima by Bisou Rated 4.8 on Tripadvisor Lebanese and Moroccan $$$$ LUX* Grand Baie, rooftop
Flying to Grand Baie?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.