winters

IF you want beautifully hot winters without the long, stopover flights, then an island is about to be on your list.

The island of Mauritius, just off the coast of Madagascar in East Africa, has seen a drop in passengers in recent years.

According to Travel Gossip, visitor numbers fell by 11 per cent, linked to the Middle East conflict due to the majority of flights operating via Dubai.

However, it also rose slightly back in August, with last-minute bookings to the island.

Airline Air Mauritius – who currently operates flights from London Gatwick – could add even more from the UK.

Dinesh Burrenchobay, Chairman of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, said: “Air Mauritius has committed to increase its frequency back to five flights a week, maybe even six or seven.

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“It didn’t commit to a timeline, but I think we will get extra flights from the UK by next summer.”

The UK is one of the island’s biggest markets, with as many 150,000 visiting a year.

Air Mauritius UK Country Sales Manager Allan Owen added: “We are looking at the tourist board to increase knowledge of Mauritius and what it has to offer and we will increase capacity in line with rising demand.” 

Direct flights from the UK to Mauritius take just under 12 hours.

However, the time difference can be as little as 3-4 hours, so jet lag is minimal.

Not just that, but January is one of its hottest months with highs of 30C, so its the ideal escape from the cold UK.

When it comes to visiting the island, the north is popular with fly-and-floppers with most resorts lining the beaches.

Otherwise the south of the island is more for the nature fans, with waterfalls and tropical jungles.

One of it’s most famous beaches is Le Morne Beach, often named one of the best in the world.

We’ve found some very cheap holiday deals – local B&B breaks start from £739pp (with flights and seven nights) while beachside resorts start from £999pp on loveholidays.

ONE minute I’m having my morning coffee, the next I’m handed a long stick to fish fresh mangos from the trees for my breakfast.

As I cut into the ripe green fruit, sticky juice seeps down my arm and I frantically try to eat it before it reaches my elbow.

After days of rich prawn curries and French chocolate lava cakes, this health hit is a welcome change. 

The mix of Indian and French culture is what makes a holiday to the African island of Mauritius unique.

Its history is complex. Being uninhabited until 1598, it swapped hands from the Dutch, to the French, and finally the British before its independence in 1968.

Now predominantly Indo-Mauritian, the island is the definition of paradise.

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Soft sandy beaches, coconut trees lining the roads and year-round 30C weather. All the boxes ticked.

And your time in paradise is best spent at Veranda Paul et Virginie Hotel in the north of the island.

The adult-only resort, which underwent a huge renovation in 2024, is named after the tragic French love story of Virginie and Paul. Spoiler: They both die.

I’ve never felt more alive, however, as I enter the hotel to be greeted by Bora Bora-style thatched lobbies, Maldives-esque, over-water restaurants and a Dubai-like infinity pool.

Thankfully, it comes without the high price tag of those destinations, as Mauritius is the affordable luxury alternative.

My out-of-office relaxation is only interrupted by my hourly break into the water to escape the heat. There’s the bright turquoise ocean with snorkelling, paddle boarding and glass-bottom boat tours — all included for guests.

Otherwise, days are spent hopping between the main hotel pool and the infinity pool overlooking the sea.

The latter is where I spend every evening in awe of the view when the sun goes down.

As the clouds clear, a vivid pink sunset rips across the sky like a paint splatter, lighting up the water in the same hue.

And the views don’t stop from either of the hotel restaurants.

The main dining spot is Saint Geran, which juts out over the water with 360-degree ocean views.

The menu includes octopus salads, Mauritian arancini and decadent French desserts. I quickly became obsessed with napolitaine, a tiny shortbread biscuit covered in pink icing that I had alongside nearly every cup of coffee.

Make sure to stay put at the resort on Thursdays for the Sunset Vibes nights, with steel drums, cocktails and canapes.

Another big selling point of this gorgeous hotel is that all the bedrooms have either pool or sea views.

My Superior room — the middle option — was spacious and stylish. Think rattan chairs on the balcony, king-size beds and dark walnut furniture, accented with blues and oranges.

