TRAVEL EXPLORING MAURITIUS

PARADISE FOUND

For the same money, I could have taken a package tour to somewhere ordinary. Yet here I am in paradise. In a hammock seat in Mauritius gazing out over the hills of the island's Chamarel area towards the perfect blue sea of the reef.

To get here I've flown, I've driven and, yes, I've dreamed. Of the picture postcard images of Mauritian beaches seen on a thousand calendars and book jackets - and now I'm in it. Or more accurately, at the Lakaz Chamarel, a small family-run hotel tucked carefully away in the hills, just an hour's drive from the Mauritian capital, Port Louis.

The brief for this story was simple. Mauritius is one of the British holidaymaker's favourite destinations. And many more are now poised to visit with the introduction of cheaper Virgin Atlantic flights to the island. Yet all but a handful of visitors do nothing other than basing themselves at beach hotels for the duration of their stays. It's like visiting England and seeing nothing but central London. All that's needed to change that is to hire a car, then get out into the island and explore. Once you've done so, it's hard to imagine why anyone would be satisfied with anything less.

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