Our last days on the island were mostly plagued by rain but there were gaps in the moisture that we were able to take advantage of. Leading up to this trip, I’ve been tinkering with the idea of buying a laser dinghy and as it just so happens, Constance has them for use for free that I was hoping to take advantage of. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating and there was only the slightest of breezes so instead Lauren and I set sail on a Hobie.

Do I know how to captain a Hobie? Not really but thanks to being on the water with my father in law, I knew the basics so it only took a half an hour or so of playing around before I got the hang of it. (and the approval of the boat house manager!). I only once sailed onto the rocks, but in all fairness the dark water looked like weeds so I’m going to give myself a pass and call it a job well done.

The northern edge of the bay is surrounded by lush mangroves and usually where mangroves are, there’s ample wildlife. Seeing how we couldn’t get close enough with the Hobie, we decided that a more rustic vehicle would be best to navigate the maze of these carbon sinks to see what kind of wildlife we could find….unfortunately they must have gotten a heads up on the weather as it was a bit of a bust. On the bright side, we got a little exercise and worked on our tandem kayak communication skills.

We had just gotten back to shore when we were hit with what would become a three day stretch of…

Rain

Talking with the locals, rain is not an uncommon occurrence as June hits but in this case it was a bit early. When at a tropical resort with beautiful water and sand it can really inhibit the flow of activities we were hoping to do. The saving grace was the dive I scheduled on Friday morning that worked quite well since I’d be wet and in the water anyway.

Constance is shielded from the big swings of weather that I hadn’t fully appreciated until I went off property to the dive shop that morning. What was a light rain and 10mph winds turned into a hurricane-esque environment, with winds up to 40mph and a sheer downpour of water just 15 minutes south. Facing six foot seas my dive master and I headed out for my lone dive of the day. While the waters surface was exceptionally rocky (thank goodness I took a Dramamine before leaving the hotel), once underwater the visibility was good and only had to deal with the odd current.

Our last dinner was at the Barachois restaurant, the same one we visited the second night in. Lauren and I were both very happy with the folks who ran it and and everybody we encountered were super warm and welcoming. Barachois itself is a bit interesting as the entire restaurant is floating on the lagoon on huge pontoons. About a 10 minute walk from our room, the journey is beautifully lit and has great views of the lagoon and of the fish that live within it! the canopies offered great protection from the wind and rain and the food was delicious. Lauren was a bit uneasy about eating fillets of the fish we saw in the lagoon which is probably why I ordered that while she got the steak.

Just like that, we were at the end of our two week stay on the island. After a quick beach run and check out, we headed to the airport to make our long journey home. The memory of this special place and the warm embrace of all of the local Mauritians will forever be in our hearts, dreaming of the day where we can return and explore their corner of paradise yet again.

Travel/Post Details:

• Post includes activities from May 25-27 2023
• Featured Image- the view of the entrance of the Barachois restaurant
• Accommodation – Constance Prince Maurice (Beachfront Villa)
• Dinner on the 25th was at the Asian restaurant where they had a white selection but both Lauren and I were disappointed by the flavors in our dishes.
• Dive was with Seafan Adventures off property. Constance booked it along with the taxi and it was a lone dive with just the dive master and myself
• Returning Flight Details:
  • MRU>DXB (Emirates)
  • DXB>EWR (United)
  • EWR>PHX (United)