Feet in the water: the beach at your door

“Seafront hotel”: the phrase is convenient, and far from precise. It covers a room whose terrace opens onto the sand just as well as a building cut off from the beach by a coast road that has to be crossed. For anyone who wants to step out of the room in a swimsuit and walk straight to the lagoon, the difference is everything.

The seven hotels that follow all have the beach in front of them, and several offer beachfront rooms with direct access to the sand. What sets them apart is the length of the beach, the number of rooms that truly open onto it, and the coast, east, west or north.

On the east coast, Constance Belle Mare Plage occupies two kilometres of white sand, and its lagoon, protected offshore by the coral reef, suits swimming as well as snorkelling. The buildings rise no higher than three storeys, and every room faces the Indian Ocean.

Of the one hundred and forty-nine junior suites, fifty-three are on the beach. Three of the hotel’s six restaurants stand with their feet in the sand, and non-motorised water sports, from kayaks to snorkelling, are included.

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Sugar Beach Mauritius

★★★★★Flic-en-FlacSee the hotelBook on Booking.com →

At Wolmar, in Flic en Flac, on the west coast, Sugar Beach stretches along a kilometre and a half of white-sand beach. Two categories open directly onto the sand: the Deluxe Beach Front, of forty square metres, on the first floor, and the Premium Beach Front, of fifty square metres, on the ground floor. The Executive Beach Front Suite, of one hundred square metres, also has its own direct access to the beach.

Buddha-Bar Beach serves seafood and sushi by the water, and guests have access to the restaurants and bars of La Pirogue, the neighbouring hotel of the same group, also on Wolmar beach.

At Belle Mare, on the Palmar lagoon, the Veranda Belle Mare stretches along a white-sand beach of a kilometre and a half, for just seventy-seven rooms. The fourteen Comfort Beachfront rooms, of thirty-six square metres, each have their own terrace and private garden, two sun loungers, a parasol and an espresso machine.

The all-inclusive formula revolves around the beach: the beach restaurant and bar look out over the lagoon, and a credit is offered for dinner at the Horizon beach restaurant, on booking. Windsurfing, kayaking, paddleboarding and snorkelling are included.

At Mont Choisy, on the north coast, the Tarisa faces three kilometres of white-sand beach and turquoise lagoon. Fifty-seven of its seventy-five rooms are sea-facing Superior rooms of thirty-seven square metres, with a view of the pool, so that a view of the water is the rule here rather than the exception.

The five Family rooms, of fifty square metres, also face the sea, with a separate room for the children. The hotel has its own boathouse, and courtesy rooms with showers await those who arrive early or leave late, so the beach can be enjoyed until the very last moment.

At Palmar, near Belle Mare, on the east coast, Ambre lines seven hundred and fifty metres of sandy beach, between a lagoon of coral reefs and tropical gardens. The hotel is for adults only and runs on an all-inclusive basis, with an infinity pool facing the Indian Ocean.

Lagoon sports are included: kayaking, laser sailing, pedal boats, the glass-bottom boat, snorkelling, windsurfing and paddleboarding. Two open-air massage gazebos face the sea, and La Plage serves seafood and grills at the water’s edge.

At Pointe aux Piments, on the north-west coast, Villas Mon Plaisir has welcomed guests since 1994 in a small hotel of forty-eight rooms, facing the lagoon. The Standard room with beach and sea view has its balcony turned towards the sand and the water.

Meals are taken by the sea, around a buffet whose cuisine changes every day, Chinese, Indian, Creole or Mauritian barbecue, with a Mauritian band in the evening. The rooms are small, about sixteen square metres: that is the price of the location.

In the heart of the village of Trou d’Eau Douce, on the east coast, the Silver Beach faces a quiet white-sand beach and the turquoise waters of the ocean, turned towards the sunrise. It is a simple house, all-inclusive, with just two categories, sea view or garden view.

The restaurant and bar face the pool and the sea, and the boathouse lends out pedal boats, kayaks and snorkelling gear. Île aux Cerfs is close at hand, and the trip is made by boat from the village.

Before booking, choose the category with care: in most of these hotels only some of the rooms truly open onto the sand, and they are the first to go.