Île aux Cerfs

Île aux Cerfs (Stag Island) is the most visited day-trip destination in Mauritius, accessible by a 10-minute boat from the small harbour at Trou d'Eau Douce on the east coast, and the island that most people picture when they think of a classic Mauritius beach experience. The island is privately owned and managed by the Lux/One&Only hotel group, but day access is open to all via the regular boat shuttles that run from around 8:30am to 5pm.

The beaches on Île aux Cerfs are genuinely spectacular — particularly the main beach on the lagoon-facing western side, where the water is a shade of turquoise that suggests it has been digitally enhanced by someone with poor taste and turns out to be entirely real. The sand is fine and white, the lagoon is calm and shallow, and the reef at the edge is accessible by snorkel or glass-bottom boat for those who want to explore without getting their hair wet. The overall effect, particularly before the main crowd of day-trippers arrives at around 10am, is of a paradise island in the exact sense of the phrase.

The island has developed a comprehensive watersports offer over the years: parasailing, waterski, wakeboarding, banana boats, glass-bottom kayaks, paddleboards, and catamaran rentals are all available from the beach. Several restaurants and beach bars — including a proper seafood lunch operation and a coconut rum punch stand that operates at a rate that suggests the staff have the sun on their side — serve the lunchtime crowd. The Paul & Virginie golf course at the northern tip of the island (nine holes on a cliff top above the ocean) is one of the more unusual rounds of golf available in the Indian Ocean.

The boat ride back to Trou d'Eau Douce in the late afternoon, when the light is dropping and the east coast hills are going green-gold behind the village, is one of the better departures from any island in the world.