Blue Bay, Mauritius: Our Quiet Four-Night Finish

Blue Bay was where we finished our month in Mauritius, and it ended up being our second favourite area of the whole trip. After Grand Baie and two weeks of café routine in Tamarin, we had four slow days with the beach a minute's walk away, an apartment we loved and really, really blue water. If Tamarin felt like normal life, Blue Bay felt like a proper holiday.

Quick answer: would I stay in Blue Bay?

Yes, for a relaxed beach finish. We spent four nights at Blue Paradise Villa & Apartments, a one-minute walk from the water, and Blue Bay's beaches were our second favourite on the island. It's very laid-back, quieter than Grand Baie or Tamarin, and close to the airport, which made it an easy last stop before our flight to Paris. I'd hire a car, though: in a quieter town like this, having our own wheels made a big difference.

Our apartment at Blue Paradise

Blue Paradise Villa & Apartments was our final booking, from 9 to 13 September 2026, and honestly it was stunning. We had the ground floor: a little lounge room, a gorgeous bathroom with heaps of space, a small but properly usable kitchen with an oven and stovetop, and a bedroom with lovely coastal, beachy styling. Out the back there's a shared pool surrounded by palm trees, which was the perfect spot after a beach morning.

The property has two floors that can be booked separately. Upstairs is a balcony room, and when someone else books it they come and go through the back, so it stays completely separate from the ground-floor unit. If you're travelling as a family or two couples, you can book both and open it all up together, which I think is a really good option.

We paid A$569.74 for the two of us for all four nights, so roughly A$71 each per night. That was our September 2026 price, so check your own dates, and double-check which floor and layout you're booking.

The beach tip I'd give a friend

The water in Blue Bay is so blue! There's surf breaking out the back, but the reef cuts it off, so inside it's calm and beautiful. Our first day was a bit grey (the last few days of our trip had pretty average weather), and then the sun came out and it was everything we hoped for.

Here's Daniel's tip from our notes. If you're at the public section of Blue Bay beach, look to the right and walk all the way to the end. You'll find a quiet little stretch that felt like our own private beach, with a few old mini catamarans pulled up on the sand, the kind with netting you can lie on. We spent hours there and it was never busy. Hopefully they're still there when you go!

There's also a short walkway from Blue Paradise down to a tiny beach out the front. When we went the tide was nearly all the way up, so there wasn't much sand, but we still found a little spot to sit.

Pineapple with chilli salt (and dip it in the ocean)

One of my favourite Mauritius moments was this simple. At the main beach there's a fruit seller, and we got a whole pineapple and some mango, cut up in a bag with salt and chilli that you shake through. With really citrusy fruit it is so good.

A friend had messaged me saying I had to dip my pineapple in the ocean before eating it, so of course we tried it. It was delicious! Salty, sweet and a little bit spicy, sitting in that colour water. If you do one thing in Blue Bay, do this.

Food, the gym and cooking at home

We cooked in the apartment, which kept the last few days easy. When we did eat out, Esco Burger was the stand-out: Daniel had the double-patty burger and highly recommends it. It was MUR550 each in September 2026.

We also kept up our training at a great little local gym nearby, at MUR400 each for a session, paid in cash. Small places like this often only take cash, so have some on you.

For how food fitted into our whole month, the Mauritius cost guide breaks down what we spent on groceries, cafés and eating out.

The drive to Blue Bay: Chamarel, lunch and Bois Chéri

We drove from Tamarin to Blue Bay on 9 September, and it turned into one of our favourite days. Our morning had been a mess: we'd driven up to hike Le Morne and found it closed because of the weather. So we took the scenic route instead.

We stopped at a Chamarel viewpoint we'd driven past before, and this time we actually got out. It's absolutely stunning. There's a lovely man there who makes beautiful pieces with his wife and daughter from shells, coral and natural stones from the ocean and rivers, and I ran to get cash so I could buy something from him. If you stop there, please go and see him.

Lunch was at Palais de Barbizon, a family-run spot in Chamarel recommended to us by the photographer from our Vitamin Sea dolphin morning. It's a set menu: rice, five little bowls of vegetables (pumpkin, a potato dish, lentils, eggplant and watercress) and your choice of meat, and we had chicken and fish. It cost us about A$22 each, and the chicken just fell off the bone. Daniel gave it an 8 out of 10. They open around midday, so don't arrive too early.

Then we went to the famous Bois Chéri tea plantation for a tasting. We paid MUR250 each (just under A$10), and you can try as many teas as you like with tea biscuits, looking out over the plantation and lake. My favourite was the caramel black tea, then lemongrass, then jasmine green, and Daniel loved the coconut black. It was cold and overcast by then, so bring a jumper. I'd really recommend it on the way across the island.

What we didn't do in Blue Bay

We didn't take a glass-bottom boat or a marine-park snorkelling trip. They come up a lot when you research Blue Bay, so if you want one, ask the operator about the route, group size and conditions on the day. Our days here were all about the beach, the pool and slowing down.

We also didn't explore Mahébourg properly beyond practical stops, so I'm not going to pretend this is a guide to its museums or market.

Blue Bay or Mahébourg for accommodation?

If the beach is why you're coming, stay as close to Blue Bay as you can. Blue Paradise is the place we can speak about from staying there, and being able to walk to the water in a minute was a huge part of why we loved it.

If you'd rather be in a small town with a few more practical options, Le Manguier in Mahébourg is another place I'd compare. It's nearby rather than on Blue Bay beach, so you'd be driving or walking to the water.

How many nights would I allow?

Four nights was perfect for our finish. It was enough for a grey day, a gorgeous sunny beach day and a slow last morning before the airport. On a shorter holiday I'd still give it at least two or three nights, because a single night mostly becomes packing and driving.

Our ten-day itinerary includes an optional Blue Bay finish, and the where-to-stay guide compares it with Grand Baie and Tamarin. For me, Tamarin was the best everyday base and Blue Bay was the best place to finish.

Watch our Mauritius trip

Watch our Mauritius vlog on YouTube, 45m21s. This is also our newest public full-length video, verified for this article.

FAQs about Blue Bay

Where did you stay in Blue Bay?

At Blue Paradise Villa & Apartments, on the ground floor, for four nights in September 2026. It's a one-minute walk to the beach and has a shared pool. We paid A$569.74 for two people for the four nights.

Is Blue Bay good for swimming?

It was for us. The reef keeps the surf out the back, so the water inside was calm and very clear. Walk to the right-hand end of the public beach for a quieter spot.

Did you go on a marine-park boat tour?

No. Our time in Blue Bay was the beach, the apartment pool and a slower finish to the month.

Do you need a car in Blue Bay?

I'd hire one. Blue Bay is quiet, and having our own car made it easy to get groceries, food and the drive across from Tamarin via Chamarel and Bois Chéri.

Would you choose Blue Bay instead of Tamarin?

For a relaxed beach finish, Blue Bay. For cafés, gyms and an everyday routine, Tamarin. Tamarin was our favourite area overall and Blue Bay was our second.