Tamarin, Mauritius: Beaches, Cafés and Our Favourite Base
Published 30 October 2026
Tamarin was my favourite base in Mauritius, and it wasn't because we were doing something spectacular every day. It was the coffee routine, the places we kept going back for lunch, cooking at home and ending the day near the beach. After moving around so much, I loved having that feeling of ordinary life somewhere beautiful!
Quick answer: who would I recommend Tamarin to?
I'd choose Tamarin for an independent trip with an apartment, a kitchen and time to enjoy the west coast between outings. It had amazing cafés and restaurants, a really good gym and good supermarkets, which is everything we need to feel at home as digital nomads. I'd choose somewhere else if the main aim was a resort-only holiday or a northern-islands departure on the doorstep. Our experience included nineteen booked nights across three apartments and a hire car.
What Tamarin felt like day to day
Some places make me want to book everything. Tamarin made me want to find a few favourite places and repeat them. A typical day started with a load of washing, my skincare and our morning walk to Coffee Shore or The Break, then back home to cook breakfast (I was obsessed with my avocado toast and eggs). We'd work all morning and fit the bigger outings around that, rather than the other way around.
The beach was part of that feeling. The sand is darker, almost a low-key black, and it looks quite different from the turquoise lagoon photos people associate with Mauritius. It gets busy during the day, there are food trucks, and the small waves are good for beginner surfers (I watched, I didn't get on a board!). In the evenings everyone hangs out to watch the sun set straight over the water. Behind it all is the mountain we nicknamed Gorilla Mountain, because the side of it looks like a gorilla's face, and one evening we drove out to dinner with a rainbow right next to it.
It wasn't my first pick for that classic bright-water beach day; Le Morne and Blue Bay were. I loved Tamarin's beach for the sunsets, the mountains and the local atmosphere instead. Our Mauritius beach guide compares the places we actually visited.
The food stops that became a routine
Coffee Shore was our everyday stop. It was the only place we found open early, the owner is from Turkey, and it uses proper beans and a proper coffee machine when so many cafés we'd tried used pod machines. We'd get there by about 7 or 7:30, and he soon knew our order: an Americano for Dan and a hot matcha with full cream milk for me. His ratio of matcha to milk is a 10 out of 10, and it isn't too sweet! He even made Dan an Americano with tonic one morning to try, on the house.
At The Break, a little surf-shack style café near the beach, we had tuna poke bowls with fresh pineapple, carrot, avocado and cucumber, plus homemade kombucha. The carrot cake is a must. KOKO's cinnamon rolls (in Australia we say scrolls) were another reason to go out even though we had a kitchen at home.
Baz Lokal was a highlight. They serve one local plate a day and it changes daily. We came for a post-dive lunch, were the only ones there, and got tuna with rice, lentils and papaya for MUR500 each. I'm super fussy with fish and don't normally like cooked tuna, and I loved it. Bring cash!
JIVA Coffee & Roastery is where Coffee Shore's beans come from. We worked there for a few hours on our first visit and the internet was super fast! We came back for a proper Australian-style breakfast that made it one of our favourite cafés on the island. Sketch had a beautiful interior and a coconut cloud matcha that reminded me of one I loved in Buenos Aires, but the Wi-Fi was only about 2 Mbps when Dan worked there. For dinner, L'ENVOL in the heart of Tamarin did a 10 out of 10 pizza. The lasagne came out cold, though it still tasted very good.
The full Tamarin food article covers these stops and the less perfect meals. We cooked a lot too, and that was a big part of why this base worked so well for us.
Where we stayed, including the one I'd skip
We had three Tamarin bookings across nineteen nights. The first had a bunch of problems and a really bad smell, so it isn't somewhere I'd send you. The middle apartment, from 31 August to 5 September, was the one we liked best. Our final four-night apartment was good too.
The middle stay was attached to the owner's house and felt homey and cosy from the moment we walked in. The kitchen is upstairs, with barn doors that open right up to the mountain view, so breakfast came with fresh air. Our host told us to use the paddleboard, which converts into a kayak, and kindly let us extend our stay as long as we were out by 6am on the last morning. You can find the actual middle Tamarin Airbnb here.
