Tropical escape: Sweet spots and melting pots in Mauritius

As the balmy, scented breeze cuts through the taxi's open window, our driver Nawaz asks: "Can you smell that?" He's talking about the sweet aroma drifting from the lush sugarcane fields. The sugar industry has fuelled Mauritius' economy for more than three centuries and continues to play an important role, both in exports and tourism. We pass hotels set in historic sugar plantations, signs for rum distilleries advertising tours and tastings, and, later, as the sun dissolves into the Indian Ocean, we join fellow holidaymakers at a rustic-chic beach bar sipping mango mojitos, coconut daiquiris and other heady cocktails powered by the island's rum.

Blessed with a subtropical climate - it's on the same latitude as Queensland's Airlie Beach and Hawaii - Mauritius hits the sweet spot for visitors year-round. We're here as February blends into March, when it's hot and humid, but not cloyingly so. Regular short, sharp downpours leave the air refreshed and infused with an earthy tang, when tiny, adorable birds, like the red-breasted fody and the bulbul - which sports a punk rocker-like hairdo - chirp by rain-dappled hibiscus and frangipani.

Gorgeous gardens pepper Mauritius, including at our all-inclusive, family-friendly north-coast base, Club Med La Pointe aux Canonniers, which marks its 50th birthday this year, but flaunts a smart, pre-pandemic makeover. Manicured lawns hedge spruced-up pool and dining areas, where tastebud-pleasing dishes reflect the cosmopolitan make-up of Mauritius, an island nation shaped by its past as a French, then British colony, and waves of immigration from Africa and Asia. We devour fragrant curries, biryanis and rougailles (stews), grilled fish and seafood, sushi and sashimi, and desserts ranging from Parisian-esque patisserie to tamarind ice cream and rum-soaked banana flambe.

Some days we're content lounging and reading on the resort's slim white-sand beaches and kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding in the turquoise-tinged lagoon. The waters are usually calm (and apparently shark-free), with Mauritius almost completely encircled by coral reefs, delighting snorkellers and divers, too.

But we're also eager to explore further. Mauritius' compact size - it's a bit bigger than Queensland's Fraser Island - means you can fit a lot in. The roads are generally smooth and they drive on the left, though we're happy to leave it to the experts. As well as guided Club Med excursions, we compile itineraries with private drivers like Mamade, whose car speakers play the Islamic call to prayer when he turns his engine on. He takes us south into Mauritius' gloriously photogenic interior, where extinct, cloud-tickled volcanoes soar from sugarcane fields and waterfalls tumble over densely forested valleys.

"I like it up here. The temperatures are a little cooler," says Mamade, navigating the hilly Black River Gorges National Park, an expanse laced with invigorating roads and hiking trails. Towering on the island's south-western tip, we glimpse Le Morne Brabant, a jungly 556-metre peak that we had climbed a few mornings before. A refuge for slaves escaping the sugar plantations in the 18th and 19th centuries, it's now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Next to the national park is Chamarel, a village renowned for its Seven Coloured Earths, a geological formation of surreal, rippling dunes. We peruse its psychedelic hues with a coffee made with beans grown and roasted on-site. Another highlight of this outing is Ganga Talao, a sacred crater lake fringed by Hindu temples and shrines. Our visit coincides with Maha Shivaratri, an annual festival honouring the god, Shiva, and we're surrounded by thousands of devotees and their eclectic, brightly garlanded kanwars (floats) and offerings. "Many of these pilgrims will have walked here from every corner of the island," says Mamade, as broad smiles, upbeat Bollywood-style tunes and incense spikes the air.

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Port Louis, Mauritius' melting-pot capital, is another intriguing day trip, albeit hectic and traffic-clogged by island standards. In its atmospheric Victorian-era Central Market, multilingual chatter - mostly in a French-based Creole and English, the country's official language - swirls around stalls laden with fruits and vegetables, spices and herbal medicines, fabrics and souvenirs. Glasses and T-shirts feature the dodo, the endemic flightless bird that died out after 16th century Dutch sailors landed on Mauritius. We're struck by the architectural hotpotch in the surrounding streets, admiring mosques with elaborate facades and churches including the French-built St Louis Cathedral. A mildly thigh-straining ascent brings us to Fort Adelaide, a former British citadel with panoramas over Port Louis and the Indian Ocean.

We also discover Chinatown. Behind its giant arch, streets are adorned with murals portraying everything from dragons to anime characters, while Chinese fare and fusion snacks are served at neighbourhood restaurants with whirring ceiling fans. We pause in one for pearl bubble tea and baguettes crammed with Cantonese-style roasted pork, then head back to our resort for sunset and, yes, you guessed it, rum cocktails. We came to Mauritius looking for relaxation, culture and adventure. And we're so happy with our choice of destination - and all the flavours we've savoured here - that we're already plotting our return.

Getting there: Air Mauritius flies to Mauritius from Perth, with codeshare flights available with Virgin Australia connecting Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. See airmauritius.com

Staying there: Club Med La Pointe Aux Canonniers has rates from $1475 per person, all-inclusive for seven nights, based on double occupancy. See clubmed.com

Getting around: Car hire is available at the airport, but Taxis Mauritius offers good-value tours and transfers. See taxismauritius.com

Explore more: mymauritius.travel

The writer travelled with the support of Club Med.