Mauritius is not a late island. Outside Grand Baie and Flic en Flac, most kitchens close by ten and the bars follow within the hour. The north is where the exception lives, and the evening there runs on a schedule worth knowing.
Sunset is the main event
Depending on the month, the sun goes down between roughly quarter to six and quarter to seven. The good west-facing spots fill about half an hour before that. Turn up after it and you are drinking in the dark with a view of the car park.
The north coast faces north and west, so it gets a genuine sunset over water rather than over a hillside - which is the specific reason people come here to drink rather than to the east coast.
Grand Baie
This is where the density is. Bars run from beachfront terraces to proper late venues, and it is the one part of the island where you can move between places on foot.
The long-standing anchor is Banana Beach Club, open since 1994 and still the reference point. Entry is normally free; on Friday and Saturday nights with live bands there is a cover of around 100 rupees, which comes back to you as a drink token at the bar. Fridays are ladies' night with free entry for women. It runs late by Mauritian standards, typically closing somewhere between two and three depending on the crowd.
Live music is the norm rather than the exception - jazz, blues, rock and fusion through the week.
Pereybere
Ten minutes up the coast and considerably quieter. Better public beach, a handful of relaxed bars and restaurants, and an evening that ends earlier. This is where to go if Grand Baie feels like too much.
Practical rules for a night out
- Transport home. Buses have stopped long before you finish. Agree a taxi fare before you get in, and take the driver's number if you are heading somewhere quiet.
- Cash. Cards are accepted in bigger venues, but smaller bars and every street snack on the way home are cash only.
- Drink the rum. Local rum is excellent and cheap. Imported spirits and wine carry heavy duty.
- Dress is casual almost everywhere. A shirt and closed shoes will get you into anything on the north coast.
Expect a quiet island
If you are staying on the east or south coasts, the hotel bar genuinely is the option, and several of them are good. Mauritius does sundowners far better than it does nightclubs, and the sooner you plan around that, the better your evenings will be.
