Best Beaches for Couples in Mauritius: Romance and Intimacy

Beaches and romance in Mauritius: what makes the difference

All of Mauritius’s beaches are beautiful. But not all of them are equally romantic. A beach’s romance is a complex equation: it needs water of the right colour, sand of the right texture, an absence of noisy crowds, a natural or architectural setting that elevates the experience, and, ideally, a sunset to close out the day in style.

Where	Public beaches spread across the island’s 4 coasts
Price	Free (all Mauritian beaches are public)
Time needed	Half a day to a full day per beach
How to get there	A rental car is recommended, with a day taxi as an alternative
Best time to go	May to December for calm seas, avoiding January-February

Mauritius has several beaches that tick all these boxes. This guide presents the finest of them, what sets each one apart, and how to make the most of it as a couple. For those planning a trip specifically as a couple, our couple’s itinerary offers a complete 7 to 10 day programme. For a honeymoon, our honeymoon itinerary is even more focused on romance.

For romantic accommodation, our guide where to stay as a couple selects the options best suited to a getaway for two.

1. Le Morne — the island’s most iconic beach

Le Morne Brabant is that massive rocky outcrop planted in the sea at the tip of the island’s south-west peninsula. Its silhouette is instantly recognisable — it graces hundreds of thousands of photos of Mauritius — and the beach stretching at its foot lives up to the scenery.

Le Morne beach runs for roughly two kilometres. The sand is white and fine, the lagoon an intense turquoise, and the reef barrier is close enough that waves don’t disturb swimming, yet far enough away that the horizon stays open. The mountain behind you and the sea in front: few beaches in the world offer such a dramatically beautiful setting.

What makes it the ultimate romantic beach: the relative isolation of the Le Morne peninsula shields the beach from excessive footfall. In the morning before 10am and in the late afternoon after 4pm, you can have hundreds of metres of sand to yourselves. Sunsets over the lagoon from Le Morne beach are among the most spectacular on the island — the orientation of the coast lets you watch the light fade directly over the water.

The legend of Le Morne adds a historical and emotional dimension: according to tradition, escaped slaves are said to have leapt from the summit of the rock rather than surrender to their pursuers. Le Morne Brabant is today listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has helped preserve the immediate surroundings of the beach.

Activities for couples: kiteboarding and windsurfing are practised in Le Morne’s lagoon, considered one of the Indian Ocean’s best spots for these sports. For couples who don’t surf, glass-bottom boat trips or kayak excursions let you explore the lagoon at your own pace. Our guide to kitesurfing and surfing in Mauritius covers all the sporting options in the area.

Our Le Morne section details the accommodation and restaurants on the peninsula. For the best luxury hotels in the area, see our selection where to stay in Le Morne.

2. Ile aux Benitiers — the private islet facing Le Morne

Ile aux Benitiers is a small uninhabited islet in the lagoon opposite La Gaulette, about two kilometres from the shore. You reach it by pirogue from the coast — a 20 to 30 minute crossing over a shallow, unreally turquoise lagoon.

The island itself isn’t large — you can walk around it in under an hour — but what it offers is rare: near-deserted beaches, crystal-clear water just one or two metres deep, orange starfish scattered across the white sand, and an end-of-the-world silence. The only sound is the light wind in the handful of trees dotted across the islet.

What makes it a uniquely romantic experience: finding yourselves on an almost deserted island in the middle of a turquoise lagoon, with no other tourist in sight, creates a sense of a world stopped just for you. Picnics on the island are possible — some pirogue operators supply coolers of fruit and rum arrangé to round out the half-day.

How to get there: pirogues can be chartered from La Gaulette or from nearby beaches for half-day or full-day trips. Prices range from 20 to 50 euros per person depending on the package. It’s best to set off in the morning to enjoy the ideal light and avoid the wind picking up in the mid-afternoon.

What you’ll see underwater: snorkelling around Ile aux Benitiers is excellent. Starfish and sea urchins are abundant, and several species of tropical fish frequent the small reefs fringing the islet. Our snorkelling and diving guide has detailed information on water quality in this area.

3. Trou aux Biches at sunset — a timeless classic

Trou aux Biches isn’t an exclusively romantic beach — it’s also very popular during the day, loved by families and snorkellers alike. But in the late afternoon, when the light turns golden and the last Sunday swimmers leave the sand, Trou aux Biches beach takes on a different feel.

The beach faces west-northwest, which means the sun sets at a slight offset from the pure sea horizon — no sunset dropping straight into the sea like at Flic-en-Flac, but a warm, low light that tints the sand orange and lights up the lagoon like amber.

What makes it a romantic beach: the exceptional quality of the sand (very white, very fine, lovely underfoot), the clarity of the water, the coconut palms leaning out over the beach to create natural frames for photos, and the full range of beachfront restaurants that let you extend the evening in a pleasant setting.

For a romantic dinner: several restaurants in Trou aux Biches offer tables right on the beach or with your feet in the sand. Grilled fish and seafood, with a bottle of white wine, at dusk — it’s an accessible and memorable experience. Our guide to accommodation in the north also covers dining, in our where to stay in the north section.

