Things to do in Grand Baie
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Grand Baie
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best window, dry, calm lagoons, reliable northern isles boats, top diving visibility from October.
Cool, dry and good for golf and sightseeing, windiest for the northern isles crossing.
Hot, wet summer and cyclone season peaking January to March, peak prices in December and January.
Value shoulder, warm, rain easing and seas settling, prices softer.
What's on
- Thaipoosam Cavadee January or February, moon dependent
Tamil processions at temples island wide, including the temple country around Triolet near Grand Baie.
- Chinese Spring Festival January or February
Lion dances and food in Port Louis Chinatown, an easy day trip from Grand Baie.
- Maha Shivaratri February or March
Mass pilgrimage to Ganga Talao in the centre, central roads gridlocked for days.
- Diwali 8 November 2026
Island wide festival of lights, houses and temples lit, sweets everywhere.
Best things to do in Grand Baie
Pereybere Beach
A sheltered cove with calm deeper water, food stalls and cafes, the easiest full day beach in the north.
La Cuvette Public Beach
A tiny sheltered cove west of the centre, the daily swim for anyone based in Grand Baie without a car.
Mont Choisy Beach
One of the longest north beaches, casuarina shade and shallow water with room to walk away from crowds.
Trou aux Biches Beach
Calm clear lagoon with reef close enough to swim to, the best all round family and snorkel beach here.
Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice de Cap Malheureux
The red roofed church at the northern tip, with a churchyard view straight to Coin de Mire.
SSR Botanic Garden
Historic garden with giant water lilies and talipot palms, far better with a guide hired at the gate.
L'Aventure du Sucre
A converted sugar factory telling island history through sugar, with rum and sugar tastings.
Where to stay in Grand Baie
Grand Baie centre
nightlife, restaurants and no car
Walk to dinner, bars and boats, swim at La Cuvette, accept strip noise on Royal Road.
Pereybere
beach first, families and couples
The best small cove and a quieter night, ten minutes from the full Grand Baie scene.
Pointe Malartic and Pointe aux Canonniers
boutique and resort quiet
Small luxury hotels and resorts with Mont Choisy at hand and town a short taxi ride.
Trou aux Biches and Mont Choisy
snorkelling and families
The best reef beach and a village strip, with Grand Baie ten minutes north.
Cap Malheureux and Bain Boeuf
quiet and the islet view
Small hotels facing Coin de Mire in fishing village calm, thin for restaurants.
Think twice about
- Central Royal Road strip, for quiet
Bars, clubs, traffic and late noise in normal times. One street back fixes most of it.
- Port Louis as a base
No beach, congestion and largely emptied at night. A rewarding morning visit, a poor beach base.
- Isolated properties without a car
Far from the coastal road, bus route and beaches, cheap rooms cost more in taxis and lost beach time.
Best restaurants in Grand Baie
Le Capitaine Restaurant
The classic formal seafood house of Grand Baie, the town's deliberate splurge fish dinner.
La Rougaille Creole
Unpretentious Creole and seafood dining in the centre, rougaille, curries and grilled fish.
The Beach House
A beach restaurant and bar for seafood, grills and cocktails, the sunset dinner of the centre.
Cocoloko
A lively restaurant, bar and lounge that works for lunch, dinner or just drinks with live music.
Ti Kouloir
A small Asian street food counter for boulettes, siu mai and noodles at local prices, lunch only.
Restaurant Coolen Chez Ram
A cheap Indian restaurant by the Tamil temple, serving the town as much as visitors.
Best bars in Grand Baie
N'JOY
A restaurant, bar and lounge on La Cuvette beach for tapas, sushi, cocktails and wine into the evening.
Insomnia Night Club
The named club of the north, two dance floors and resident DJs on Friday and Saturday nights.
Outdoor things to do in Grand Baie
Ilot Gabriel
The wilder landing island of the northern catamaran day, white sand, swimming and snorkelling.
Ile Plate
Flat Island, the second catamaran landing, low white sand, shallow swimming and lunch on some products.
Coin de Mire
A protected reserve island snorkelled from a boat, shallow reef fish over coral and boulders, no landing.
Sunset Diving Mauritius
A review heavy Grand Baie dive centre for the north walls, wrecks and reef sites.
Solar Sea Walk
A guided helmet walk on the sea bed among reef fish, the underwater option for non divers.
Mont Choisy Le Golf
The accessible 18 hole course for a Grand Baie base, a round without a cross island day.
Best hotels in Grand Baie
LUX* Grand Baie Resort & Residences
The design led luxury flagship on the bay, multiple restaurants and the Hasu Japanese table.
La Maison 20 Degres Sud - Relais & Chateaux
A small adults only Relais & Chateaux hotel behind a coconut grove, the boutique splurge of the bay.
Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury
The classic service led Beachcomber flagship on a sheltered bay beach, calm over spectacle.
Veranda Grand Baie Hotel & Spa
The sensible mid range centre hotel, walk to restaurants, boats and La Cuvette.
Mauricia Beachcomber Resort & Spa
A larger resort mid ranger on the bay, eat in some nights and walk out on others.
Coin de Mire Attitude
A quieter mid range hotel facing Coin de Mire, between Pereybere and Cap Malheureux.
Pereybere Hotel & Spa
The named budget pick at Pereybere, simple rooms within walking distance of the cove.
Is Grand Baie expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | MUR 4,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | MUR 9,000 a person |
| Splurge | MUR 22,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Insomnia Night Club: a few days ahead
- Ilot Gabriel: a few days ahead
- Ile Plate: a few days ahead
- Coin de Mire: a few days ahead
- Sunset Diving Mauritius: a few days ahead
- Solar Sea Walk: a few days ahead
- Mont Choisy Le Golf: a few days ahead
- LUX* Grand Baie Resort & Residences: weeks ahead
- Northern isles catamaran early in the stay so weather can move it. Le Capitaine and LUX* tables in season.
Is Grand Baie safe?
- Follow the current curfew and local authority guidance in October 2026 and avoid demonstrations.
- Swim inside reef lagoons, never at a reef pass. Use the hotel safe and never leave a bag on the sand.
Grand Baie travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Commission shop detours by taxi drivers. Beach tour sellers with no name, boat, insurance or shopfront.
- The harbour beach sold as a swimming beach. Your swim is La Cuvette, Pereybere or Mont Choisy.
Getting around Grand Baie: public transport and more
- Bus the coastal road by day, pre agreed taxi by night. Agree every fare before the door closes.
- Rent a car if you will roam beyond the north. Driving is on the left.
Who Grand Baie suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Grand Baie your trip
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