Mauritius with children: a family week in the north

Trou aux Biches is the one for toddlers: the lagoon is shallow for a long way out, there are no waves, and the sand is fine. Mont Choisy, the closest to the villa, is wide and shaded by filao trees, with the same shallow water and more room to run. Pereybere gets deep quickly and suits children who swim. Avoid Grand Baie's own beach, which is more harbour than beach. All three have public toilets and vendors selling fruit, pineapple with chilli and cold drinks. Early morning and late afternoon are the hours for children, with the midday sun spent in the pool or the shade of the alfresco.

The catamaran day to Gabriel Island is a hit from about four years old: barbecue on board, shallow lagoon, a beach to dig. The Pamplemousses botanical garden has giant water lilies, tortoises and deer, and takes an hour and a half at a child's pace. The undersea walk and the submarine at Grand Baie show the reef without needing to swim. Casela, an hour to the west, has a safari drive, a zip line and giraffes to feed; it is a full day. Dolphins at Tamarin mean a six o'clock start but the children remember it. Curious Corner at Chamarel is an illusion museum for a rainy afternoon.

Four en-suite bedrooms, so grandparents, parents and children each have their own; the master suite and the bedrooms are upstairs, the living room and kitchen on the ground floor. A full kitchen for early dinners and the fussy eater. A pool at the door, which also means supervision: it is not fenced, and small children must never be near it alone. The basement cinema and games room are the answer to the hot hours and to rainy days, and to teenagers. Evenings are at home, on the terrace, with the children asleep upstairs, which no hotel offers. Housekeeping comes five days a week.

A travel cot and a high chair are available on request at no charge; tell us when you book. Car hire firms supply child seats for a few euros a day, and private transfer drivers bring them if asked in advance. Supermarkets in Grand Baie stock familiar baby food, formula and nappies; Super U and Intermart are both ten minutes away. Fruit from the roadside stalls is excellent and cheap. Tap water is treated but most families prefer bottled water for babies.

The sun is the main hazard: it is strong even on cloudy days, and the sea breeze hides it. Rash vests, hats and a high-factor cream, reapplied after every swim, are not optional. Mosquitoes are present at dusk, more so from December to April; the bedrooms have nets and the house has screens, but repellent for the evenings outside is sensible. No vaccinations are required for visitors from Europe. There are private clinics in Grand Baie and a good hospital at Pamplemousses, twenty minutes away; pharmacies are well stocked and the pharmacists speak English and French.

Arrive and swim at the villa. Day two, Trou aux Biches in the morning, Grand Baie in the late afternoon for an ice cream and a walk by the water. Day three, Pamplemousses garden early, then L'Aventure du Sucre next door, back for the pool. Day four, the catamaran to Gabriel Island. Day five, a quiet day at Mont Choisy beach and the cinema at home. Day six, Casela or the dolphins, depending on ages. Day seven, Cap Malheureux for the photo and a last swim at Pereybere. The drives are short, nobody spends the holiday in a car, and there is a pool at the end of every day.