Mauritius has miles of clean and shaded beaches.  Ian, Zuiderdam’s Cruise Director, suggested several beaches and told us that some of the beachfront hotels may offer a day pass.  I called around and did not find one that was willing to issue us a day pass.  This was disappointing because among them were the three Marriott properties, and I am a lifetime Marriott Titanium loyalty program member, the result of hundreds of nights in Marriott hotels while working in foreign aid.  But when hotels are full, they are full. Fortunately, Mauritius has a lot of great public beaches. 

On March 12, Mauritius’s Independence Day we went north to look at and walk along beaches, and select one to swim in.

After the swim we had lunch at a French restaurant with a beach view in Grand Baise, a resort community that had a lot of locals enjoying the holiday.  Grand Baise is one of those resort towns with every sort of restaurant, from the nice French restaurant we ate at, to Chinese, and Dominoes, just across the street from our beachfront bistro.  There are lots of t shirts available in Grand Baise.

A couple of days later, on a drive to the south of the island we stopped at a surfing beach.  I wondered how many people bought their lunches at the “angry girl” food truck.