Any woes I still had in me were eased at the hotel’s spa, where a 90-minute massage from Aurora left me feeling like a new woman.

If you come to Mauritius with the kids, try the Veranda Grand Baie hotel down the road. This resort has volleyball courts, table tennis and a rotating menu of activities, such as archery and kayaking.

I tested my skills with some Creole lessons, Ravanne drum classes and cooking demonstrations, sweating over an outdoor stove.

Adults wanting some time to themselves also have more choice in the village of Grand Baie (after which the hotel is named).

A short walk or boat ride away, Banana Beach Club is the place to be, with £3 local beers and live music all through the week.

Pop into the Bazar de Grand Baie, a huge indoor market with everything from clothes and shoes to carved wooden dodos and coconut bowls. Just be prepared to haggle hard. If you can pull yourself away, the rest of the north of the island has a lot more to offer outside of the resorts.

The history of Mauritius is best explained at L’Aventure du Sucre, an interactive museum exploring the last 400 years — with sugar and rum tastings to finish off, of course.

Join the locals at Cap Malheureux beach, where heady smells of BBQ-ed meat carry across the shore.

It’s also where you’ll find the famous red-roofed church that features on all the postcards out here.

Or grab a bike and explore the fishing village of Grand Gaube.

Our guide, “King Julian”, showed us around, greeting nearly every person like a local celeb, high-fiving them over the football or holding doors for the elderly churchgoers.

“We don’t have a big life, but it’s a millionaire life,” he tells us as we watch the fishing boats come in underneath another pink sunset.

Despite spending a fraction of that to be there, I certainly felt a million dollars by the end.

Even if just from my daily dose of mangos.

A BEAUTIFUL archipelago in the Indian Ocean is set to become a much bigger holiday destination for Brits next year.

Zanzibar is often dubbed a Maldives-alternative thanks to its beautiful blue waters, white-sand beaches and high winter temperatures.

The fact that it rarely drops below 25C and can remain above 33C throughout winter is set to draw Brits in.

The best news is that flights from three different airlines will launch next year – some of which are direct and will take around nine hours.

TUI announced that from 2027 it will launch direct flights from the UK to Zanzibar – and it will open up holiday packages too.

This is the first time there will ever be direct flights to Zanzibar, with most Brits having to change in places like Dubai.

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Flights will operate from London Gatwick twice a week from November 3, 2027, until March 22, 2028.

It has new hotels too – including The Mora Zanzibar, which opened in spring 2024.

Air Tanzania will launch direct flights next year too – these will operate three times a week from London Gatwick starting in July 2027.

British Airways recently announced it would also be launching new routes to Tanzania.

These will take off from London Gatwick Airport and head to Kilimanjaro before heading onto Zanzibar.

The route launches on May 29 and flights will run for the season until October 31 – return flight prices start from £849.

The time difference is small too, currently being two hours ahead of the UK so unlike a lot of far-flung islands, there’s no jet lag.

As for what you’ll find there, Zanzibar is known for having a beautiful coastline with soft sandy beaches.

Some of the best include Kendwa Beach which previously ranked the fourth-best beach in the world and number one in Africa by Big 7 Travel.

Nungwi Beach is perfect for all-day swimming, while Paje and Jambiani are known for their world-class kitesurfing and lagoons.

It’s not all coastal, explore the city too – the capital of Zanzibar is Zanzibar City, which is made of two parts, Stone Town and Ng’ambo, which were historically divided by a creek.

The newer portion of the city is known as Ng’ambo, Swahili for ‘the other side’.

Meanwhile, Stone Town is the historic side where you’ll find the Old Fort, Christ Church Cathedral — the oldest church in East Africa, and the Sultan’s Palace.

Stone Town was also the birthplace of Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury.

Zanzibar is also nicknamed Spice Island thanks to its Indian and African influences – if you want to pick some up yourself, head to Darajani Bazaar.

Zanzibar isn’t a particularly expensive place either as, according to Wise, a beer can cost as little as £1 and a meal at an inexpensive restaurant can start from £3.54.