Morning snorkelling at Trou aux Biches is a lovely activity for two: getting into the water as early as 7am, while the beach is still empty and the light passes through the water in a particularly beautiful way. Our guide to the best snorkelling beaches ranks Trou aux Biches among the best spots in the north.

To stay in Trou aux Biches, our guide where to stay in the north presents accommodation for every budget on the north coast.

4. Belle Mare — the perfect beach for intimacy

Belle Mare is the Mauritian beach that comes closest to the postcard ideal: immaculate white sand, absolutely pure turquoise water, an endless stretch of shoreline, coconut palms in the background. Its length — more than 9 kilometres — is precisely what makes it romantic: there’s always an empty stretch of sand to retreat to, away from the rest of the world.

The east coast is generally windier than the west coast during the austral winter, but Belle Mare is partly sheltered by the width of the lagoon and the distance to the reef barrier. The sea here is rarely rough, and swimming is almost always possible and pleasant.

What makes it a romantic beach: its length lets couples walk for kilometres over perfect sand without meeting a soul. Most of the hotels lining the beach are luxury properties that carefully maintain their stretch of sand, but the beach itself is public along its entire length. You can settle anywhere, even far from the hotels.

Sunrises at Belle Mare are exceptional. The east coast opens onto the ocean towards the east, which means the sun rises directly out of the sea. The sky moves from indigo to orange in a few minutes, in total silence — a sight early-rising couples can enjoy alone, from as early as 6am when the beach is completely empty.

For couples seeking luxury: Belle Mare is home to several of Mauritius’s finest five-star hotels. Our guide where to stay in luxury and our selection where to stay in Belle Mare present the most romantic options.

5. Pereybere — intimate and lively at once

Pereybere is a small bay in the north of the island, just a few kilometres from Grand Baie. Smaller and more intimate than its neighbour, it has an atmosphere that is both local and lively at weekends, and surprisingly quiet on weekdays outside school holidays.

What makes it a romantic beach: the bay’s contained size naturally creates intimacy. Trees lining the beach provide shade and a green setting. The water is a remarkable blue-green, with a white sandy bottom that makes it shimmer. The beach has a village soul that the big resort beaches lack.

Evening buzz at the restaurants along Pereybere beach — Creole cuisine, grills, seafood — creates a natural transition from the beach in the late afternoon to a romantic dinner. Several establishments have terrace tables with a direct view over the bay.

Combine with a boat trip: from Pereybere and the north of the island, many operators offer catamaran trips to the northern islets — Ile Plate, Ile Ronde, Ile Gabriel — for a day of snorkelling and lazing about together.

Catamaran cruise to the northern islands departing from Grand Baie

Practical tips for a successful romantic beach day

Choosing the right time of day is crucial. Popular beaches like Trou aux Biches or Pereybere get very busy between 10am and 4pm. To find privacy, either arrive early (before 8:30am for snorkelling and sunrise photos), or stay late in the afternoon once the crowds have left.

Avoiding weekends in high season is also a good strategy. Mauritians themselves flock to their favourite beaches on Saturdays and Sundays — creating a festive, authentic atmosphere, but not necessarily a romantic one.

Bring a picnic: most beaches in Mauritius have no food service directly on the sand. Packing a basket with smoked fish, Creole cheese, tropical fruit and a bottle of rosé — and finding a shady spot under a coconut palm — often creates a more memorable experience than a restaurant.

For couple photos, Le Morne beach with the mountain in the background and Belle Mare beach at sunrise are the two most sought-after “shots” among travellers. A professional photographer can be booked in advance through several local agencies.

Our guide to the best beaches in Mauritius covers every beach on the island, and our section on activities as a couple offers other ideas for making a trip for two truly exceptional. For the logistics of your stay, our car rental guide is essential — getting around by car from beach to beach as a couple remains the freest way to discover the island.

Book a romantic private transfer from the airport

Other beaches worth considering

Beyond the five beaches detailed above, other spots are worth a detour for couples who have already explored the great classics. Blue Bay, in the south-east, offers an exceptionally protected lagoon, ideal for relaxed snorkelling together before lunch in Mahebourg. Flic en Flac, on the west coast, is known for sunsets that dip straight into the sea — a daily ritual many couples treat themselves to at the end of the day, drink in hand on the beach.

For couples who prefer absolute quiet over the best-known beaches, our guide to the island’s calmest areas lists the least crowded spots, often far from the big resort complexes.

Where to stay to make the most of these beaches

Your choice of accommodation largely determines your access to, and the rhythm of, your beach days. A couple who chooses Le Morne or Belle Mare can walk to the sand in a few minutes, letting you enjoy sunrise or sunset with no travel hassle.

Conversely, staying in the north, which is livelier, makes evenings out easier but often requires a short drive or taxi ride to reach the quieter beaches, such as Ile aux Benitiers. Our general guide where to stay as a couple helps you decide based on the kind of stay you’re after — intimate, lively or luxurious.