The Deal Duchess got hitched!! So it was only right to make our honeymoon as romantic and adventurous as possible. We went back and forth between Canary Islands, Fiji, Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius. Ultimately, the beautiful island nation of Mauritius won out. We forced a 24 hour layover in Paris, so that we could explore the Christmas markets and oh what a treat! Literally!
The Christmas Market or Village de Noël stretches down the Champs-Élysées for yards with gourmet treats from smoked salmon to garlic mushrooms, artisinal wines and cheeses galore. The city is lit up and simply beautiful at night but the markets are open and busy during the day as well. There are trinkets to be bought and plenty of hot wine to drink to keep you warm in the frigid winter weather.
We took off to Mauritius, and landed in the friendliest most interesting country with great history and beauty all around. We had no expectations of the country, so there was no way we could be disappointed. We were given a brief history lesson by our driver, who told us that the island nation of Africa is multicultural and mainly consists of a majority of Indian, African and French people. Our driver explained to us that English is the language of Mauritius but most people speak Creole and French as well.
When we made it to our hotel, we realized that we had reached paradise. A beautiful view opened up at Le Meridien Il-Maurice as soon as we walked in. We were greeted with tamarind juice, iced coffee and a cool towel, while we waited for our room assignment.
We had a choice of 3 restaurants and multiple bars daily. We tried our hand at water sports, specifically water skiing. Let’s just say, we’ll stick to skiing in snow! After a few attempts at standing up on the skis, taking in tons of salt water and the skis falling off, we threw in the towel. No Olympics in our future!
We visited the 7 Colored Earths.
Got blessings at a Hindu temple….
Played with a few baby lions at the Casela National Park….
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Learned about the rum making process at the Chamarel Rum Factory….oh and drank a little too!
….and took a bus into the main city of Port Louis to get an idea of Mauritians daily life.
Mauritius Top 5
- Pineapple Jam – Absolutely AMAZING!!
2. Water Skiing – We failed but we had fun
3. Baby Lions – Cute with HUGE claws…and teeth!
4. The People – Friendly and knowledgeable about everything Mauritius.
5. The View – The landscape is simply GORGEOUS!