For another apartment option, I'd compare LAKAZ DEL SOL or Endless Summer Apartments. Check the kitchen and parking in the unit you're booking. Our national stays guide compares Tamarin with Grand Baie and Blue Bay.
A day at The Bay and sunset at Legend Hill
We'd only planned lunch at The Bay, then ended up getting a day pass and staying all afternoon. It was MUR2,000 per person when we went, redeemable against food and drinks, and covered the pool, sunbeds and beach. We had about four drinks each, shared a main and two tapas plates, and I tried a Mauritian mojito made with curry leaves instead of mint. It's more savoury than sweet and so refreshing! The sand here is a lot whiter than at the main Tamarin beach.
The Wi-Fi was very slow when we were there, so treat it as a day off. If the whole point is the pool, the beach and lunch, that matters much less!
Legend Hill is a newer bar and hotel up on the hill, with incredible views for sunset drinks. We went up before dinner one evening, passing a lot of cute goats on the side of the road, and just had a drink and watched the sun go down. If you want to eat there, check the restaurant's hours, because it opens later in the evening.
Outings I'd plan from this base
Chamarel was a good change from the coast, around 30 minutes' drive away. We were at the gate before the 8:30 opening and first in to see the waterfall viewpoints, then the Seven Coloured Earth just up the road, and on another day we had lunch at Palais de Barbizon nearby. The Chamarel guide explains the day.
Le Morne beach was another favourite, particularly for the scenery. Our attempted hike was closed when the wind picked up, and because we'd left it until our last day in the area, we never got a second try. Give it some spare days if it's on your list.
Our private Vitamin Sea sunrise was the biggest highlight of the month: a pod of spinner dolphins, snorkelling in the Le Morne lagoon and Crystal Rock, all within about three hours of setting off at dawn. Vitamin Sea hosted that outing, and we genuinely loved it. The sunrise write-up has the operator and the questions to ask about current wildlife practice, conditions and photography. We also did our open-water dive course in Flic en Flac, an easy drive from Tamarin.
Would I want a car in Tamarin?
For the version of Mauritius we did, yes. We moved between groceries, cafés, the gym, apartments and outings, and the car let us change the day as we went. Le Morne and Black River are close by, and with a car we could easily go back and forth.
The gym was a good example. RM Tamarin was really good, with new equipment, a pool and a restaurant, and our month pass was MUR2,600 each for access between 10am and 4pm (padel wasn't included). If you aren't driving, map your accommodation against the places you'll use most and price the transfers you'll need. If you are, check parking and the full hire terms before choosing the cheapest room or car quote. Our driving guide goes through those decisions.
How long would I stay?
Nineteen nights suited a month that included work and routine. I wouldn't tell someone with a ten-day holiday to spend nineteen nights here! For a shorter visit, use Tamarin as a west-coast base with time for an outing, the beach and a slow day rather than copying our entire stay.
The ten-day route shows how I'd fit it into a shorter trip. If the café-and-kitchen rhythm appeals more than constant sightseeing, give it more time. That was the part I loved most, and it doesn't require booking a tour every morning.
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 Tamarin
Was Tamarin your favourite place in Mauritius?
It was my favourite everyday base within Mauritius, because of the cafés, restaurants, gym and supermarkets. Le Morne was my favourite beach, and the Vitamin Sea dolphin morning was our biggest highlight.
Did you stay at The Bay or Legend Hill?
No. The Bay was a day visit and Legend Hill was a drinks visit. Our overnight stays were apartments.
Is Tamarin a good place to work online?
It worked well for us. JIVA Coffee & Roastery had super fast internet when we worked there, while Sketch was only about 2 Mbps and The Bay's Wi-Fi was very slow. If you need a reliable connection, ask your accommodation about it before booking.
Is every recommended café in Tamarin village?
Not all of them. Coffee Shore, The Break and KOKO were close to the main Tamarin beach, and L'ENVOL is in the heart of Tamarin. For the others, check the map pin before planning a walk from your accommodation.
