Where to Stay in Mauritius: Our Three Bases Compared

I'd choose the area before the hotel in Mauritius. We stayed in three parts of the island, and each gave us a different version of the trip: Grand Baie for our first northern days, Tamarin for the routine I loved most, and Blue Bay for a quiet finish. A beautiful room won't fix a base that doesn't fit what you actually want to do!

Quick answer: which area would I choose?

For our style of trip, I'd choose Tamarin first. It suited cafés, cooking, ordinary beach evenings and southwest outings. I'd add Grand Baie if the northern islands were a priority, and Blue Bay if I wanted a quieter southeast finish. For a short holiday, I'd use fewer bases rather than copy all our moves. Our month included eight booked nights in Grand Baie, nineteen in Tamarin and four in Blue Bay.

Compare the three bases before comparing rooms

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Across all 31 nights, our accommodation came to A$2,939.36 for the two of us, or A$1,469.68 each, in August and September 2026. I'll give you what each base cost below, but prices move with the season, so treat them as a guide for what we paid.

We didn't sleep at Le Morne, but if I came back I'd add a night or two there. It's quieter than Tamarin and there's not as much around, but the beach is absolutely stunning. We visited some hotels for drinks or a day pass too, and I've kept those separate from the places we actually stayed.

If you're deciding between countries rather than areas, our Mauritius or Seychelles comparison is the better place to start. This guide is about choosing a base once Mauritius is your destination.

Grand Baie: where we began

We spent our first eight nights in an Airbnb in Grand Baie, and I was so impressed when we walked in! It had a kitchen with all the pots, pans and seasonings we needed, a desk for working, a little private outdoor area and a lovely outdoor shower. My only wish was a proper couch. Those eight nights came to A$615 for the two of us (A$307.50 each), which felt like really good value for what we got.

We were right near the La Croisette mall, and our first grocery shop honestly felt like being back home: good fruit and veg, a butcher for steaks and a roast chicken in a tandoori-style spice that was unbelievable! We cooked most nights rather than eating out just because we were somewhere new. Our host also arranged our hire car, which we kept for the whole month.

The northern-islands catamaran was the standout outing from this base. We walked to the harbour for an 8:20 check-in, so there was no transfer to organise. If that cruise is high on your list, staying in the north for part of the holiday saves you a long early drive from the other side of the island.

We also went to LUX Grand Baie for sunset drinks and tapas, and loved it. That was an evening out, though, and the Airbnb was our base.

What I'd compare in Grand Baie

Our apartment was booked through Airbnb. If I were comparing self-catering options for a similar trip now, I'd look at Dodo Square Residence. It isn't where we stayed, but its apartment format and central Grand Baie location are the reasons it's on my shortlist.

For a very different, hotel-led holiday, Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury is the splurge option I'd compare. Price the exact room and meal plan for your dates next to an apartment quote, because they're two quite different holidays.

Read our Grand Baie guide for what we actually did in the north.

Tamarin: my favourite base within Mauritius

Tamarin was where we found a routine I wanted to keep. A morning walk to Coffee Shore for Dan's Americano and my matcha, somewhere good for lunch, a kitchen, a really good gym at RM Tamarin and the sunset over the water at the end of the day. The appeal wasn't that every day was spectacular. It was how easy it felt to enjoy an ordinary one.

We spent nineteen booked nights across three apartments here, and they weren't equally good. The first had a bunch of problems and a really bad smell, so it isn't somewhere I'd send you, and I didn't even film it. The middle stay was our favourite, and the final one was good too.

The middle apartment was attached to the owner's house and felt so homey straight away! The kitchen is upstairs with big barn doors that open right up to the mountain, so making breakfast came with fresh air and that view. Our host told us to help ourselves to the paddleboard, which converts into a kayak, and she was kind enough to let us extend our stay as long as we were out by 6am on the last morning. That's how we ended up walking Le Morne beach at sunrise! Our five nights there came to A$500 for the two of us. The exact stay is this Tamarin Airbnb. Our final Tamarin apartment was a separate four-night booking, A$346.36 for the two of us.

Tamarin also worked well for outings. Chamarel was around 30 minutes' drive, Le Morne and Black River are close by, and we did our dive course in Flic en Flac. We had a car the whole time, and it made all of those easy to fit around work.

