Grand Baie is a very popular but one of the shorted beaches of Mauritius in the Rivière du Rempart district. Located in the Northwest coast of Mauritius, Grand Baie is bustling with ever expanding resorts and lined with high-end fashion stores.
We spent an entire afternoon, roaming in and around Grand Baie, only to stop for lunch at one of the biggest shopping malls in Mauritius, Grand Baie La Croisette Shopping Mall. We were flying back to India on the night of New Years and wanted to spend the last few hours chilling in and around Grand Baie beach, which we heard a lot of things about.
If you have more time on your hands unlike us, you can leisurely roam around the Grand Baie La Croisette Shopping Mall. They have lot of high-end stores that can cater to all of your needs on your vacation. Find out why Grand Baie is the best place to stay, while holidaying in Mauritius.
On any fine day, you would find tourists as well as locals enjoying themselves, picnicking or simply sunbathing. This clear blue water beach is not famous for swimming but rather for its water sports.
Big Game fishing, Scuba Diving or Kite Surfing, Grand Baie has it all. With old shopping malls such as Dodo Square and Sunset Boulevard just round the corner, you can spend your time leisurely strolling around the area.
One spot I was eager to visit was Grand Baie Bazaar, which is situated right in the center of Mauritius and filled with lots of stalls. The ambiance of this bazaar is that of a local market where you get to know about the lifestyle of the locals. It is a great place to buy local arts and handicrafts. but the key is to bargain with them.
Apart from these, if you are visiting this market, you cannot leave without buying the local handcrafted stone, gold and silver jewelry, which is available in several colors and designs. I couldn’t stop myself from purchasing a little trinket and some fridge magnets from those stalls. The fun part is, many of those sellers can speak Hindi and would come to woo you to their stores speaking in your language.
Tips for shopping in Mauritius:
When shopping in Mauritius do not forget always to try to get discounts on the prices, especially when you purchase items in the markets. The prices may differ from one seller to another so make sure to check and compare prices. I really enjoyed purchasing Dodo fridge magnets and small statues as souvenirs.
The extinct flightless birds, truly represent Mauritius. The local rums in these shops are also very unique ans tasty. They let you take small sips of different flavors of rum and before you know it, you are feeling little tipsy.
The key is to bargain before you purchase from these local markets.
Read More: Check out some of the hidden gems of Mauritius that you shouldn’t miss!
My most memorable time on the beach was watching the beautiful sunset. As the sun was going down, gradually people started to clear the beach and we hopped on a bus back to our hotel. In Mauritius, all the buses have small switches on top of every seat, so that you can let the driver know where you want to get down. We reached at the right time to catch our airport shuttle from the hotel.
It was really very hard to say bye to a beach like this. The island of Mauritius is very dear to me being my first international & honeymoon destination. I hope, someday I can comeback here and revisit those days!
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