There's more to Mauritius than sun, sand, surf and Sega. If you want more on your honeymoon, that is!

When Mark Twain visited Mauritius sometime in the last century, he was completely captivated by the island's pristine beauty. In fact, so taken up was he by the island, that he is known to have said, God created Heaven and then, Mauritius. Although a lot has changed since then, this tiny island off the East Coast of Africa, has retained most of its charm. Even today, the tallest building on the island is shorter than the tallest coconut tree! Mauritius is a tropical island, which offers the perfect blend of creature comforts, without disturbing the ecosystem or the palm-fringed skyline. Its lush tropical forests, unending golden white beaches, crystal clear waters and friendly people make it the ideal honeymoon getaway!

Over the years, the island has been overrun by the Arabs, Dutch and the French, making its culture a unique pot-pourri of influences. Add to that the fact that there have been immigrants from China and India, so don't be too surprised if you find someone speaking Tamil or Hindi. Moreover, as varied as its people, so is the cuisine available on the island…although the national cuisine is a mix of French and African influences, called Creole. And the national dance, the Sega, was actually brought to the island by the African slaves! So, as you can see, this is no ordinary island.

Our tour of Mauritius begins in the Capital city of Port Louis. The city, with a population of 142.000, is pretty large in proportion to the size of the island, but relatively small considering the total population of the country. There's not much to see in the city, except a few buildings of French and Dutch origin. Nevertheless, it's a nice place to get acclimatised to the slow-paced Mauritian way of life, before you move into the hinterland.

From Port Louis, we move to the tiny, enigmatically named hill-station of Curepipe. Local lore has it that travellers used to stop there to 'cure' their pipes and that's how the town got its name! Curepipe is an elegant residential town with grand colonial houses, pleasant public gardens and an ultra-modern vegetable market that's worth seeing! Curepipe exudes the cosmopolitan spirit of Mauritius and is much more laid back than the frenetic capital city, Port Louis. Take a drive from Curepipe to the lush tea plantations at Trou-aux-Cerfs. From this vantage point, cast your gaze at the aquamarine sea below and you'll soon begin to agree with Twain's opinion. Even more so if you're sharing this exquisite view with the person you've pledged to love forever.

When the sea looks as inviting as it does from up here, would anyone blame you if you rushed down to meet it at Grand Baie? Here you can go swimming, sailing, windsurfing and water skiing in the emerald green waters of the bay. On the other hand, you could hire a boat and experience the thrill of deep-sea fishing. If wrestling with a 100 kg marine monster isn't your idea of having fun, slink off in a sailboat and explore one of the more remote islands to the north of the main island. These islands are sparsely inhabited, which makes them the perfect for getting to know each other a little better!

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