What I'd compare in Tamarin

If I wanted the apartment-and-kitchen version of Mauritius again, I'd compare LAKAZ DEL SOL and Endless Summer Apartments. Both are useful candidates for someone who wants to cook and have space beyond a hotel bedroom.

With a car, I'd check parking at the property. Without one, I'd map the real walk to the beach, the supermarket and the cafés you'll use every day. We walked to Coffee Shore most mornings, and that little routine was a big part of why we loved it here!

Our Tamarin guide covers the everyday base, and the food guide goes into the cafés and meals.

Blue Bay: a quieter four-night finish

We finished with four nights at Blue Paradise in Blue Bay, and the apartment was stunning! We were a one-minute walk from the beach, with a small but well-equipped kitchen (oven and stovetop), a big bathroom and a bedroom with lovely coastal, beachy design. There's a beautiful shared pool area surrounded by palm trees, and a little walkway down to a small beach just along from the main one. Our four nights came to A$569.74 for the two of us.

It wasn't somewhere I felt the need to build another busy schedule around, which was exactly why I liked it. We bought fresh pineapple with chilli salt on the beach, went to a great local gym in nearby Mahébourg and had a seriously good double-patty burger at Esco Burger (highly recommend!). If your priority is repeating favourite cafés and taking several west-coast outings, I'd keep those nights around Tamarin instead.

Where I'd look in Blue Bay and nearby

Blue Paradise Villa & Apartments is our actual stay. We booked the ground floor. There's a separate upstairs unit with a balcony room that can be booked on its own, with access from the back of the property, or together with the ground floor if you're a family or two couples who want two rooms connected. Just check which one you're booking.

If you're open to staying in nearby Mahébourg rather than at Blue Bay beach, Le Manguier is another option I'd compare. Mahébourg is a town stay, whereas we were a minute from the sand, so pick the one that matches the days you want.

Our Blue Bay guide explains how we spent the final few days.

One base, two bases or all three?

For a week, I'd start by choosing the part of the island you most want to spend time in. If the northern cruise and southwest outings are both priorities, two bases can make sense, as long as your flight times leave enough usable days. I wouldn't move twice purely to say you've slept on three coasts.

For ten days, our proposed itinerary shows one way to combine a north start, a longer west stay and a southeast finish. It's the shorter version I'd plan from our month. You can remove Blue Bay if packing up again would take more from the holiday than it adds.

For a longer stay with work and cooking, I'd give more weight to the apartment itself. A kitchen you enjoy using, somewhere comfortable to sit, laundry and the daily surroundings matter more than an impressive arrival photo. Our favourite middle Tamarin stay is the perfect example: it felt like a real home, and I loved being there!

What I'd check before paying

Compare the full stay total for your dates, including any cleaning charges, taxes and meal arrangements shown at checkout. Check the exact room type, air-conditioning, kitchen equipment and whether facilities are shared. If you work online, ask about the connection: a Wi-Fi icon isn't a speed test, and one of the Tamarin cafés we worked from was getting about 2 Mbps.

Then look at transport. We hired a car for the month, and it gave us so much freedom, especially in quieter areas like Blue Bay. A cheaper apartment can stop feeling cheaper if it needs a transfer for every meal or beach visit. Our driving guide explains how the car fitted our trip, while the cost guide separates accommodation from the other spending.

You can also browse the Mauritius stay directory. My own starting point would still be the area decision: choose the days you want, then the room that makes those days work.

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 where to stay in Mauritius

Would you choose Grand Baie or Tamarin?

For our everyday lifestyle, Tamarin, because it had the cafés, restaurants, gym and supermarkets that made us feel at home. For a northern-islands departure and a north-coast start, Grand Baie made sense, and we walked to the harbour for our catamaran.

Did you stay at LUX Grand Baie?

No. We visited for sunset drinks and tapas. Our Grand Baie accommodation was an Airbnb apartment, and the hotels in this guide are separate options to compare.

Is Blue Paradise a whole private villa?

Not on our booking. We had the ground-floor apartment with a shared pool area, and there's a separate upstairs unit that can be booked on its own or together with ours. Check which unit you're booking before you pay.

Should I book all three areas for one week?

I wouldn't copy our month-long route for a week. Choose one or two bases around your priorities and flight times, and leave room to actually enjoy them.