Belle Mare

Belle Mare runs along the eastern shore of Mauritius, in the Flacq district, ten kilometres of white coral sand inside a wide lagoon. It is the longest continuous beach on the island and holds the greatest concentration of large resorts.

The east coast is where Mauritius put its hotels for a reason that is meteorological rather than scenic. The south-east trade wind arrives on this side first, which keeps the humidity down and the afternoons bearable; the trade-off is that the same wind chops the lagoon on a strong day and the swimming is better in the morning. The west coast is calmer and hotter, and the difference decides which side a returning visitor books.

The lagoon is broad, shallow and reef-protected, with fine white sand and a gradual entry. Filao trees — casuarina, planted as windbreaks — line the back of the beach and give the shade that makes this coast usable at midday. Île aux Cerfs, a small island off the southern end, takes the day-trip traffic. The reef here sits well offshore, which is why the lagoon is as wide as it is and why the water at the sand stays waist-deep for a long way.

Development is a line of large resorts with public access points between them, and Mauritian law makes every beach public — the public beaches here are genuinely used by Mauritian families at weekends, which is the best time to see the coast as a place rather than as a product. Trou d'Eau Douce at the southern end is the departure point for Île aux Cerfs, and Poste Lafayette to the north is the quiet end of the same lagoon.

Ten kilometres of reef-flat lagoon on the side of Mauritius the trade wind reaches first, which is why the hotels are here and why the water is choppier by afternoon. Swim in the morning. Every beach on the island is public and the sections between the resorts are full of Mauritian families at the weekend, which is the best time to see the coast as a place.